Stage 1 Shocker

In a stunning repeat of stages 2, 4, and 6 of last year, Robbie McEwen won the race today. That's really not surprising, but what was really impressive was the way his team helped him back to the peloton and all the way to the front of the pack after a crash in the final 20 km. Not easy at all. Aside from that, his burst of speed was really impressive. He passed the other guys like they were standing still.

Thor and Boonen were 2nd & 3rd, so they didn't lose much in terms of points. Oscar Freire was 7th and Erik Zabel was 13th--they did dig holes for themselves on day one.

David Millar was sneaky enough to sprint for the speed bumps that qualified as category 4 climbs, so he wears the poseur polka dot jersey. That's pretty cool, but don't think we'll stop making fun of him.