Finally, the Tour de France has reached that point.  The point where we get to see if Lance Armstrong still has it or if his teammate Alberto Contador will leave him in the dust.  Stage 7 sees the riders heading into the Pyrenees Mountains on Friday for the first of three days of a grueling uphill battle.  The first day happens to be the hardest as it will be a 224-kilometer run from Barcelone to Andorre Arcalis.  Riders will first face a category 1 Col del Serra-Seca before heading to the Arcalis.  This is where climbers will really be tested.  It is a 10.6-kilometer uphill battle with an average gradient of 7.1% (an opening gradient of just under 9%).

Contador has been pretty open about his excitement to hit the mountains, saying “I want to get to the Pyrenees because the mountains are my territory; I’m feeling good but you always like to confirm that.”  He has been touted as the best natural climber in the sport and on a good day has the ability to obliterate the field.  He won the Tour in 2007 as well as the 2008 Giro and Vuelta.  He is still holding strong in third place, just 19 seconds behind Armstrong.  If he decides to make his move in Stage 7, he could overtake the Texan in the overall standings and set himself up for another Tour win.

Armstrong is fully aware of the importance of the upcoming stages, and knows that Contador has been anxiously awaiting the mountain climbs.  He has commented that the two will ride protected in Friday’s stage and the leader of the team will be decided after Stage 7.  As far as the questions surrounding his abilities, he’s somewhat confident.  “I’ve got both feet on the ground, it won’t be like in 2004, 2005, 2001.  It will be a lot harder than expected.”  He added, “It’s been a while since I’ve ridden at the front of a big mountain stage, but I’ll be ready.”

Armstrong seemed happy enough to make it through Stage 6 without any major incident.  The rain soaked sixth stage saw two major crashes in the last 10 kilometers, one involving Yukiya Arashiro of Japan and another involving former champion Tom Boonen of Belguim.  Though, Thor Hushovd of the Cervelo Test Team conquered the treacherous conditions and out pedaled two Spaniards, Oscar Freire and Jose Joaquin Rojas, for the win.  Fabian Cancellara is still holding onto the yellow jersey, but expect it to transfer hands in the upcoming mountain stages.

So, the stages that everyone has been waiting for are finally upon us.  The world will finally see if Armstrong has it in him to pull out another title, or if Contador will overtake him as the new force to be reckoned with in the Tour de France.  Be sure to get to BetUS and decide who will be King of the Mountains or who will take out Stage 7.  Here are some odds on the top competitors:

Stage 7 Matchups
Alberto Contador: -300
Andy Schleck: +200

Alberto Contador: -375
Carlos Sastre: +235

Tony Martin: -210
Fabian Cancellara: +160

Lance Armstrong: -110
Roman Kreuziger: -130

To Win Stage 7
Alberto Contador: +180
Andy Schleck: +450
Cadel Evans: +650
Lance Armstrong: +750

King of the Mountains
David Moncoutie: +160
Alberto Contador: +350
Tony Martin: +600
Lance Armstrong: +2200