Stage 1 Racing in Belgium would not be complete without some pouring rain, some crosswinds, and some cobblestones. We got all of those on Stage 1, won in a bunch sprint by veteran Estonian rider Jann Kirsipuu of AG2R. This is a huge result for the AG2R team. Being French, these three weeks are why they sponsor the cycling team for the whole year. Kirsipuu in one furious burst to the line has allowed the AG2R sponsor to realize an incredible amount of publicity. That's why the rider who can win Tour stages makes so much money. Kirsipuu joins a very elite group of riders that have won more than 120 bike races. The Estonian has had an off season and was not fabulous in last year's Tour. But in this sprint -- when Alessandro Petacchi was unable to finish off the lead-out done by his teammates, including the yellow jersey'd Fabian Cancellara -- Jann Kirsipuu came through with a huge win. Cancellara, for his part, contested some of the time bonus sprints against Thor Hushovd, Danilo Hondo, etc. to keep his yellow jersey by just four seconds over the tough Norwegian on the Crédit Agricole team, Thor Hushovd. I think there will be a furious battle for the time bonuses throughout the first week of racing, so Fabian Cancellara has his work cut out for him when the likes of Thor Hushovd and Danilo Hondo are going for the yellow jersey as well. Lance Armstrong in the meanwhile, had a pretty safe ride. No drama. No trauma. He looks fantastic without any trouble sitting at the front of the peloton throughout the day.