Wild and crazy start has riders on edge

This weekend's stages of the Tour de France have something for every type of rider: gritty rolling terrain designed for bold breakaway artists, a scorching downhill finish for the sprinters and the first real mountain climbs for the lithe yellow jersey contenders.

That variety show, combined with a rule change, should make for exciting competition as the world's biggest bike race heads south to the Pyrenees mountain range.

Race organizers' late decision to eliminate time bonuses, known as bonifications, for the top three finishers in each stage changed traditional tactics in the sometimes somnambulant first week. Stage winners used to receive a 20-second deduction from their overall time, with the runner-up getting 12 seconds and third place eight, but now the on-the-road margins stand.

That has kept the overall race -- known as the GC, or general classification -- very tight. After six stages, ...