Landis Lands one

Congratulations to Floyd Landis for winning the inagural Tour of California. Once he grabbed the leader's jersey with an incredible come from behind time-trial performance, he and the Phonak team defended it perfectly. He appeared to be cool under fire as threats emerged and then were neutralized.

The first year of this event was an unmitigated success, with enormous crowds, fabulous weather, and a world class field. My only disapointment was that the latter part of the race wasn't more selective. After the time trial it pretty much played out like a procession to the finish with no change whatsoever at the top of the General Classification. Next year I hope they squeeze in a really tough Stage 7 climb, and maybe even move the time-trial to Stage 8.