Floyd

What would have happened in the winter of 1980 had Team USA, after beating the Russians in one of the greatest upsets of all time, lost in the hockey final? Nobody would have described it as the "Miracle on Ice" because, after all, who would have cared that the USA team came in second?

The same sort of scenario was played out in today's time trial at the Tour de France. Having put on the greatest one-day display in the history of the Tour de France on Thursday, what would it have meant had Floyd Landis not prevailed over his two remaining rivals this morning to snatch the yellow jersey.

Luckily, we will not have to speculate. Having started the day 18 seconds behind second place and 30 seconds behind first, Landis put on a powerful performance and ended the day with the third best time trial and the best overall time by almost exactly one minute. He will wear the yellow jersey into Paris tomorrow, thereby completing one of the most compelling Tours de France that we have ever seen and certainly one of the greatest individual efforts in the history of cycling (or any sport, for that matter).

(And, to top things off, the French will have to deal with yet another American winning the Tour, the eighth year in a row that that has happened.)