Stage 12

Bob Roll was right. What were the odds? Ullrich didn't just win the ITT, he absolutely destroyed the field. He beat Armstrong by 1:36, and Armstrong posted a good minute between himself and the field (except Vinokourov). As Jason predicted, the field is officially blown apart. Only six riders are within 5 minutes (I'm giving Mancebo the second, okay?) of the lead. But even bigger, two are still within one minute: Ullrich and Vino.

Thos are the two big winners of the day. Yes, Ullrich won a stage and it was just like old times. Armstrong calls him the biggest threat, but he has consistently beaten Ullrich on every climb of the race. He's got to be worried about the German, but he also has to be confident that he can put him away in the mountains. But Vionkourov? He's not supposed to be able to time trial like this. He's a climber by trade, and after today, he was supposed to be three or four minutes out, like the duo from Euskatel. But he's still within one minute. Armstrong might be publicly talking about Ullrich, but I'm thinking in private, the Posties are worried about Vino.

Telekom is a strong team. Stronger than Bianchi. And Vinokourov might not be a "name," but he's been a top-tier rider for quite some time. He's been more of a threat over the past two years than Ullrich. It's amazing how quickly this race keeps changing. But Armstrong really needed to put his rivals away today, and he didn't. They talk about Ullrich, but they better be concerned about Vinokourov.