The day after a rest day is a dangerous stage. In some ways rest days can be as much harm as good. Some riders don’t handle disruptions in the rhythm of racing very well, others recuperate to the point they can rip people’s legs off on the next stage. Santiago Botero had a rough day on the Mont Ventoux, but the rest day was all he needed to breathe new life into his legs for a great stage win today.

Botero was allowed some freedom because his troubles on the Ventoux put him 18 minutes down on Armstrong in the GC. Since he was no longer perceived as a primary threat to the yellow jersey, Lance and the Postal Service were not overly concerned when he attacked. When today’s breakaway gained about eleven minutes, however, the other teams with GC aspirations began getting nervous. ONCE and Lampre didn’t want to let Botero reclaim his top-five position overall after they worked so hard to put him in difficulty on Stage 14.

The fighting for second and third place was beneficial to the Postal Service because ONCE relieved the team of the responsibility to setting pace at the front of the peloton. Lance just had to follow a train of pink jerseys today instead of a train of blue Postal jerseys. The rest of his teammates were also given the chance to conserve some energy for tomorrow.

Stage 16 is probably the single hardest day of racing in the 2002 Tour de France. Stage 14 to Mont Ventoux was tough, but only because of the final climb. None of the mountain stages can be called easy, but Stage 16 can be called cruel and unusual punishment. First the riders have to cross two Hors Category mountain passes, and then ascend to the finish atop a third one.

The descents tomorrow are hairy. The roads are narrow and since they have been used as ascents in previous races, they are covered with paint. The descent from the Madaleine is full of potholes and sprinkled with fallen rocks. Things should go fine though, so long as no weather moves in over night.

Lance has a good lead over Joseba Beloki, who says he longer holds any hope of winning this year’s Tour. Even so, Lance’s lead is not entirely safe and he has been looking forward to Stage 16 for some time. He rode the entire stage during a reconnaissance trip in May, and after he was done he turned around and climbed the La Plagne a second time. The more difficult the race, the more intense the competition, and the more heinous the conditions, the more Lance thrives. He will make tomorrow interesting to watch, just for the fun of it.