Pulling the Plug

In light of the recent doping positive of Patrik Sinkewitz (T-Mobile), German broadcasting stations have decided to pull the plug on cycling. From Cyclingnews:

"The German public channels initially said they would not boycott cycling, but said during the Tour they would stop broadcasting if more doping are cases surfacing. They came through with their promise after the most recent doping case and have decided to not broadcast today's tenth stage on neither ARD nor ZDF.

Today it would have been the turn of ARD in their alternating schedule, but instead of the stage, there was a special edition sports report that featured interviews and background on doping."

Are you ready to pull the plug...or have you already? Could the "death" of cycling be far behind?

Argyle Armada Set to Sail?

Ever so quietly, CEO Director Sportif, Jonathan Vaughters seems to be positioning his team, Slipstream/Chipotle, to become the next big American Pro Tour team. Here’s this tidbit from Pezcyclingnews’ Italian correspondent, Matt Conn:

“David Millar is reported to have signed with the American Slipstream squad for 2008. Also linked with Slipstream? George Hincapie. Hincapie is apparently “talking” and has not signed with the hoping-to-soon-be Tour de France squad.There should be a plethora of big name signings over the rest of the summer and fall for Slipstream. It will be interesting to see exactly who, as some whopper names have been bandied about already.”

Among those big names that have been bandied about is Floyd Landis. Vaughters had previously stated that they would be a serious player for Floyd’s service should he be cleared of doping allegations. And where there is Floyd, could Dave be far behind. In an interview with Gregor Brown of Cyclingnews, Dave Zabriskie would neither confirm nor deny his future intentions.

"A decision on Zabriskie's future team is likely to come soon. When questioned about the different possibilities based on current rumours he became tight-lipped. "Right now I cannot say," stated Zabriskie in a polite but firm manner."

Let the speculation begin!

MORE:
-- Mark Zalewski (Cyclingnews): An Interview with Jonathan Vaughters

Number 9

Who's to know?
Who was to know?

People ride, people ride
Ride, Ride, Ride, Ride, Ride

Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9
Ride! Ride!

Strangely enough those lyrics from Lennon and McCartney kept running through my head today. And they couldn't have been more appropriate for what happened today on Stage Number 9, Number 9, Number 9 of the Tour.

Photo: Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net

Who was to know...that a young Columbian, Mauricio Soler, from the last team to be invited to the Tour, Barloworld, would win today's stage in such a spectacular fashion; having chased down an early break and then soloing to victory, in the Alps no less.

People ride, people ride...as in the favorites. The final Alpine stage saw all the favorites ride and ride and ride their teammates and each other into the ground. All the heavies revealed themselves in one form or another. On one end of the spectrum we saw Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) come to fore as a more than realistic contender (or Conta-ten-dor as it were) for not only the podium but for the Tour crown.

While on the other, Alexandre Vinokourov's (Astana) injuries finally were revealed under extreme pressure. The odds on favorite to win this year's Tour was reduced to tears by the knowledge that the golden goose has flown. With the time gaps that a healthy Vinokourov would have great difficulty to overcome, it definitely spells the end for an injured one. A year's worth of frustration, from having been excluded from last year's event, has cruely been compiled with all the frustrations of this year's Tour.

Results
1 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto
4 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
5 Iban Mayo Diez (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir
6 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank
7 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
8 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
10 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC
11 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance

Bovine Revenge

Photo: CorVos/Pezcyclingnews

Its amazing what some folks will do to express their Tour de France fandom. If this was the cow that took a chuck of fabric from the "Tour Devil," then I've got to side with the cow in that case.

Devil of a Time

This certainly ranks in the category of "Too Funny Not to Post." Who knew that the Devil had such a hard gig?

From Susan Westemeyer (Cyclingnews):

"The Tour de France can be dangerous, and not just for the riders, as the "Tour Devil", Didi Senf of Germany (inset with T-o-03 in London), found out in the Alps. Senf, who appears on the mountain stages in his devil's costume to urge the riders on, apparently found a cow who doesn't approve of his act.

The cow attacked him, and tore a sleeve of his costume, the German agency "sid" has reported."

Taste Just Like...

Pardon moi monsieur, va comment le Maillot Jaune aujourd' hui?
Excellent, le goût aiment juste le poulet!
Parfait, je voudrais un côté des pommes frites avec la mayo aussi bien.

Roughly translated:
Forgive me sir, how is the Yellow Jersey today?
Excellent, it taste just like chicken!
Perfect, I would like a side of french fries with mayo as well.

Stage 8, with three Cat. 1 climbs and the first up hill finish of this year's Tour, was the perfect lure to goad the Chicken [across] up the road. And it didn't take long for Michael "Chicken" Rasmussen (Rabobank) to spring to it, as he went up the road on the first of the three monstrous Alpine climbs.

Not far behind was the side of mayo the Basque country has been waiting to appear since they first saw it was [realistically] on the Tour de France menu back in 2003. It wasn't his greatest effort up an incline, but if you asked Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval-Prodir) about his second place today, I'm sure you'd elicit a smile.

For Mayo, its been a sterling season to date (earlier he won Stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia), and one of great redemption. But even with these recent successes, he remains cautiously optimistic about his chances given his Tour history. From the Saunier Duval website:

"After having been through such a bad patch in the last editions of the Tour, being here, safe and sound, feels like victory to me. My only clear goal is grabbing a stage-win, as I said before I came here. Of course, the GC is tempting; stepping onto the final podium would be very nice. But the Tour is a very difficult race, so we should take it easy, step by step. The important thing is to keep this feeling; the sensations I felt today. And then, if a stage-win or even something bigger comes, we´ll all be very happy.”

