Dr. Allen Lim talks about what goes on inside the Team Garmin-Slipstream bus.

The 2009 Tour de France is well underway, and the riders have already faced their first vertical challenge as they took on the Pyrenees. On Friday's Stage 8, the riders faced a challenging group of climbs.

There was no time for warm up as the stage began with the climb to Andorre-la-Vieille. After a long descent, the climb to Col de Port woke up their legs again. After a short descent, they were faced with the last uphill challenge of the day, the Col d'Agnes.

With 5 stages done, we checking in with Dr. Allen Lim to find out how the riders are doing and how the team uses power to monitor their overall effort.

We caught up with Dr. Allen Lim after the Team Time Trial to get his insight on the team's strategy for the day

We grabbed Silence Lotto rider Charlie Wegelius's PowerTap after Monday's Stage 3 of the Tour de France. During this stage, a small break got away from the main field in the beginning of the race. That break stayed away until part way through the race, when the sprinters' teams sent their riders to the front.

Team Garmin-Slipstream placed second in today's Team Time Trial in Montpellier, a mere 18 seconds off Team Astana's winning time of 46 minutes, 29 seconds. The team rode Zipp Discs with PowerTaps. Riders Bradley Wiggins and Ryder Hesjedal shared their data with us from their fast and furious ride.

Team Garmin-Slipstream rider Bradley Wiggins took 3rd place at the first stage of the 2009 Tour de France. This stage was a 15.5 kilometer time trial weaving through the urban streets of Monaco. For the first 7.5 kilometers, the route was consistantly upwards, and then generally descended for the remainder of the route. The technical aspect of the course meant that the riders with the best finishes not only needed to be strong but also good bike handlers.

Dr. Allen Lim talks about how the top riders of Team Garmin-Slipstream performed in Stage 1 of the 2009 Tour de France.

by Jesse Bartholomew

The 2009 Tour de France is right around the corner, and we're preparing just as much as the Garmin-Slipstream and Silence-Lotto teams. Starting with a stop in Girona, Spain to check in on the Garmin-Slipstream service course and the PowerTaps that will be sent to the Tour. The service course, or team warehouse, is where the teams prepare all the equipment and manage the logistics of a grand tour. In some cases, the teams put together concurrent race programs in different parts of the world, so it can be a very busy place.

Nutrition on and off the bike is an integral part of a cyclist's success. This is no secret to Dr. Allen Lim and the Garmin Slipstream team. A few years ago, when CycleOps Power asked Dr. Lim to share some tips on training and racing, we had no idea he had such culinary prowess. However, Dr. Lim revealed some secret recipes for race foods he prepares for team Garmin-Slipstream. The recipes weren't secret for long, with one of those recipes, Allen’s “rice cakes” becoming wildly popular.