Anyone else a Tour de France fan?

[Van Huskey]

Its that time of year! I am a Schleck fan but no Andy (broken pelvis) this year so I guess Frank will have to do, anyone but Contador, oh yeah he isn't there!!! I actually like the new Radio Shack-Nissan team, Frank Schleck, Chris Horner (US), LOVE Jens Voight (hardest workin' guy in the pelaton), Popvych, Kloden, Monfort, Zebeldia, Cancellara. I don't know much about Gallopin but he is young, French and riding well, didn't pay much attention to him when he was with Cofidis. I guess the Shack has someone to push on July 4th and Bastille day as well.

I just wish I had time to watch every minute like I have in the past.

Congrats to George Hincapie as he is tying the record for most tours ridden. I have a young friend on one of his development teams and rode with him on a couple of occasions in the mountains of North Carolina during his Postal days. Always hoped he would win the Paris-Roubaix but second was the best he could ever muster, but that still takes a hard, hard man, they don't call it the Hell of the North because of temperature!

[charlie knighton]

my brother is a fan, with all the power outages, he only lost his cable and was disappointed not to see the start

[Van Huskey]

my brother is a fan, with all the power outages, he only lost his cable and was disappointed not to see the start

Honestly, the best days to miss are the flat stages like at the beggining and end. As a fan you do NOT want to miss the big mountain stages nor the ITTs (individual time trials) these are the days the TdF is won and lost. The flat stages are merely processions to the final sprint finish, rarely anything to watch except the last 10-15k. While the prologue (first day) is a ITT it is so short the time gaps gained rarely mean anything in the end.

[Paul Incognito]

This year's tour looks like it's going to ba a good show. If Wiggins and Evans can stay out of trouble, it'll be an interesting showdown in the mountains. And I can't wait to see a head to head sprint between Sagan and Cavendish.
Yesterday's finish was pretty awesome with Cancellara attacking with 1 k to go
Paul

[Van Huskey]

This year's tour looks like it's going to ba a good show. If Wiggins and Evans can stay out of trouble, it'll be an interesting showdown in the mountains. And I can't wait to see a head to head sprint between Sagan and Cavendish.
Yesterday's finish was pretty awesome with Cancellara attacking with 1 k to go
Paul

I never had much respect for Cadel as far as a TdF GC candidate but the grit he showed in the mountain stages last year showed me some serious heart. Though I still felt bad for Andy, a bridesmaid again, but if you can't master the race of truth the top step of the podium is gonna be tough unless you have a serious mountain ITT. I love watching the Manx Missle, almost as much as I loved watching Super Mario. I didn't think Cancellara had a chance that far out given the topography and if the three of them hadn't been screwing around he could have gotten some time, maybe 10-15 seconds.

[Larry Edgerton]

I used to be until my knees got so bad I could no longer ride, then I lost interest. They all have my utmost respect, even the back burners.

I had a Colnago Masterlite, signed by Ernesto, full Campy Record Ergo with Ti Speedplays sitting in my office taunting me. I finally found a deserving young man and gave it to him. The bike deserved to be ridden.

I still have a full suspension mountian bike that I built from a Bianchi Cobra frame, laced the wheels with Nuke Proof carbon fiber hubs, XTR components.

I really miss riding. I rode about 10,000 miles a year till I got old. The feeling of freedom on a bicycle, riding alone on a country road, competing against yourself was some of the most important times in my life. Now it is too painfull to be fun, but I still remember the feeling.

I have Greg LaMonde and Armstrongs books around here somewhere Van if you want them I'll throw them in the mail. I'm never going to read them again. I will caution you that reading Armstrongs book may not make you feel all warm and fuzzy about him.

Larry

[John Pratt]

I never miss it. When I was stationed in Germany, I took leave every year at that time to see a few stages. Got to see Lance win his 5th. It really is amazing how fast they can ride and it is hard to get that sensation until you see it in person. I raced a lot over the years (not anymore with a bad back) and the amount of time they can hold the pace they ride at is truely amazing. They are definitely mutants and not like the rest of us mere mortals. IIRC Lance could hold the same watt output for 30 minutes that an average cyclist could only hold for 30 sec.

