Maybe a few people should take a timeout... sit the next few rounds out...

Anyways, about the original question, I was reading all the dispatches during the ITT from the official Tour site, and they mentioned that the first riders commented on how there was no wind, and the air was "completely still," and later in the day a decent headwind developed on the latter part of the course. I read somewhere that Zabriskie prefers riding into a headwind, but the course was bumpy whereas he prefers smooth blacktop.

But, as in any sport, sometimes you just have a bad day.

P.S. to StalkerZERO,

Like USAZorro said, you had a good question (I was surprised at the Americans' performances as a whole as well), but the way you wrote it out didn't help. When some people read such things as "EVeBoDeee!!!!" and "Gontchar who?," they might assume some things.