Tour: Landis Back In Yellow, This Time For Good!

On the final time trial today, Floyd Landis completed his most unlikely of comebacks, finishing third in the stage, but more importantly, erasing the thirty second gap between him and the Yellow Jersey, and then going on to open a 59 second gap of his own. The final stage of the tour is tomorrow, but aside from the sprinters finishing off their battle for the Green Jersey, it'll largely be a ceremonial ride, with Landis finishing on top of the podium. Oscar Pereiro will finish in second, and Andreas Kloeden will take third after an amazing time trial ride to move up the General Classification. Periero and Landis are former teammates and friends, and Periero was amongst the first to congratulate the American cyclist.

It's been an amazing tour to watch, but judging from the ratings on OLN, most Americans won't notice. In the first Tour in the post Lance Armstrong era, interest in the States has waned, but Landis has taken up the torch quite nicely. Unfortunately, Landis now faces difficulty hip-replacement surgery, which could possibly end his career. If it is the end, he's gone out on an incredible note, finishing first in the Tour of Georgia, the Tour of California, Paris to Nice race, and now the granddaddy of them all, the Tour de France.

Personally, I want to congratulate Floyd for this incredible win, and an awe inspring race. Get that hip taken care of, and get back to racing as soon as you can. The cycling world will certainly miss you.