Lance Armstong - Winless Champion
It is a pretty interesting development in terms of what he has done in the past - I'm surprised he hasn't won a stage, but I'm not disappointed. This is a unique TdF in that the best cyclist (maybe athlete) in the world is retiring after this race.
Maybe another way to look at things would be from a team standpoint. As Armstrong has matured and grown with his celebrity and his own sense of self, maybe he doesn't really need to win a stage. Sure, it would be nice, but he can win the Tour without a stage win.
What has been interesting this year is the success of the Disco team - they have accomplished things that none of the other "Lance" teams have done, and I get the impression that he is as excited about that as he might be about a stage win for himself. The other day, an announcer was asking about the lack of stage wins and the supposed weakness of the Discovery team - Lance countered that they had the overall leader, a stage winner (Hincapie), took the team time trial, and had the White Jersey (best rookie) on the team - "Not too bad," he said.
For some reason, I think this last Tour is very different for Armstrong - he really has nothing to prove, and he seems to be solidly in control of the race. Maybe that's what his aim was.
At any rate, the lack of drama on Armstrong's part has allowed for some more interesting stories to develop. And he may just get that ITT win.
Dean