Rasmussen on the other hand, is as ambitious as he is thin [his fighting height and weight, 5'9" and 130 lbs.]. The Rabobank rider seems to have been given free reign again by management, as he certainly doesn't need any help in the mountains. It'll be interesting to see how Rasumussen's ambitions run up against team leader, Denis Menchov's throughout the remainder of this Tour and beyond.

If Chicken (and no although it may seem reasonable to assume he received his nickname from his slender lower build, he did not) continues his high wire act in the Pyrennes, the only thing stopping him from winning or getting on the podium will be his time trialing skills. Its still quite painful to even think of what transpired during the final time trial in 2005; one which saw Jan Ullrich displace Rasumussen on the final podium, after his horrific day.

Musings:
-- As Phil and Paul kept speculating after the stage today, it would have been interesting to see how far up the classification Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) would have ridden to if not for his mechanical.

--Favorites not yet ready to fire. I know T-o-03 feels that perhaps a cleaner sport has something to do with the lack of favorites at the forefront. And although I echo his sentiments, I think the lack of favorites firing is more a by-product of having to train cleanly (and therefore race differently).

For a three week Tour, its still a crap shoot as to when a rider's peak form will come around, even for the most seasoned professional. And once that peak appears, it only hangs around for a short time. Last year, Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) was spot on for the Dauphine Libere, but faded in the last week of the Tour. I think all the favorites are following Der Kaiser's [Jan Ullrich] plan of riding into peak form for the final week. None really looked fantastic in any of the pre-Tour build up races, with each showing flashes of brilliance, but not dominance.

There's still a lot of riding to be done, and the steeper Pyrennian climbs, which favor a more explosive climber, will be the true tipping point; that and about 100km in time trialing. They don't call it the "race of truth" for nothing.

MORE:
-- Carmichael Sez (Pezcyclingnews): Patience The Virtue
-- Bonnie DeSimone (ESPN): Discovery's Leipheimer still in the Tour game

Photo: Getty Images

Bu, Bu, Bu, BOOONNNEN!

Alright, so the written version doesn't even come close to Detroit Pistons PA announcer, John Mason's, unique style. No disrespect to Phil and Paul, but it would have been great to hear Mason call the sprint today.

The Tornado, Tom Boonen (Quick-Step - Innergetic), finally got it right today, following the mix up...er, gift...er, plan during Stage 2's lead out by teammate Gert Steegmans. The victory, placed Boonen back in the Maillot Vert, which was being temporarily looked after by Erik Zabel (Milram), more on Zabel later.

I couldn't tell if it was the stress from not having won a stage yet, the tiredness from such a long sprint, the knowledge that he'll be cruising the autobus during the mountain stages, or the fact that he'd won so many races before, but Boonen certainly looked more relieved than elated as he crossed the line today (Photo: CorVos/Pezcyclingnews). If I didn't know any better, I'd say that his look bordered on being disinterested, bored, or even indifferent. Perhaps I'm reaching for something that isn't there, as Boonen was all smiles on the podium. But having seen that signature two handed salute in full elation before, you'd swear that he was a superhero preparing to take flight. Today, um...not so much.


Green With Hypocrisy?
This from Velonews' Ben Delaney:

"Germany's veteran sprinter Erik Zabel (Milram) had not one but two Tour de France green jerseys taken from him Friday before stage 6 even finished.

He lost the first - his overall best sprinter title from 1996 - when Tour de France authorities announced they were revoking it because of Zabel's admission this May to use of the banned blood-booster EPO that year. He lost the second - the current green jersey of the 2007 Tour de France sprint competition - on the road today after Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) scored points at two intermediate sprints and the final to overtake him in the competition."

I'm all for justice and righting a wrong, but I can't help but feel like Lance Armstrong did before the start of the Tour when he called out Tour Director, Christian Prudhomme.

"Seven-time Tour de France winner criticized Tour Director Christian Prudhomme for his actions regarding Bjarne Riis. The Texan referred to the Frenchman as a "hypocrite" for wanting to take away Riis 1996 Tour jersey following the Dane's confession to doping during the same year.

"The hypocrisy of certain directors irritates me," Armstrong said, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "After the confession of Riis, Prudhomme asked for the return of the yellow jersey. Why did he never ask Virenque for his polka-dot jerseys? To Thévenet for his two yellow jerseys? The family of Anquetil for his five yellow jerseys?""

Many may say that Armstrong's sentiments are nothing more than "the pot calling the kettle black," but he's absolutely right in his statements. If you're only going to punish the few, why do it at all? Didn't 5-time Tour champion, Jacques Anquetil, freely admit that he took amphetamines, all the while arguing that it was part of the cycling culture at that time.

Isn't that what's going on now?

I'd think Raymond Poulidor, a man who was certainly more loved by the French than Anquetil, and who will be forever known as the "Eternal Second," would certainly appreciate just one of those 5 jerseys, let alone the three he lost to him.

Mr. Prudhomme, you have some more jerseys to collect [and more history to re-write], or do the rules only pertain to non-French riders.

On Tap...

And so it begins...the International Cycling Classic Superweek Pro Tour or simply Superweek. In recent years, its become a huge misnomer as racing goes until the end of this month. Here's the tentative schedule:

