Transitions

The Versus channel has dubbed last year's Tour as the "Tour of Chaos." Therefore, it only seems appropriate to think of this Tour as the "Tour of Transitions." And transition was never more evident than at the halfway point (as the race's final day is usually one of ceremony and for sprinter's bragging rights) of this year's Tour.

The stage itself, Stage 10, was a true transition stage. It, like the two days to follow, will serve as a bridge from the Alps to the Pyrennes. The route contained mostly flat sections, but had enough bumps along the way to remind the riders' legs of their days of going up hill.

The stage was won by Cedric Vasseur (Quick-Step - Innergetic) who is himself experencing a transition, as this will be the 36 year old's final Tour and season. The win added to Quick-Step's overall tally, and served as the perfect cap to the career of the Frenchman who has ridden for the likes of US Postal and Cofidis.

Photo: Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net

On a grander scale, the cycling fan is being treated, or rather subjected, to the pangs of transitioning from a sport infested with performance enhancements to one that is attempting to be clean. Unfortunately for Bob Stapleton and his T-Mobile squad, they have been volunteered as the petri dish experiment for this turnover. We've seen the victory by a precocious Linus Gerdemann, who is representative of the new world of a cleaner sport, juxtaposed with the positive A-sample from the previously earmarked German wunderkid, Patrik Sinkewitz, who represents the old [and seemingly still pervasive] culture of doping.

For those who are fans of the professional ranks, we can only hope that the transitions is swift, but it certainly won't be painless. And as we've already seen, this transition will not be without casualties, both fans and riders alike.

Next:
Rather than preview the next two transition days' stages, let's take a leap forward to this weekend, where this Tour will be like a community martini, both shaken and stirred.

Saturday's ITT, an out and back in the town of Albi, will be just like a golf tournment's Saturday, "moving day." The GC will be an ever changing tote board 54km of sinuous rolling terrain as its sponsor. Will it be a big day for the strong GC time trialist, or will they ride somewhere under "red" knowing that an uphill finish awaits them the following day in the Pyrennes? Will Michael Rasmussen tax himself attempting to stay in yellow and leave himself vulnerable to attacks in the mountains or will he just try to limit his losses and attack again on his beloved terrain?