[Hester]

Lance Armstrong won his seventh Tour de France today in Paris. He started off shaking hands with most of his main opponents, Jan Ulrich, Alex Vinokourov, and had a lengthy discussion with Ivan Basso. He slowed down to shake hands with all the drivers of all the support cars, had his glass of champagne early, held up seven fingers, and even took and held up his teammates Yaroslav Popvych's #7. There was conderable posturing for the cameras early in the race. It was a wet and drizzly morning with a few minor crashes. Three of his teammates went down just before they entered Paris, Lance had to put one foot on the ground to stay up, and that was the deciding factor in stopping the clocks. They do eight laps of the Champs Elyssee but if it's raining they can stop the clocks - not the race - the next time they pass under the finish line. Today it just happened to be the first time they passed under the finish line. After they made the call the sun decided to come out, so it made for a much faster, yet safer, finish to the race. The awards were handed out, the last being the yellow jersey of course. Lance took the stage with his three children, his two girls wearing yellow sundresses - one received the bouquet of flowers, the other received today's stuffed lion. You could see him say a few words to Jan Ulrich and Ivan Basso as he headed to the presentation area, it was nice that he was given a microphone after his presentation - something which has never been done before. He thanked his competitors, his teammates, Discovery Channel and the support staff. He chastised those who don't consider cycling to be a sport, finished with telling Ulrich and Basso that next year was up to them as he would not be there. And finished with "Vive le tour forever. Thank you." to great cheers from the crowd. This year was great, next year should be interesting. Thanks Lance!

[Proculation]

I don't understand.

Everyday they were telling that another guy finished first with 10 minutes advance for that day but Armstrong was still first.

[Hester]

Proculation wrote:

I don't understand.

Everyday they were telling that another guy finished first with 10 minutes advance for that day but Armstrong was still first.

The times from each stage of the race are cumulative.

If you trail Lance Armstrong by 60 minutes after today's stage, and then you beat him by 15 minutes tomorrow - you would be 45 minutes back.

There were 21 stages in this year's Tour De France - Armstrong only won one stage, while he and his team won another.

[Regina]

As much it's an individual sport, it's really a team sport. Most of the guys that have won one stage or another only win that one and fall off the leader board. Seeing as it's a cumulative score over time and distance, it's who crossed the finish line first after all the stages are done. He is a GREAT cyclist but he also has a very good team that supports him, and that's what you need to be successful. He's a monster on the hills too!

[Hester]

Armstrong himself said that the secret to winning was one attack and the two time trials. His team won the team time trial, he came first in one time trial and second in the other. And his one attack was well timed and blew the competition away. That with some hard work by the rest of his team and all the Discovery Channel support team left the opposition wanting.