Fri, July 13
Beverly Hills Cycling Classic presented by The McTigue Financial Group
Chicago, IL
Sat, July 14
St. Francis Hospital Blue Island ProAm* New Race!
Blue Island, IL
Sun, July 15
Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium* Old Course Is Back!
Bensenville, IL
Mon, July 16
Point Beer Tour of Alpine Valley Road Race*
East Troy, WI
Tue, July 17
Saturn Whitnall Park Road Race*
Hales Corners, WI
Wed, July 18
Hammer Nutrition MGA Proving Grounds Road Race*
Lyons, WI
Thu, July 19
Midwest Airlines Humboldt Park Criterium*
Milwaukee, WI
Tim Hart DDS/Rainbow Jersey Shorewood Criterium*
Shorewood, WI
Fri, July 20
Green Lake Criterium* New Race!
Green Lake, WI
Sat, July 21
Carl Zach Cycling Classic presented by Couri Insurance Agency*
Waukesha, WI
Sun, July 22
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of Cycling* New Race!
Evanston, IL
Mon, July 23
Pharma Pacific Tour of Holy Hill*
Hartford, WI
Tue, July 24
WDSC Cedarburg Cycling Classic presented by Time Warner Cable*
Cedarburg, WI
Wed, July 25
Bellin Health Village of Howard Cycling Classic
Green Bay, WI
Thu, July 26
PCW Cycling Heritage Square Criterium
Sheboygan, WI
Fri, July 27
Chase Food Folks & Spokes
Kenosha, WI
Sat, July 28
Wheel & Sprocket Brewers Hill Criterium
Milwaukee, WI
The Columbia St. Mary's Great Downer Avenue Bike Race presented by Saturn & Point Beer
Milwaukee, WI
Time Warner Cable Whitefish Bay Classic
Whitefish Bay, WI

For those not in and around the Illinois/Wisconsin area here are some local races and fun rides in some specified areas.

07/13/2007

'07 Summer Slam
Trexlertown, PA

07/14/2007
Tour de Sugar Grove

Surgar Grove, OH
Madison Regatta
Madison, IN
Millport Road Race (TM)
Lancaster, PA
Illinois State Velodrome Masters Track Championship
Northbrook, IL
Chantilly Criterium for Davis Phinney Foundation
Chantilly, VA
Tour De Port
Portsmouth, VA
Beautiful Woodlawn/7 Hills Racing Criterium
Woodlawn, OH
Diablo Hill Climb
Mt Diablo State Park, CA
NCNCA Masters State Track Championships
San Jose, CA
Road/Track/Cross
International Cycling Classic
Milwaukee, WI

07/15/2007

Lafayette Criterium Kids Event
Lafayette, CA

Team Dayton Criterium Classic
Harveysburg, OH
Koehlingers- IN State Time Trial Challenge
New Haven, IN
San Marcos Circuit Race
San Marcos, CA
Tour 'De Peake
Chesapeake, VA
Lafayette Criterium
Lafayette, CA
Sportsfest Irving Park Criterium
Allentown, PA
Common Crit
Lansing, MI

For results and photos of any of the races, go to Truesport.com


Le Tour
This weekend the fun begins and the contenders for the overall should be revealed as the peloton hits the Alps. With the first Rest Day coming on Monday, it'll be interesting to see which leader and which team will come out on top.

Down Goes Vino...

Stage 5 of the Tour de France from Chablis to Autun was to be one of those non-dramatic transition stages that helps to prepare the peloton for the upcoming mountain stages. But it ended up being anything but uninteresting.

Who knew at the beginning of the Tour that Astana was not only the name of one of the top Pro Tour cycling teams and that of the capital of Kazakhstan, but also loosely translates into English as "pavement."

On three separate occasions on today's stage, two of Astana's triumvirate of leaders put skin to pavement, with the odds on favorite to win the overall classification, Alexandre Vinokourov, receiving the brunt of the damage.

Although Andreas Kloden accounted for the other two Astana crashes, they occurred early enough during the stage enabling him to keep pace with the peloton. Vino, however, wasn't as fortunate. He lost a little over 1:20 at the line. And if you were wondering who the "real" patron of Astana is, management left the other two leaders, Klodi and Andrej Kashechkin, alone upfront and burned out the remainder of the team helping Vino to futilely pace back up.

At the end of the day, his injuries may look much worse than what they are, but he'll certainly be stiff and sore going into tomorrow's stage. If you ever wondered why cyclists shave their legs, you need only look at Vino's road rash and envision the process of having to pull the hair out of those strawberries [to aid healing] if they didn't. OUCH! (Photo: CorVos/Pezcyclingnews)

There's been much debate already as to how this will affect Vino's chance to win the Tour. As Lance Armstrong once said, "every second counts."

To those who see his chances having gone down the tube, I offer up this sentiment. It may be the best thing to happen to him. There was some concern at the beginning of the Tour as to how his leadership role would affect his attacking style. Although anyone would agree that its easier to attack while out in front, Vino's put himself into a position to do nothing but attack. The odds on favorite giant may just have awoke, and I'll bet he'll be fairly angry.

Riding to Rid
Did the peloton raise the pace when the favorite went down? I've read where CSC angrily resented the implication, while others claimed ignorance of Vino's predicament as they were already involved in positioning for the finale.

Although Vino's been tabbed to win, the only time that type of etiquette seems to be appropriate is for the wearer of the Maillot Jaune. Did the other team favorites intentionally attempt to distance themselves; possible but not probable.

As far as not knowing, no one in the modern peloton can ever claim ignorance. So much has been made recently of the way radios and other technologies have perhaps dulled the racing instincts of the cyclists, making them too dependent on their Directors to feed them race information.

Everybody knew he went down, some Directors probably saw it live on a portable [tele] in the team car. But in their defense, there was a race going on and there's a reason leaders have teams made up of domestiques.

Calling His Shot
Not to be lost in all this drama is the fact that someone won a stage of the Tour today. That someone was Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas). Strangely enough, Pippo ended up being the third person in this year's Tour to actually predict his fate on the upcoming stage. The other two are Fabian Cancellara (CSC) before the prologue, and Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) before Stage 1. Forget about prophetic, let's talk about self-awareness as each rode to victory on parcours that were suited to their strengths.

Other Stage 5 Tidbits
Although he has yet to win a stage this year, Erik Zabel (Milram) claimed the Maillot Vert. Has there ever been an overall Maillot Vert winner who didn't win a stage?

The speed of the sprint today...how about an astonishing 49mph. WOW!

