groan.

So this armchair cyclist is powerfully jazzed that Team Discovery won the time trial today, putting Lance back in the Maillot Jaune for the first time this Tour. But oh, no one likes to see anyone finish a race the way Dave Zabriskie did: his own Yellow Jersey torn, his skinsuit laid open, and dirt, asphalt, and blood caking his body from his face down to his ankle. OLN's site says he may well be out of the Tour-- his ribs broken as well as his morale. The worst of it is how close he was to the finish-- if he'd been a mere 500 yards further, he would have gotten the same time as his team, which had to go on without him. But he got back on his bike, bleeding and grim-faced, and pedaled on to the line alone, a solid wall of chase cars, motorcycles, and camera lenses right behind him.

He's young, he's an amazing rider, and he'll be back, if he hasn't lost his heart after such a nasty, public, gut-wrenching fall. His team-- all eight remaining of them-- ironically recieved a time two seconds after the leaders, which is the margin by which Dave led Lance the first three stages of the race. If he can rejoin them-- which is a big if-- he's still possibly high enough in the standings to challenge the leaders again. And he's got it in him to be a star of the sport: three days in the Jersey, and I actually teared up for a guy I'd never heard of before Saturday. He's funny, down to earth, refreshingly candid and unjaded ("Dave! It's your first Yellow Jersey! Did you do what some riders do, and even sleep in it?" "Er...no...I, uh, sleep in the buff.")

I hope tomorrow brings better news. It's certainly been exciting enough.