It struck me the other day that I'm less excited about the TdF start than ever and I couldn't even tell you who won the Tour of Flanders this year. The reasons of course are clear (cheating riders , squabbling organisers ). As the TdF unfolds I'll no doubt get into it as a spectacle, but at this stage (bless me forum for I have sinned), I was tuned into the tennis last night.
like you rob i'm same never really interests me until hilly stages but i've no real inclination to go out of my way to watch it. i watched the end of the tennis in harkers in town last night
beer was nice
I thought this year's Giro was one of the best I have seen, the spring classics also were a lot better.
Slower times, less power output, you could be excused for thinking people were all riding without doping.
The 2 stages of the tour so far have been pretty good as well, and the first week is usually pretty mundane until the real stuff starts at the weekend.
In my defence of the above, I'm off down to the Pyrenees on Friday to follow the stages, keep an eye out for a Clifton jersey on either the Tourmalet or Hautacam
It's also available live on the web via the very handy www.cyclingfans.com site, though you sometimes have to cobble together video from Denmark and audio from the UK....
On the general theme of le Tour and interest in it, I've got very mixed feelings. I think things probably ARE being cleaned up - slowly - but I think this year's a long way away from being drug-free. I watched the last bit of the first stage live on the web, and Valverde's extraordinary uphill sprint, leaving Kim Kirchen standing, looked oddly reminsicent of Basso's last Giro (when of course he wasn't really doping, but just thinking that he might, maybe, give it a go since he had a lot of bags of blood cluttering up the fridge). Given last year's debacle, I bet anyone with a syringe around will be being VERY careful with their dosage, so I don't expect we'll have a repeat mass expulsion, but it makes it very hard to fully applaud the winners...
PhilBixby wrote:It's also available live on the web via the very handy www.cyclingfans.com site, though you sometimes have to cobble together video from Denmark and audio from the UK....
On the general theme of le Tour and interest in it, I've got very mixed feelings. I think things probably ARE being cleaned up - slowly - but I think this year's a long way away from being drug-free. I watched the last bit of the first stage live on the web, and Valverde's extraordinary uphill sprint, leaving Kim Kirchen standing, looked oddly reminsicent of Basso's last Giro (when of course he wasn't really doping, but just thinking that he might, maybe, give it a go since he had a lot of bags of blood cluttering up the fridge). Given last year's debacle, I bet anyone with a syringe around will be being VERY careful with their dosage, so I don't expect we'll have a repeat mass expulsion, but it makes it very hard to fully applaud the winners...
I wouldn't take that sprint as indicative of anything untoward (despite there being a blood bag found on the Puerto investigation with the name Valvi on it...) as aside from Valverde, Philippe Gilbert got across quickly too, as did the other GC hopefuls.
I got the impression it was more a case of Kirchen having gone too soon and had blown up.
"(despite there being a blood bag found on the Puerto investigation with the name Valvi on it...)"
Kirchen certainly went early, and the others nailed it, but no-one else shifted quite as dramatically fast as the fella with the alleged Fuentes connection - it's kinda hard not to read things into it, or maybe I'm just getting TOO cynical....
The way I see it is the fact that loads of people are getting caught is a good thing. I'd rather support a sport where the bad 'uns get caught than one where it's all brushed under the carpet like it probably was in the past.
We probably all get told "they're all on drugs" by non cyclists. We know some cheat but they don't all and personally if I was a cheat I wouldn't take up a high profile sport where people are increasingly getting found out!
I always reckon that if we think that anyone that rides well must be on drugs, then, well, we might just as well give up on all sport...... but I do know what Phil means. The big problem for me is previous history - take the 2003 TdF final GC top 10; by my reckoning 5 proven cheats plus at least one question mark:
1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal-Berry Floor
2 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Bianchi
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Team Telekom
4 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Team CSC
5 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
6 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
7 Ivan Basso (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole
9 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC
10 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) iBanesto.com
Its even more depressing if you take the 1997 result:
1. Jan Ullrich (Ger) TEL
2. Richard Virenque (Fra) FES
3. Marco Pantani (Ita) MER
4. Abraham Olano (Spa) BAN
5. Fernando Escartin (Spa) KEL
6. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) SAE
7. Bjarne Riis (Dan) TEL
8. Jose Maria Jimenez (Spa) BAN
9. Laurent Dufaux (Swi) FES
10. Roberto Conti (Ita) MER
I make that one 7 from 10....... and that's just those that have been caught.
And the utter stupidity/arrogance of riders over the last few years doesn't give confidence that things are yet any better.
..... but I don't want to be all doom 'n gloom!!! It'll still be a fantastic spectacle come the Alps and I'll still find something to inspire along the way.
Wow I never knew the brittish road race champs was on TV!, I watched it on eurosport, one of the girls is in Clifton CC I think was really good seeing something around here on TV
The reasons of course are clear (cheating riders 
, squabbling organisers 
). As the TdF unfolds I'll no doubt get into it as a spectacle, but at this stage (bless me forum for I have sinned), I was tuned into the tennis last night.
