Le Tour de France

really way to early to tell, the winter races are over the classics will start soon with small fast quick races instbetween the Giros and country wide racing.

personally I will vote for .................... (?) It's a matter of points with winnings but still that means nothing to the ultimate thrill the TdF or so they say.

 

That is correct Erich, ask me the same question in July Carl , maybe June, but I really couldn't tell this early.

 

Hi Skipper, sure thing. Also, you Gents are more knowledgable on these races than I am. Im a new-comer to watching this sport. On George Hincapie, the reason i'd like to see him win one race is due to his age. However, I liked watching that Aussie-Cadel Evans??? I think was his name?? I also liked that Spaniard but I forget what his name is.

I was really dissappointed in both Vinokourov (SP?) and that guy from Belgium. Watching Vinokourov race the way he did and then be cought cheating-man that was such a disappointment.

For me about Floyd Landis, "th Jury is still out on that one" i'd really like to see the people who tested him-be proven wrong. However, if I can ever be convinced that he was guilty of cheating-well-that would be embarassing as I liked the way he raced. Damn drugs-I can never see how or why people wantonly use them. Im still on 11 medications I have to take daily some two and even three times a day-and I loathe having to take pills.

 

You know what when the race starts I will give you some information links from independent international journalist teams, this way way you could get some different sources of information and make your own opinion. You will also be able to compare these with French and American sources.

 

Hi Skipper, I greatly appreciate that. I'll be moving house sometime in July, so I hope I will not miss much of anything before and after I make my move.

 

You may miss the "live" race, but the links on the internet will still be around after, so that's fine.

 

Hi Skipper, that's cool. Im also going to try to be a"regular" watcher of this sport fom now on. Football, Basketball and Baseball-I can take it or leave it-and for about the past 20 years or so--I left them.

 

stay current here :

www.bikejerseys.com and go to the upper left link titled : todays cycling news. what's crap is that nearly all the news daily is about someone else getting prosecuted for dope enhancement(s). I have purchased an number of jerseys over the years from this outfit, one of the few that are really in the know. It really helps to chat with someone as hard core as one-self on the bike circuit

 

great link erich

 

Hi E, I appreciate the provided likn and will keep an eye on it over the next some months.

 

Carl as I mentioned you have to overlook all the hug-dub of every cyclist being "accused and written off" due to doping. It's - the system is so misused by the higher powers, no cyclist with any experiences on any tour has any hope of chance to be reconciled, the only thing will be is the new membership of young cyclists may be able to stay clean because of all of this or cheat with the help of highly funded supporting agents thus again "proving" that any person of merit on two wheels is a scum bag..........

yeah right

 

Anyones guess this year ? Looks to be no fav's at all which is good news plus a couple new teams.

finding that no TT's invovled is quite interesting.

good luck to all !

E `

 

No prolouge this year either, and the first stages don't showcase the Sprinters. I agree that there needs to be change in the Cycling World, but changing the TDF in this manner isn't the best way to do it. TT's are great to watch! I also think Astana should have been invited - several other teams were caught doping during the Tour and guess who got invited back? *grumbles*

Did catch the last 40KM of the stage today. Will watch tomorrow at work too (Boss out all this week = play time) and i'm picking Cadel Evans (i believe...runner up last year) to win it this year. Expect some surprises of course.

 

Not again...

BBC SPORT | Other sport... | Cycling | Spaniard Beltran tests positive

 

French police detain Spanish rider after he tests positive for EPO at Tour de France - International Herald Tribune

Well, that makes only two so far...??

 

I think its at 3 now. The sport needs a complete overhaul IMO. Everything needs to change about it. And they need to start treating drugs in other sports in the same manner. The equivalent of an offense in cycling that = 2 year ban, only gets you fined and miss a game or two in the NFL. Talk about double standards.

 

2 Spanish riders and the boisterous Italien punk-A, R. Ricco.

it has been proven that doping was going back to the 1950's and even earlier and it was overlooked as the tech was not there to prove ones involvement

lets get over this shall we and accept that there are many cheats in the cycling/sport industry, sure it's disgusting but what are we gonna do about it, except to complain

 

I recently saw a short film about the human brain at an IMAX theatre. The Tour de France was the paradigm used to explain how the brain reacts to fear, pain, etc.. I walked out of the theatre with a much deeper respect for the riders who compete in the event, having been quite ignorant to it before.

 

anyone see the climb up the Galiber and the Alp-du' Ez ? a great stage one of the best I have seen yet

 

L'Alpe d'Huez...Sastre really took off (2 minute lead!) not sure what CSC plan is as far as who the GC will be, but the Shleck brothers are a fearsome duo! Cadel is the better TT though.