REWIND

Now the we have a "clearer" picture of who's in/who's out at the start of the Tour de France, the Triple Crankset has updated our Tour predictions (sort of...)


53rd Tooth

SHEER DISGUST, GONE RACING!










Tour of '03

Now that the Spanish doping probe has forever marked the 2006 Tour de France (and may have an even deeper impact as new information becomes available), I can honestly see an all-American podium.

Checking out the latest (as of 6 p.m. ET) revised team rosters, it appears that CSC will have only eight riders. Discovery, on the other hand, as a full nine-man complement. What is the value of an extra rider over 23 days? It could matter. And T-Mobile has lost two riders; in-again-out-again Astana-Wurth is out again.

I can see Floyd Landis (full complement with Phonak) and Bobby Julich (CSC) battling with George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer (full complement with Gerosteiner) battling it out for the three spots on the podium. Johan Bruyneel knows how to win the Tour, as the past seven years demonstrate. And Hincapie is poised and ready. I'm going to say that the extra man makes a difference. I'm going to also say that Floyd Landis is poised to make a breakthrough. But I also believe that CSC is still a force. So my podium:

1. George Hincapie (Discovery)
2. Floyd Landis (Phonak)
3. Bobby Julich (CSC)
4. Levi Leipheimer (Gerosteiner ... burp)

Eat that, Europe!

Biggest disappointment? This whole scandal, which shames this sport we all love and the cyclists we so admire. Do they really have to cheat -- not to compete, which obviously they feel they must -- but to perform, even if it is at a lower level? While I still look forward to the Tour, it has been diminished. The sport of cycling has been diminished.

So sad.


Granny's 30

Podium - Well since I picked Floyd Landis to win it all, I'm staying with that pick. With the dismissal of Ullrich and Basso, I'm going with Alejandro Valverde and Michael Rasmussen. You might be very surprised by that last pick (as am I, even while I write this), but remember "Chicken" was on the podium last year if not for that ill-fated final ITT (how many times did he hit the pavement, and how many bikes did he go through???) If he can keep it upright, Rasmussen will cause some serious havoc in the peloton as he goes for the Polka-Dots, and as we saw last year, kept right on going. When was the last time another leader's jersey wearer made the podium?

Although it seems like this race has really opened up for one of my personal favorites, George Hincapie, there is still a ways to go from winning a stage to leading a team for three weeks. Sure he's led the team in the Classics, and even rode a multitude of Tours along side Lance Armstrong, but it remains to be seen how his body will recover with the hard efforts a team leader will have to put in on successive days. Is he capable, does he have the Director to mentor him through it, does he have the team to carry him...yes, yes, and yes. But one thing with George is his confidence (or lack threreof at times), if he can maintain it and not doubt himself on even the hardest and turbulent days, then he can podium and even win the whole darn shooting match. I'll be wearing my Oakley Racing Jacket sunglasses and cheering him onward.

All my other picks stay the same (see below)...but I'll throw out Cadel Evans as a person to watch out for...with a full team complement and Chris Horner in full service to him, Evans is poised to have a breakout road victory.