We're less than one month away from what promises to be an unforgettable Tour de France, and lots of things have been changing. Jan Ullrich has had his first good results this year, doing well in the Tour de Suisse. And Iban Mayo and Tyler Hamiton proved that they were among the best when they were the only riders who could beat Lance Armstrong in both time trials of the Dauphine Libere last week. Then Alexandre Vinokourov, third overall in last year's Tour de France, crashed a few days ago during the Tour de Suisse, and won't be on a bike at all for the next three weeks, which means he's out of the Tour altogether. Finally, I read in the news today that Joseba Beloki has quit riding with his team, and due to contractual details he cannot ride in this year's Tour on any other team. And even if he were able to land himself a spot on another team's Tour roster, his current form is questionable at best, as he hasn't shown that he's recovered fully from his horrible crash last July.

We'll surely miss Vinokourov and Beloki in this year's Tour, but Hamilton, Mayo and the ever consistent Ullrich will keep things exciting. And even though he's been hiding from the spotlight this season, Haimar Zubeldia might be a player, as well as Bobby Julich. When all is said and done after this year's Tour de France, I'd like to see Hamilton win the overall, and Bobby Julich take a stage. I can barely stand the wait to find out what happens.