Next: Stage 6 -Semur-en-Auxois - Bourg-en-Bresse, 199.5km
A look at the profile should tell you that this one if for the sprinters.

Thunderstruck Again

Another day, another breakaway attempt swarmed over by the sprinters' teams. C'est la vie dans Le Tour.

Either the sprinter's have finally gotten their lead outs coordinated or they're all beginning to hear the echoes from the fast approaching Alpine stages, as the 5 man break was brought back with 3 miles still to spare.

Now that's how you celebrate. One massive Norwegian barbaric YALP!
(Photo: AFP)

The main recipient of the peloton's efforts today was Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), who for a split moment thought he had celebrated prematurely when South Africa's Robbie Hunter (Barloworld) threw for the line.

The biggest surprise to date for me has been the consistency of former Maillot Vert winner and newly confessed doper, Erik Zabel (Milram). Besides the crash he caused on Stage 2 (where he finished 7th), he's been in the running for the money on each day. Perhaps what they say about "the truth" is correct; it'll set you free every time.

Results
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole
2 Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld
3 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank
4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
5 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre - Fondital
6 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic
7 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
8 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic
9 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Française des Jeux
10 Mark Cavendish (GBr) T-Mobile Team

Up Next: Stage 5 - Chablis - Autun, 182.5km. The route looks to be perfect for a break to actually stay away as there are 8 categorized climbs (albeit mostly Cat 4) along the way.

Speed Kills

It's been the ascertion by many that the "true" effect of having a clean Tour would be a decrease in the average speed of the peloton. Below is this tidbit from Cyclingnews.

"At 35.81 km/h the stage was one of the slowest ones in modern cycling...The slow speeds meant the peloton arrived after six o'clock in the evening for the first time since 1998. Of course back then they were on strike and sat on the roadway for an extended period of time on two occasions before riding a non-competitive stage as a protest to the police raids that were initiated due to the Festina affair."
[MORE]

On the other hand, Versus' commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen offered that the prior days' events (the Tour kick-off), the mini-transfer to the continent, and the headwinds were all to blame for the peloton's lack of speed and disinterest in going all out.

I really enjoy Phil and Paul's commentary, their colloquialisms, their passion for the sport, and their knowledge. I even appreciate their understated and reserving judgement attitude toward doping.

And although their explanations above may be true, I can't help but feel that they do the sport a disservice by not raising the possibility that what they're selling may not be as romantic as we'd all like it to be.

When the Jersey Attacks

I read about it at work, but I wanted to wait until I saw the finish on the tele to see how the finale actually played out.

Allow me to break out a David Letterman expression, "My, Oh My."

I still can't believe what I just saw, and I'm betting that's what the remainder of the field was saying after the Maillot Jaune crossed the finish line on what was this Tour's longest day.

My disbelief isn't because the winner of Stage 3 didn't come from the early break of four, as "cat and mouse play" close to the line is usually the downfall for those that make the race but don't end up winning it.

I'm mostly perplexed by the reaction or lack thereof from the peloton and the sprinters. On a day where it seemed that the entire peloton was sleeping walking [riding] or napping in class only Fabian Cancellara (CSC) dared to raise his hand and say "I'm awake, I'd like to answer the question."

Photo:CorVos/Pezcyclingnews

Its not exactly the first time in Tour history that the yellow jersey has attacked the peloton. One of my favorite images hanging on my wall is of Eddy Merckx, in yellow, flat out and solo on one of the final stages of the Tour de France. Talk about exclamation points!

But Cancellara's victory today wasn't about making such statements. His defense of his jersey was admirable, but it certainly pales in comparison to the way Thomas Voeckler turned himself inside-out to defend his in 2004.

Perhaps it was a statement of indifference by the favorites who know that this battle won't win them the war, of leeriness because of yesterday's crash, of weariness after a long day [and with no medicinals to aid the riders' recovery], or of refusal by the sprinters to provide a wheel for their competition to latch on to and help spring them for the victory. I don't know.

This isn't an attempt to diminish Cancellara's talent, willingness, and flat out speed. He certainly deserved the win in Compiègne and to wear the leader's jersey. Afterall, he was the only one who seemed to remember that there was a race going on today, and at the perfect time.

Will It Be On Your Radar?

Future Thinking
There's something to be said about making a splash. But unless you're a household name that spends millions in advertising, like Apple with their iPhone (as if they needed a plug), then you usually have to time the release of your product(s) with some big event.

Enter Future Publishing Limited (a Bath, England based firm), a London start to the Tour de France, and BikeRadar.com.

Future is monster of a publishing firm with over 100 magazines and 60 websites in its portfolio. For the cyclist, it publishes Procycling, Cycling Plus, Mountain Biking UK, and What Mountain Bike.

And as a part of the build up to the release of Bike Radar, Future recently purchased Cyclingnews.com and Bikely (a route mapping and sharing site that was brought to our attention some time ago by one of our readers, bdleaf).

Bike Radar is not only Future's attempt to increase its internet presence in cycling (and quite possibly an attempt to compete with Velonews.com, which recently incorporated MapMyRide.com into its resources), but also to create the ultimate online resource for cycling.

My initial reaction to the idea of Bike Radar was, AWESOME! How can that possibly be a bad thing?

But after reading that my favorite online cycling site, Cyclingnews, had been bought out, my joy quickly turned to skepticism and my attitude to one of "wait and see."

To me, Cyclingnews, has long been that Little Shop Around the Corner in a world of Borders and Barnes & Nobles. Its a site, which like a Bikely, had a grassroots beginning, but soon became a leader in its field. Its reporting is dependable and timely, and their knowledge base wide and varied (how many large cycling sites covered the North American Handmade Bicycle Show to the extent that James Huang did?).

