brotherly love

Stage 17 always looked like it could be decisive and it proved to be the case. There were many great performances from the Schelck brothers tag-teaming to perfection to Hushovd's pursuit of points, Vande Velde riding as hard as he could in support of Wiggins to Nibali descending like a man possessed and of course Armstrong, who once again silenced his critics (here's hoping anyway) with a another ride that defied his advancing years and the time he has spent away from racing at this intensity. Contador's attack that left Kloden for dead was a strange move indeed. Maybe it was miscommunication? Who knows? From a possible 1-2-3 on GC standing, Astana will now need to pull out all the stops in today's TT if they are to get Armstrong and Kloden on the podium in Paris. Logic says that both of these riders will be able to make up time on the Schelcks today and with Ventoux still to come, they will need minutes not seconds. More fireworks to follow. Lots more...