[mike holden]

Go Chavonel!

Sentimental favorite.

Mike

[Van Huskey]

Talking about Lance, some of us SC/NC locals would ride "with" Postal, when they trained in the mountains of NC, when they finished goofing off they dropped the local hard men like grandma on a Huffy with two flat tires, this was on their rest days... The speed these guys have in their pocket is incredible.

I have no illusions about the pro riders, they are all doped to the gills, Lance was just the master as getting away with it, there might be a handful that are clean but they are haulin' water bottles not counting points. Even the greatest of all, the Cannibal, was caught "doping" though his era of dope was less effective but the morality was the same.

Larry thanks for the offer but I have all the Lemond and Armstrong books, I even have Bob Roll's two books, great character, decent stories, horrible writer!




After stage 2:

Winner of stage 2 Mark "The Manx Missle" Cavendish his 21st TdF stage win puts him in 6th place all time, The Cannibal Eddy Merckx is first all time w/35, Lance is tied for fourth with 22.

GC Maillot juane: Cancellara

Points Green Sagan

Climber Polka Dot Morkov

Youth White Van Garderen

Team Sky

[John Pratt]

I agree there is a tremendous amount of doping that goes on that is not detected, but I wont say who or accuse without knowing for sure. Although in the old pictures of Fausto Coppi and some other you can see small vials on necklaces around there necks. The rumors were that they contained a certain white powder. I beleive it was Eddie Merckx who said, "A man does not win the Tour De France on water alone."

[David Weaver]

I used to be a fan, but at the time I was riding a road bike for exercise. I kind of lost interest after I stopped riding, and it's just a dope fest, anyway. I don't believe there are very many professional sports left where there aren't folks doping or cheating, it's just a matter of staying ahead of the curve in terms of the testing.

That itself doesn't necessarily ruin it for me, though, logic would say that in a world where folks already weigh their food, etc, and train with computer monitoring and assist to maximize, you have the best folks who are both genetically fit for it and who are dedicated. You are not going to have the top tier in that already elevated group be folks who don't have an edge from something else - the competition is too close. That is the essence of competition and staying ahead of the rules - when you want to be the very top in the entire world, you get to a level where the rules are not quite as simple as they appear to be. Rule #1 is to win.

[Bruce Page]

It's like watching paint dry for me but my wife records and watches it all!

[Paul Incognito]

Yea, it's a dopefest. Just a matter of time until they start getting caught. Happens in the 2nd week of the tout every year.
I stopped paying much attention to the pro races a while back, but the tour is hard to miss.
I like Sagan, he's a freh face with lots of talent. Cavendish has oodles of talent, but I get tired of his mouth. I'm with you Van, never really liked Cadel. But the way he won world's road race was something special. Between that and his move to BMC, he's a changed man and a little more likeable.
Larry...Nuke Proof hubs? You're showing your age my man. Does it have cantis and 26" wheels too?
Time to watch today's stage!
Paul

[Dirk Lewis]

Being from Canuckistan, I'm rooting for Ryder Hesjedal - used to mt bike with him years ago and snickered when he turned into a roadie...now who's snickerin'!

[Peter Elliott]

Van, big time cyclist and fan of TDF. I worked in the bike industry for 15yrs and owned a bike shop. A far as Lance goes, sorry... he would have been nailed back then and by now. You can not go thru all those random drug tests, for that long.. I believe Lance was using something but it wasn't illegal then and my guess was one of 100's of supplements theses guys take. Some of those supplements are by injections too. There are so many sport science drugs and other natural drugs most atheletes use for recovery, muscle building, etc.. it's crazy. I think Pro Cycling has done a pretty good job trying to recover their image. Yes, it was totally out of control, too long and not right. In then end, I guess we'll never know. The US Drug has tried before and fail to show, so did the french labs. It's all on who you want to believe. I am pretty neutral because both sides have been proven wrong. My big gutt just says, he would have been caught, just like the other big names with the big time sports doctors.