Today's eighth stage in the Tour de France didn't start off well for seven-time winner Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), and it managed to get worse as the day went on. In the opening kilometers the American went down into a ditch with World champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing). The pair were joined by King of the Mountains leader Jerome Pineau (Quick Step), newly minted fight club member Carlos Barredo (Quick Step), Evans' teammate Marcus Burghardt, Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ) and Andriy Grivko (Astana). All of the riders climbed back on their bikes quickly and back into the peloton, while the seven-time winner somehow managed to stay upright.
Armstrong then took another tumble before the first big climb of the day with around 50 kilometers remaining in the stage. The American looked to be the first rider to hit the deck while exiting a roundabout, and was forced to chase back with three teammates before the difficult category one ascent.
The crash resulted in a bloodied elbow and shredded jersey with torn race numbers, and he was further delayed when he was forced to switch bikes. Had the incident happened closer to the climb the result could have been disastrous. Despite getting back into the main group with the help of his RadioShack team, he was then unexpectedly dropped on the 14.3 kilometer Col de la Ramaz. He trailed the group of favorites as he reached the category three climb up to Les Gets, where he was again involved in a crash.
This time a Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Ivan Velasco went down in front of him, and while Armstrong's bike hit the pavement, he was left standing in disbelief. His body language and the look of disgust on his face were enough to wonder whether he will even bother finishing the event. He began the final 13.6 kilometer ascent up to the Avoriaz ski resort in Morzine already several minutes behind the favorites, and the front group had not even begun to attack.
It seems the American's final Tour de France has dealt him all of the bad luck he avoided during his seven-year rein in cycling's biggest event.