In Ann Arbor, MI, where Borders is based, it would be blasphemous to even envision a time when Nicola's Books would be bought out and made to lose its distinctiveness. But if the upkeep of Procycling's online site is any indication, the incorporation of Cyclingnews into Bike Radar may do just that.

Perhaps my thinking is a little old fashioned, maybe even a little bit romantic, but when was the last time you heard someone say, "you know, that Starbuck's [coffee] shop sure has a lot of character," or "you know, that McDonald's, that one right there, sure is distinct."

Regardless, the "Future" is here, how bright it is remains to be seen.

Carnage

It wasn't as horrific a crash as Stage 1 of the 2003 Tour, but I imagine Levi Leipheimer must have been suffering a little from PTSD, after seeing a couple of his teammates go down in the finale of Stage 2 today.

If you'll recall, Leipheimer, then a member of Rabobank, lost any dream of being on the Tour podium, and his entire season, when he completed his endo by landing on his backside fracturing his tail bone. Also in that 2003 pileup was Tyler Hamilton, who at that time elevated himself to instant cult hero status by gutting out a fractured collarbone, winning a stage, and eventually placing just off the podium in Paris.

Today's Stage 2 crash saw a fair number of big names go down, and left Discovery Channel with one less rider as big Thomas Vaitkus (Photo: Graham Watson) fractured his thumb and is unable to continue after having surgery.

If I'm not mistaken, since Lance Armstrong's retirement, his former team hasn't finish a Tour with a full complement of riders; an accomplishment in which US Postal/Discovery once took pride.

There was also carnage of a different kind as the up hill finale and QuickStep - Innergetic made easy work of the field sprint. Gert Steegmans, who Versus' commentator, Robbie Ventura, analogized to former Dallas Cowboy fullback, "Moose" Johnson for leading Emmit Smith's way, claimed the victory while leading out the sprint for Tom Boonen.

It's kind of nice to see the fullback get a carry down by the goal line once in a while.

Stage 2 Results
1 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic 3.48.22 (44.2 km/h)
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic
3 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas
4 Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld
5 Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel
6 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Predictor - Lotto
7 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
8 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner
9 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank
10 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Française des Jeux

Caple on the Tour

As a hardened member of the Red Sox Nation, I became a fan of ESPN's Page 2 during the 2004 World Series Championship run, following the rantings and ravings of Bill Simmons.

Since then my fandom has just snowballed, and my mind hasn't been right since.

Now comes Jim Caple, who covers baseball, the college campus scene, and cycling. In his latest offering, Caple gives you 10 reasons why this year's Tour should hardly be referred to as the Tour de Farce.

Caple writes:
"Oh, I know. Saying you're a fan of the Tour this summer is like saying you still listen to Creed. Because of the recent doping scandals, you're not supposed to care about the race. The Tour is so off the radar, the Department of Homeland Security has downgraded the wristband color code from yellow for "Livestrong" to white for "Apathy.""

[MORE]

The Flying Dutchman

Here's an interesting tidbit about the Tour prologue that I ran across on the T-Mobile team website. I guess when you get that many people together for a single event, something like this is bound to happen. Thank goodness for people like Bert Tolhoek, bus driver turned Bobbie.

You're Nicked
"While the Tour caravan has been generous in showering roadside fans in Britain with gifts, one particular punter took things a bit too far on Friday afternoon. While the team was on a training spin, Bert Tolhoek the T-Mobile Team bus driver was left to look after things in a quiet suburb. A young passer-by expressed an interest in Kim Kirchen’s time trial bike, parked just outside. “Is that yours?” he asked, his interest visibly growing.

Very soon the temptation became too great and the opportunist made a grab for the bike. The young man took off at time trial speed. Bert had to react fast and chasing in the team bus was not the answer. The team doctors looked after the bus, while Dutchman Bert commandeered the next passing car, cop-show style. A bemused woman in her thirties obliged. The hot pursuit was on. It wasn’t long before the young pretender ran into real difficulties shifting gears and controlling this highly specialist piece of equipment on a steep section of road, allowing Bert to close the gap.

Realising the game was up, the hapless thief tried to abandon the 7,000 Euro bike and make a run for it. But as he fell from the heightened saddle, Bert pinned him to the ground and held him there in a headlock. Ignoring the youngster’s pleas for clemency Bert threatened to call the police. Luckily for the culprit, Bert's bus-driving duties called and the young man got off with a heavy warning!" (gl)

Way to go, Bert!!! Kirchen finished 53rd on Saturday, 0.48 seconds back from Fabian Cancellara (CSC).

VICTORY!!!

To follow up on her impressive 2nd place in the Cat 1/2/3/4 at the Cox Charities Cycling Classic in Providence, RI on June 24th, and a more than respectable 9th in the Cat 1/2/3 at the Seacoast Criterium two days later, our friend of the blog, Liz Hatch (Vanderkitten) came away with a pair of NRC victories in Sonoma, CA this past weekend.

On Saturday, July 7th, Liz soloed to win the Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic Criterium and doubled up in the same fashion on Sunday claiming the Circuit Race.



When I asked her for a post-victory comment, Liz had this to say, "Thank God I won, cause that hurt like hell!"

To that, there's only one thing left to say [to Liz] about the races in Sonoma...

On Cue

After the prologue yesterday, John Trevorrow (Cyclingnews) sat down with Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) and elicited the following reaction.

"It all went pretty much to plan," explained the 11-time Tour stage winner. "I got [out] early and did about five laps on the course and got comfortable with it. I then rode and kept it at a threshold and made sure there is plenty in the tank for tomorrow."

"I'm pretty happy with my ride but it really all starts tomorrow for me," he continued post-prologue ride. "There are a few young guys who will definitely be trying to serve it up, as I did a few years ago, but it will all be decided in that final few hundred metres."

