TdU - Stage 3

The toughest day yet and the Tour Down Under saw Lance get away in a 13-person breakaway between mile 13 and 58. It finally all came back together after the last sprint, when the fight left the group. The stage was marred by several big crashes and several riders abandoning the race. Cross winds and an annoying helicopter pilot made for tough riding across the 84-mile stage. Lance finished safely in the main bunch and remains 28 seconds behind the leader. The good news is, he continues to look strong and his recovery seems good.

Lance's Livestrong Madone 6.9 Pro

This is one of the first looks at Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Madone 6.9 that he will ride throughout the 2009 season. Trek says that it is directly off of the production line, with no differences from a 6.9 that anyone can buy. The point job does not come standard.

In fact, workers at Trek Inc., spent about 30 hours detailing the bike. The two interesting items on the bike are the '1274' which stands for the number of days Armstrong was 'retired'. The 27.5 is the number, in millions, of people that have died from cancer during that same time. Trek is currently working on a production model of this bike, complete with the paint job you see here. I'm sure it will retail in excess of $10,000.

The groupo on his ride includes Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 wheels and SRAM components.

Check out coverage of Armstrong's comeback at http://www.cycling.tv/.

Lance Returns to the Peleton!

Lance is back. His first day of stage racing after a three year absence has come and gone. He looked good, staying and both the front of the group and hammering up the two small hills on Stage 1. Tomorrow will be the first real challenge to his comeback with a much more rolling course than todays. Regardless of what happens, it's nice to see Lance riding again.