TdF: Stage 9

Today was the last of the flat, fast stages in the Tour de France. Oscar Freire prevailed in the battle of the sprinters in this turbo-charged prelude to the Pyranees, just thrusting his wheel ahead of Robbie McEwen to win in a heart-stopping charge to the finish. It was the Spanish sprinter's second stage win. Erik Zabel snuck past a frustrated Tom Boonen to grab third place on the 169.5K stage from Bordeaux to Dax. Though the results may shake up the battle for the green jersey, the overall GC ranking remain unchanged. Tomorrow though, oh boy, watch out. It's going to be a battle royale as the mountain stages begin at last.