McEwen Celebrates
(Photo: AFP)

After today's Stage 1 of the Grand Boucle, the list of suplerlatives used to describe McEwen just went up by one, you can now add prophetic.

Robbie McEwen had all the gas he needed as he won today's stage in the last 150 meters, shooting past Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) and Tom Boonen (Quickstep - Innergetic).

The Aussie and now 12-time Tour stage winner (tying Erik Zabel's mark for those still competing) has surely set himself up for tomorrow, with a chance not only to win in his adopted home of Gent but also possibly wear yellow.

Gone Green

For those of you who hadn't already heard, there's a little concert across 7 continents going on today called Live Earth.

The concert is part of the SOS campaign to empower individuals to change their consumer behaviors and motivate corporations and political leaders to enact decisive measures to combat the climate crisis.

So how does this relate to cycling?

Discovery Channel Pro Cycling has "Gone Green." In the hopes of inspiring others in the peloton to follow suit, they are wearing green accented kits to reflect their efforts. (inset, Alberto Contador during the prologue. Photo: AFP)

From the Team Discovery Channel Green Space (requires registration):

“The good news is that by its very nature, cycling is green,” says Levi Leipheimer, Team Discovery Channel’s lead rider entering the 2007 Tour de France.

And while it’s true that the members of the Discovery Pro Cycling Team produce zero environmentally damaging emissions when they ride, it’s also true that a veritable armada of support vehicles is required to support the health and safety of each rider during every UCI Pro Tour event.

“These vehicles are essential for us to perform at top levels,” says Johan Bruyneel. “But, this year, we are taking responsibility for the true emissions footprint that comes with our participation in pro cycling, and that feels great.”

Through an innovative partnership with Green Mountain Energy (GME), Team Discovery is offsetting 100% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions created by the team’s support vehicles during the entire 2007 race season.

By purchasing carbon offsets generated by energy efficiency projects and tree planting initiatives from GME’s “Be Green” (begreennow.org), the team has offset about 62 metric tons of CO2 so far this year.

Precision Swiss Timing

His pre-prologue statements weren't quite as dramatic as teammate, Dave Zabriskie's before he won the Tour prologue in 2005, when asked to predict the top three finishers, Zabriskie was quoted as saying, "Me, me, and me," but Fabian Cancellara (CSC) nonetheless sounded as confident in his interview with Cyclingnews' Shane Stokes.

"I can win," he declared. "On paper it is possible that I can really win."

And like his teammate before him (who set the record for the fastest time trial in Tour history averaging 54.676 kph!!), Cancellara went out in today's prologue and crushed the competition with an average speed of 53.7 kilometres per hour. He beat out second and third place finishers, Andreas Kloden (Astana) and George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) by 13 and 23 seconds, respectively. (Photo: AFP)

Results
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
2 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
3 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
4 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone
5 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
6 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
7 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
8 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank
9 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas
10 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des Jeux

[MORE]

A Doping Positive?

Somewhere, lost in the wake of doping scandals at the top tier of professional cycling is the fact that there seems to be more of us on the road than in years past. As Sal Ruibal (USA TODAY) pointed out in his article yesterday, many of us are choosing to be "our own Lance."

Ruibal writes:
"USA Cycling, the national governing body, sold almost 60,000 individual licenses last year, a jump of more than 6% from 2005. (A USAC license allows a rider to compete in sanctioned races.) Charity rides are also big. This year's National Multiple Sclerosis MS Bike Ride series drew more than 100,000 cyclists.

In Arizona, an estimated 10,000 cyclists are looking ahead to El Tour de Tucson on Nov. 17. The 109-mile ride around the perimeter of the city has something the French Tour lacks: riders are treated to Krispy Kreme donuts.

People "are not riding to be a Greg LeMond or Lance. They are riding because of the love of cycling, because it is environmentally friendly," race founder and director Richard DeBernardis says. "It's a means to dealing with our transportation issues and because it's something they can achieve. They'll ride without their heroes.""

For cyclists this news may not come as a surprise. Ruibal is certainly preaching to the choir in this respect. But for the average sports fan, the news is somewhat unprecedented.

How many sports have actually experienced growth in the absence of its biggest stars?

You need only to look at our national pastime and favorite sport, baseball and football, to see what type of effect its stars can have on its popularity. Both sports have survived strikes, lockouts, and contractual squabbles throughout their history. During these hardest times, where both utilized replacement players, so called "scabs," there wasn't the type of springboard effect that cycling is seeing today. In fact, the popularity of each sport was diminished and actually lost some of their respective fansbases.

Perhaps the current growth of cycling is more about the functional utility of the bicycle rather than its utility for sport. But unlike baseball, where the infestation of performance enhancing drugs brought back its fans, professional cycling is losing theirs to what essentially makes these athletes special, riding a bike.

If you were looking for a silver lining to the doping controversies of cycling, how can you argue with cycling's integration into the American culture.

On Tap...

For three people who met up in France while riding the final week of the 2003 Tour de France, we've certainly come a long way (as have all of the fans of cycling) since that time.

We've gone from rabid European style fandom to shaking your head skeptical, and even to Soprano-like indifference [you know the type of indifference the guy who might get whacked next receives] for the professional ranks. (Isn't that an misnomer, "professional." I guess that's used in the same vain as in the movie Man on Fire, "I'm a professional, Mister.")

In any regard, we've dressed up the site for the Tour and we'll still provide a Tour Preview, but not quite as elaborate.

As has been the staple of this Friday post, below is a listing of some races, and some fun rides for specific geographic locations. If you'd like me to include your area, just drop us a line in the form of a comment or email. The listings for the Midwest may seem a little light this week, but it will certainly pick up with Superweek right around the corner.

The main race on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) this weekend is the Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic. Let's see, cycling and wine country...do those two things even go together? I'm being facetious of course! Racing begin on Saturday the 7th.

