In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

We did some reconnaissance today of Cap Frehel, Wednesday's stage finish, and took some lovely photos of the Cape and a small climb that will probably encourage Fabian Cancellara to attack with about 2.5k to go... Unfortunately I did the modern day equivalent of leaving the film out of the camera, ie there was no card in, and while I have the photos on the camera, I can't get them onto the laptop. Anyone who has a spare teenager in the Bretagne region, please send them ‘round, asap. (we will pay with Red Bull)

Stage 3 July 4 Olonne-sur-Mer - Redon 198 km

Results:
1 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 4:40:21  
2 Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team    
3 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team

General Classification after Stage 3:
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 9:46:46  
2 David Millar (GBr) Team Garmin-Cervelo    
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01  

Skippy report:  Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss did a respectable job getting Cav to within 700 metres, but the final turn did not go well for HTC, Cav ended up 5^th. Try again tomorrow, but I'm backing Goss for the win.

Giro Donne Report: (Women's Tour of Italy)
Ina Teutenberg (Germany) won the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia Femminile (we like Ina, she is a good friend of Top Bike TV). The German champion beat World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) into second place, with former Italian champion Monia Baccaille in third at the end of the 101km stage.
Race leader Marianne Vos finished the stage in tenth place and, holds on to her pink jersey, while Australia's Shara Gillow still sits pretty in 4^th on GC.

Italian rider classification (this is a crack up!)
1 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) SC MCipollini Giordana 9:45:54  
2 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) SC MCipollini Giordana 0:00:43  
3 Elena Berlato (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:01:12  
All Italians, how incredible!

Cuisine Report: No eating today, as we are all gaining excess kilos here...(well, we did have a salad)

Tomorrow: Stage 4 July 5 Lorient - Mûr-de-Bretagne 172 km
From Team BMC: Positioning and staying out of trouble will be important on Tuesday's stage. It finishes with a two-kilometer ascent of the Mûr de Bretange. "Getting into a good position in the final is always the best way to make time, which is a similar sort of tactic we used on the first stage," Evans said.

In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

Sunday, Stage 2, July 3, Les Essarts (Team Time Trial) 23 km     

Results:
1 Team Garmin - Cervelo 0:24:48   
2 BMC Racing Team 0:00:04   
3 Sky Procycling     
4 Team Leopard-Trek     
5 HTC - Highroad 0:00:05 

General Classification:  
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 5:06:25   
2 David Millar (GBr) Team Garmin-Cervelo     
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01   
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:04  

Skippy report:  Cadel and the pendulum of luck.
Rarely has it ever swung his way, when it does, it usually goes in his spokes, flipping him over the bars.  Presently it is in his court and if you look deep into the centre you can see a pink panther.  Or at least, a hint of that.  Definitely not a LeOpard, or a SaxoBank, for that matter.  
One second off the lead in the first week is not a race winning lead, but it is a good start.    
Contador report:  He's at 1.42.  Any other rider you could write off at this point, but not him.

Giro Donne Report:  (Women's Tour of Italy)      
Marianne Vos is back in the lead.  Australia's Shara Gillow is hodling tight in 4th place.  Vos holds the sprinters AND the mountain climbers (along with the leader's) jersey, also.  Just two jerseys she cannot claim, the young rider, and the best Italian.  Good on the wogs for having a ‘Best Italian' jersey.  No one else would have the guts.  

Cuisine Report:  Roulade de Galette de Sarrasin au Jambon Creu, Mignon de Porc a l'artichaut, Iles Flottantes  (floating Islands)

Tomorrow:  Stage 3     July 4     Olonne-sur-Mer - Redon     198 km             

The Bike Race:
The 2011 Tour de France started Saturday July 2, in the Vendee region, west-south-west of Paris.  198 riders representing 22 teams are competing for the prestige of wearing the yellow jersey into Paris, three weeks later.  Col de Galibier is climbed twice, with 23 level 2, 1 or HC (unclassified) mountain passes or summit finishes, along with two rest days, covering 3,430.5k, running July 2 - 22.  
If you have any questions about the other races within the race, ie the sprinters or climbers jerseys, please shoot them through.
The Writer:  This is my 10th TdF, at the barriers, and my 24th grand tour, enough said.

These reports are independent, opinionated, Australian biased, and could miss a day here and there, along with containing the odd error.

We also run good bike tours.

David Olle
Topbike Tours (you'll never ride alone)
www.topbike.com.au
Topbike TV
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Thanks, as always to GIANT bikes, Excell Travel, Nalini Clothing, CycleCover, Divella pasta, MTBskills.com.au, Videocraft, Channel 31, Cyclingtips and cyclesportnews.com.

In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

Saturday:  Stage 1, July 2, Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts - Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers
Results:
1 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 4:41:31   
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:03   
3 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:00:06  
General Classification:  see above

A crash at about 10k to go (an errant, unwitting spectator took out most of the peloton) split the bunch leaving only a few of the GC contenders at the front.  Alberto Contador was caught behind, and in the ensuing chase looked more stressed than what he did for the entire Giro d'Italia, no joke.  He lost over a minute.  

Skippy report:  Alright, let's not get too excited here.  OK, it's Cadel's best ever start to the TdF, and he has over one minute up his sleeve on Alberto, but so has Frank Schleck and Jurgen Van den Broeck.  It's good, but it's also a long way to Paris, that starts again tomorrow with a 23k Team Time Trial.    

Giro Donne Report:  (Women's Tour of Italy)
Australia's Shara Gillow today won the second stage, taking the race leader's pink jersey from the shoulders of Marianne Vos, who finished 3.18 down. The Australian was part of the 14-rider break that dominated the stage and then beat Britain's Sharon Laws (c'mon, she's a almost an Aussie) on the testing uphill finish.
You may struggle to find TV coverage of this event at home.

Cuisine Report:  Magret de Canard aux Framboises Poelee de Legumes (Fillet of duck with raspberry sauce and vegetables)   #withafewbottlesofthis
Tomorrow:  Stage 2, Jul 3 Les Essarts (TTT) 23 km