Tour Drama

I have quite the love-hate relationship with July. Most of that has to do with the tour and the drama that surrounds it. Already, we have seen a split between the UCI, cycling's governing body, and the ASO, the organizer of the tour. Also, we have seen three riders pulled from the tour as a result of failed doping tests. Most recently, and most shockingly for some was today's announcement that Italian climber, KOM and Best Young Rider jersey leader, Riccardo Ricco tested positive for EPO. The entier Saunier Duval team left the tour as a result, since Ricco is thier GC man. Frankly, i'm not surprised. Ricco was the type of rider that seemed to be able to turn on a stage win whenever he wanted to. At 23, he finished 2nd in this year's Giro and had already won two stages of the Tour. His unbelievable performance was just that: unbelievable. I am saddened by the news, however. Not because i liked Ricco, but because i was really hoping for a quieter tour this year with the attention drawn to the phenomenal rides, the dramatic stage wins, and the new tech. The other two doping cases involved support riders, and were fairly quiet. This one will draw a lot of attention, especially since it caused SD, a team that has won three stages already, to withdraw from the race.

My other beef with this year's tour is the course. The climbs will be phenomenal, but the flat stages look like they are almost intentionally designed to prevent a Cancellara win. First of all, there was no prologue this year. Cancellara has won the prologue twice previously, and is the best rider in the world at short, flat time trials. Last year, he dominated the prologue and actually ran up on a motorcycle frantically trying to get out of the way. He didn't get that chance this year. The early flat stages were not right for him, as all had uphill finishes, which prevent a late attack-- his signature winning move. However, the tour did throw him a stage 4 time trial that was short and relatively flat. It was a homerun ball that he simply didn't hit, only taking 5th. However, he did ride strong, and drove a chase group at a blistering pace three stages ago, splitting the pack and eliminating several GC riders and setting up teammate Frank Schleck to move into second overall.

Riders i've been impressed with: 1)Cavandish. 3 stage wins as of today. He's a phenomenal sprinter, and may be the fastest man in the world right now. 2)Christian Vande Velde. The young American is doing very well for his first time as a team leader. He's sitting in 3rd overall at 30 seconds back. 3) Team Columbia. They are awesome, and have really controlled the race early-- allowing Cavandish to win 3 stages. 4)Garmin. Same goes for this first-time american team. They are surprising. 5)CSC-Saxo Bank. By far the strongest team. Look for another Jens voight-- Fabian Cancellara controlled stage in the Alps, hopefully to set up Schleck and Sastre.

No props for: 1)SD and Ricco. They suck. Period. 2) Robbie McEwen. Where's pocket rocket? not a single stage win? 3)Val Verde. I can't believe he dropped from GC contention so easily. 4) Tom Boonen. He could be here winning stages right and left, but he's not. Crack is wack. 5) Ricco. Again. he sucks. Dopers suck.