The Northbrook Velodrome will be closed this Saturday for the Human Power Vehicle Association competition. People will be competing on recumbant bicylces. They will also be competing on Sunday, July 8th, at Washington Park in Kenosha, WI.

For most of the results and photos of races this weekend, check with Truesport.com.

07/05/2007- 07/17/2007
USA Cycling National Festival Pres by Cal Giant
Seven Springs, PA

07/06/2007
Infineon Cougar Mt Classic-Road
Sonoma, CA
NAS-Track #3
Mike Walden Velodrome
Rochester Hills, MI

07/07/2007
Porcupine Hill Climb Fun Ride
Salt Lake City, UT
Ohio State Championships
Danville, OH
Faulkner Honda Criterium
Hummelstown, PA
Wisconsin State Criterium Championships
Elkhorn, WI
Coyote Creek Criterium
San Jose, CA
Porcupine Hill Climb
Salt Lake City, UT
Ironhill Twilight Criterium
West Chester, PA
Tandemonium
Trexlertown, PA
La Mirada Grand Prix
La Mirada, CA
Carrera De San Rafael
San Rafael, CA
Mill Mountain Hill Climb
Roanoke, VA
PA Dutch Country Stage Race
Lancaster County, PA

07/08/2007
Roanoke Cycling Fun Ride
Roanoke, VA
The Newmark Center Classic
Miami Township, OH
PA State Elite 40 & 20 KM Time Trial
Harrisburg, PA
Mississippi Buffs Road Race
Rapid City, IL

Viva la England?!
This Saturday, what's become synonymous to the SuperBowl in American football, or Daytona in stock car racing, the biggest race in cycling, the Tour de France, kicks off in London. Though our interest level for the ProTour ranks may be down, we'd be remise not to view this race in the larger context.

The Tour will remain, while the riders will change. So in this case, it is alright to "hate the players and not the game."

The Prologue
I hate going with chalk, but OBE homegrown Bradley Wiggins (Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone) may be the best pick for this fast and flat course through the heart of London. If the Wimbledon weather is any indicator of the Saturday start, it may be a mixed bag. Look for one of these three riders instead, Paolo Salvodelli (Astana), Fabian Cancellara (CSC), and David Zabriskie (CSC).

Maillot Jaune (GC):
The big money (and pressure) seems to be on Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana). Not only is he the most powerful of the bunch at the moment, but Astana also looks to be the strongest team. It'll be interesting to see how Vinokourov's attacking style fits in with his responsibilities as a team leader over the course of three weeks.

America's hopes seem to be pinned onto Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel). The former Vuelta podium placer, will most likely never find a more perfect opportunity to win the Tour than in this year. He seems to be in form, but his low-key approach to his preparations haven't been that telling. We'll definitely have to wait till the lights come on.

The remaining contenders for the podium are Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), Michael Rogers (T-Mobile), and Andreas Kloden (Astana).

Maillot Vert (Points):
This was shaping up to be an interesting 3 week sojourn with many of the top sprinters on form, but with Alessandro Pettachi's dismissal and Oscar Freire's recurring (saddle) ailments, this may come down to the battle of the killer "B's," Tom Boonen (Quickstep-Innergetic) and Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital). Boonen seems to have finally gotten his bike issues resolved, and Bennati is as young, powerful and eager as any sprinter in the field.

The other surefire contenders for the points jersey are Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto), Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), Robbie Hunter (Barloworld), and Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner).

Maillot à Pois Rouges (KOM):
The easy pick to win this category would be former winner, Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank), but he'll be challenged by Christophe Moreau (AG2r - Prevoyance), and my pick for polka dots, Frank Schleck (CSC).

Maillot Blanc (Best Young Rider): Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), Thomas Dekker (Rabobank), Patrik Sinkewitz (T-Mobile), Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner), and Thomas Lovkvist (Francaise des Jeux) should all be in the runnning (that is, if I've gotten their ages right).

MORE:
-- Sal Ruibal (USA Today): Tour de France's downhill slide caused by scandals

In Lieu

As a follow-up to the the sad news of XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider, Beth Kobeszka, arrangements below are from the team's website.

XXX Racing-Athletico deeply mourns the loss of Beth Kobeszka, our friend and teammate, who died Saturday, June 30, following a crash at the Proctor Road Race.

Visitation will be Thursday, July 5, from 2-8 p.m. at the Fagen-Miller Funeral Home, 2828 Highway Ave., Highland, IN.

A funeral will be held Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. It will begin at the Fagen-Miller Funeral Home and proceed to Our Lady Of Grace Church. (Note the corrected time, and that Highland, Ind., is in the central time zone.)

There are two condolence books available online: at Legacy and at Fagen-Miller.

For donations made in lieu of flowers, the family has not announced a benefactor. (Beth would find flowers "totally lame," we are told.) In the meantime, memorial contributions can be sent to the team, which will hold the funds and distribute them per the family's wishes. Information about a bank account specifically for this purpose will be available later this week.

Blinded Leading The Blind

"What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes."
- John Travolta (Gabriel) from Swordfish

"The eyes are fascinating. Physically, the variance in size, shape and hue, makes the eyes as individual, and beautiful, as the person to which they are attached. Spiritually, people regard them as being windows into the soul. Scientifically, the way in which the eyes process information makes them seem “alien-like,” or offers up proof of the existence of a higher power.

With all these special characteristics and mysticism surrounding these tiny anatomical structures, it would be easy to answer all of life's questions with a ubiquitous "abre los ojos" (open your eyes).

But as we've seen lately, things in life, as in cycling aren't that simple. The eyes, like the person to which they are attached, can be easily deceived. And as John Travolta's character, Gabriel, suggests by an act of simple misdirection.

