Product Review

2008 saw one of the most suspenseful, competitive, and exciting editions of the Tour de France in many years. Cadel Evans gave another gritty performance, Alejandro Valverde started the race off with a bang, and Chicago-born Christian Vandevelde was the surprise of the race. But with a near-record seven different race leaders during the race, the powerful CSC team put its unmatched depth on display to place their popular and soft-spoken leader, Carlos Sastre, on the top step of the podium in Paris. While a veteran rider with a strong team took the yellow jersey and three-time world champion Oscar Freire took the green, this was a race in which cycling s next generation of stars exploded onto the scene with startling panache. Whether you consider it boasting or a mere statement of fact, 23-year-0ld Mark Cavendish certainly backed up his claim to being the fastest man in the world over the final meters with four stage wins. Andy Schleck, while helping his brother Frank, and then Carlos Sastre into the yellow jersey, convincingly won the honor of best young rider over fellow up-and-comers Roman Kreuziger and Vincenzo Nibali. Not to be outdone, the young Austrian Bernhard Kohl ran away with the polka dot climber s jersey. 240 min. Narrated by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen