In the aftermath of a stage riddled by disappointment and tragedy, the mighty Alps loom ahead where all standings can change dramatically.

Hincapie will probably not have the legs to vindicate himself today, and there will be some bad blood in the field about yesterday’s unsportsmanlike maneuvering by Garmin.

Cav has no chance of retrieving the green jersey after being dropped to last place, part of his fine for blocking Hoshovd at the finish.

Contador and Armstrong will have to battle it out on the mountain for the yellow, and the commentators are fully expecting younger legs to take the top of the mountain.

Then, there’s Carlo Sastre.

Let the battle begin!

Boy, I need to double check what I wrote before hitting “update!”

So, if it was according to Bruyneel’s plan (that he would not divulge), then the plan was executed beautifully. Contador reclaims the maillot jaune, Armstrong and Team Astana performed superbly. Way to go!

Now, let’s play the hindsight game: did Contador accelerate as if to say, “hey, old man, catch me if you can!” Did Armstrong give Alberto one of his looks as if to say, “hey, go – now!” Did Team Astana form a little pack to crush Garmin as vindication for their pal, Hincapie? In the end, it’s all a race. We’ll see who the rock star (aka king of the Alps) will be next week.