Over a month has passed since the adjournment of Floyd Landis' arbitration hearing for alleged doping during the 2006 Tour de France. His livelihood, his career, and his place in history resides within the reasoning capabilities of three men; each of whom are bound by the same human constraints of their faculties.

As adjudicators of the law its incumbent upon these men to seek out the truth and meter out justice as if it were blind. But they, along with those of us in the jury of the court of public opinion, have perhaps seen and heard too much during, and after, the hearings to remain impartial.

In my field of clinical research, impartiality toward an investigational agent (a drug, device, or biologic) can be artificially created by "blinding" not only the investigators, but also those receiving that specified agent. Although the system isn't perfect, with the possibility of "unblinding" or biases creeping into the process, impartiality can be built into the system rather than it hinging on having taken root through an individual's charge.

John F. Kennedy once charged America's leaders to separate church and state. He did so in order to quell the rising tides of skepticism that his own religious convictions might influence his secular and political decisions. The idealism that a man's inherent biases could be separated from his decision making capabilities turned into a foundation for Camelot. And although those thoughts aren't completely lost or forgotten, recent headlines bare out the opposite. Impartiality it seems is weighted heavily by the influence of a group(s).

Since the Landis adjournment, two competing books, Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France and From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France, have hit the shelves, while a host of doping allegations, positives, supsensions, and most notably, an influential rider in the form of Jorg Jaksche, has come out and named names.

So how is it possible for these non-sequestered and inherently biased arbitrators to render any type of decision based solely on the facts of the case?

The easy answer, arbitration cases occur all the time. The process isn't new. A decision will be rendered and Floyd, along with the rest of us, will go on with the rest of our lives. Cue Doug Luellen.

Can it be that easy? Or are we just shutting our eyes hoping that the scary part is almost over?

According to Cyclingnews.com, we'll all be able to open our eyes this Friday!

Grandview USA

Don't permit the title of this post to cloud your judgement, as the racing this past weekend in Grandview, OH vastly outweighed the movie of a similar title in viewing ability. In fact, except for the appearance of an in-her-prime Jamie Lee Curtis, the movie was barely palatable.

The Tour de Grandview, on the other hand, was a glorious mixture of Americana and space aged technology, of community and cycling culture, of hardened veterans and ambitious newbies.

Are You Experienced? A Case of Double Vision
The lead up to the Men's and Women's Professional races on both Saturday and Sunday featured some outstanding races. But unless you can truly appreciate the racing nuances and effort given by those in the lower categories, the reason anyone watches cycling, and sport in general, is to see those at highest level compete.

The field contained many of the big names from the Midwest but it wasn't replete of some of the country's top professionals, although it may have only been a smattering of them competing last weekend.

Saturday's Women's Cat 1/2/3 race was won by Shannon Hutchison-Krupat (Aaron's Cycling Team). Although she was the lone representative from her team this year, the 37 year old relied on her experience to navigate the field. An orchestra teacher in Atlanta, GA, by day, Shannon is considered one of the country's top sprinters. Her sprinting ability, on display over the weekend as she won both field sprints, was matched only by her infectious smile and personality.

On Sunday, no one could match the irrepresible force of MacKenzie Woodring (Team Priority Health). She was dominant from the gun, leading an early break before soloing to victory.

But perhaps the most intriguing rider in the Women's field was 16 year old Samantha Schneider (Mesa Cycling) from West Allis, WI. A star already on the track, Samantha placed 2nd and 4th over the weekend.

Shannon taking the two-up on Saturday

Saturday's Women's Podium

MacKenzie Celebrates
(Photos: Granny's 30)

In the Men's division, it was all Texas Roadhouse as they swept the top three places in Saturday's race, and placed 1st and 3rd on Sunday.

The victor in both races was 38 year old Kirk Albers (Texas Roadhouse). After 11 attempts to win at Grandview, Albers won both races in a similar fashion, soloing to victory. On Saturday, he stayed away in the final 10-15 laps, while on Sunday he bided his time before launching a decisive attack in the final 3 laps.

The Upper Arlington, OH resident has particpated in numerous prestigious events, such as the Tour de Georgia, Tour of California and the U.S. Pro Championships, over his professional career and recently helped start up the Ohio Cycling Association in January.

Albers on Saturday

Saturday's Men's Podium

This looks vaguely familiar?

Sunday's Podium

(Photos: Granny's 30)

MORE:
-- Columbus Dispatch: Life of a pro cyclist not all fun and games
-- Columbus Dispatch: Tour de Grandview: Cyclist peddles hope by beating cancer

Training Day

Alright so we're not exactly Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, but for my buddy Don and I who are both coming off of injuries, it was sure nice to be putting in some significant miles again.

Don's initial reaction of this image, "That's funny, we actually look like we might be in shape or something."

For others coming back from an injury or layoff, Bicycling's FITChick has seven smart ways to return stronger and faster. Below is a quick synopsis, for the full article pick up the August 2007 issue.

• Easy on the Vitamin I: As in Ibuprofen, and stick to Tylenol (acetaminophen) instead. Taking ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories can delay the healing process by inhibiting enzymes called prostaglandins which helps stimulate circulation.
• Move It: Don't just sit once injured. Stay active to promote blood flow and aid in healing.
• Eat to Heal: Your body still burns about 10% more calories than usual when trying to repair an injury. Feed your body what it needs to heal.
• Use the One-to-Two Rule: For each non-training week, spend one to two weeks rebuilding base before hammering.
• Start en masse, Finish Solo: Start with your group or club on group rides, but tone it down when the urge to push the pace beckons. Do your own things until you're ready.
• Watch the Warning Signs: When coming back, you're vulnerable to re-injury so let pain be your guide and back off if necessary.
  
• Root Out the Cause: Truly figure out what is causing your injuries otherwise, you'll end up with a chronic issue.