Joseba Beloki, shown here on the right, was the main rival for Lance Armstrong's attempted 5th consecutive Tour de France victory, until yesterday. Always a bridesmaid, he was up there on the podium with Lance at the end of the tour and it looked like he had a shot at the top spot until his terrible crash on a steep mountain descent.

His team is blaming the race organizers for neglecting safety concerns, but, c'mon guys - nobody else crashed going down that hill; 170 riders passed over the same spot without crashing. Who could blame Beloki for attacking going up the hill and then down the other side? He wanted to beat Lance and was doing a fine job of pressuring him. Some said the unusually high heat (91 degrees) in France was causing the pavement to melt and become precarious. However, British rider David Millar (with his typical candor) said "“He made a professional error... it’s a misconception that the roads are more dangerous in conditions like that. It’s actually better for descending because the roads are tacky, so there’s less risk of your wheel sliding away.”

Well, anyway, it's a sad day for racing fans as this was shaping up to be one of the all time classic tours. It may well be, but Beloki will be missed.