Tour de France Completes Second Stage

The Tour de France completed the second stage of the two week long race in the town of Brignoles.  The route today was a road race from Monaco to Brignoles, a distance of 182 km.(about 113 miles).  Mark Cavendish, riding for Team Columbia, won the sprint finish.  There was a hiccup in the peloton near the end of the race when some riders failed to make a sweeping curve to the right and had a crash.  Earlier in the course, a nasty crash had some riders getting up very slowly.  This may not look like a contact sport,  but sometimes that's exactly what it is -- contact with the pavement. 
Riders can be eliminated from the Tour if they can't carry on and also if their finish time is too long behind the leaders.  Today 199 riders began the long ride.  The overall standings show only 180.

Team Astana which was omitted from the Tour last year, because of previous doping allegations, is burning up the pavement.  This is the team with Lance Armstrong on it.  As of today's finish four of the team members are riding in the top ten. 
2   Alberto Contador
4   Andreas Kloden
6   Levi Leipheimer
10 Lance Armstrong

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal riding for Team Garmin is placed at a respectable 44.
Stage three of the Tour, Marsaille to La Grande-Motte, will be another 100+ miles with mostly undulating territory.  The biggest climb will be 814 feet.