Grosse Chaleur (Big Heat), that was the order of the day here at the Tour de France. For the first time we have attained temperatures approaching 100º Fahrenheit. It didn't give the riders much chance to recuperate from the very difficult long 237-kilometer stage yesterday.

That didn't seem to deter anyone, as the race charged out of the starting gate at full throttle. Over difficult terrain, the race covered almost 95 kilometers in the first two hours of racing!

Looking at the three-man breakaway -- two Spaniards and a Frenchman -- I never gave David Moncoutie much of a chance. Looking at the history books the French have not won back to back stages at the Tour de France since 1994. So the odds were stacked against him.

Living in the region, just 40 kilometers away from the finish, gave David Moncoutie the added advantage of knowing the roads on the run into the finish. He told me after the race that he had planned to attack at the very point that he did.

Obviously, it was the best place to go because he opened up the gap immediately. Never looking back, he got the win by over two minutes and kept the French fans on high as they notched up win number three at this year’s event, and have lead for the last seven days.