Very enjoyable time trial (and I'm usually a lot more into the mountain stages than time trials).
Yes, Evans and Leipheimer said that they are content with their current positions, but their directors and teams might have other ideas. Only a few years ago, Vino knocked Leipheimer out of a top five finish by winning the final sprint.
The main reason why the final-day tradition became tradition is because doing otherwise would thrust the GC contenders into the sprinters' fight, and the risks of crashing or falling behind generally outweigh any advantage that could be gained by racing. When the gaps are this close, those calculations don't apply as much.
The places will probably remain the same tomorrow, but these guys are definitely going to keep an eye on each other throughout the stage. Discovery is certain to remember stage 18 very well and ensure that nothing like that happens in Paris.
I, for one, enjoy your GNB Sports entries. Your stage by stage reporting makes me feel I'm there with all the true fans of bicycling - Europe breeds them like no other.
Very exciting and best of all, I know you are a bicycle crazy yourself which makes coming along for the TdF ride with you even better.
Very exciting finish today! Leipheimer was incredible; I actually thought he would win the yellow. But Contador impressed me for the first time this year: he held onto the maillot jaune by finishing far ahead of some very strong time triallers (Cancellara, Dekker).
I guess the Tour is over, but I will be watching on Sunday in case Evans or Leipheimer do something!
Very exciting today and I am now into it. I'm a "finals" sports fan so tuned in now for more than the photos though those are the best so far. You're gonna make a Tour fan outta me yet! Great coverage! Thank you. 
well, Greg LeMond made up a 58" gap and beat Laurent Fignon by 8" on the final stage of the '89 tour, so 31" is nothing. I can hardly wait
The difference between LeMond and today is that LeMond won in a time trial on the last day. Today, the last day is a flat road stage, which usually means a bunch sprint, and possibly a crash. The main job of the yellow jersey team is to ensure that the race leader stays out of any crashes and finishes the race safely.
Watching the race live, it looks like Evans went to the front right before the first sprint. Maybe it was a joke, maybe not, but five Discovery riders immediately joined him. Definitely no champagne yet.
Now the champagne comes out.
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