tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32379888149476722792011-07-08T01:02:07.557-04:00Tour Fever. Le Tour de France. Vive le Tour. Every day.</p></p> A look at news about the Tour from the non-cycling press.JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.comBlogger3101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-4614357251793747582010-07-20T08:39:00.000-04:002010-07-20T08:39:00.223-04:00

The Australian Broadcast service does a great recipe every stage.Tour de France 2010 Recipes

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-32022161713085404982010-07-19T14:27:00.000-04:002010-07-19T14:27:00.741-04:00

Pop-up books were fun when I was a kid. Problem was, they were most fascinating when I was least able to handle them. At the age I wanted these books, I was quickly destroying the intricate models that were opening with each page. Still, this one is cool.Pop Up Tour de France

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-7810556701022859692010-07-19T08:35:00.001-04:002010-07-19T08:35:00.773-04:00

Don't know why Cervelo decided to commission these. But whatever reason, they're pretty good. Unfortunately, they're usually two to three months behind, so the Tour story will probably debut in September or October.Beyond The Peloton

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-59771052126263571322010-07-18T19:20:00.000-04:002010-07-18T19:20:00.322-04:00

Mail Order Giant Performance Bike has their own big sweepstakes.Performance Celebrate The Tour

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-64289723197027583312010-07-18T12:57:00.000-04:002010-07-18T12:57:00.096-04:00

Sponsor madness. Enter to win a trip to the 2011 Tour de France. The Cadillac Lead The Pack Sweepstakes

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-33710225115223244412010-07-18T07:08:00.000-04:002010-07-18T07:08:00.511-04:00

Road ID makes entering a little more difficult. You have to either donate money, buy stuff, or start following them on Twitter or Facebook. Still might be worth it if you like the prizes.Road ID Giveaways

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-38789861314919017642010-07-17T18:59:00.000-04:002010-07-17T18:59:00.354-04:00

Training Peaks is going big time. They're offering up a SRM and coaching from Hunter Allen.Training Peaks Tour de France Sweepstakes

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-7094549923158273922010-07-17T14:13:00.000-04:002010-07-17T14:13:00.874-04:00

While this one is fun, it takes quite a bit of work. First you need a GPS. Then you need to ride every stage of the race. Then, when your ride is done, upload your ride to Map My Ride. They'll convert your effort into what it would be if you rode the actual TdF Stage of the day. with that, they'll compute a leaderboard.AquaPhor Tour de France Challenge

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-56794641193603968122010-07-17T07:48:00.003-04:002010-07-17T07:48:00.208-04:00

Specialized is giving away one every day.In It to Win It

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-89691902261207914192010-07-16T18:53:00.000-04:002010-07-16T18:53:00.502-04:00

Trek has to get into it as wellDream Bigger

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-9896559157485500352010-07-16T16:31:00.002-04:002010-07-16T16:32:26.024-04:00

Specialized deserves kudos for using their two star riders for a hilarious commercial.Alberto and Andy In It To Win It

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-73925983260657471922010-07-16T06:47:00.000-04:002010-07-16T06:47:00.243-04:00

Win a free helmet from Giro. The Lance Armstrong Sweepstakes

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-77304438076484546802010-07-15T18:57:00.002-04:002010-07-15T18:58:28.017-04:00

This one takes a little work. They give up a trivia question a day. It's multiple choice, so you can alway just guess.Active.com Tour de France 2010 Trivia Sweepstakes

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-80384655785253959692010-07-15T16:08:00.003-04:002010-07-15T16:10:21.137-04:00

Let's thank head butt'r extraordinaire Mark Renshaw for prompting this excellent video analysis by Cyclocosm:How The Race Was Won - Rules of the Group Sprint

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-49537877914407387162010-07-08T10:15:00.000-04:002010-07-08T10:15:00.913-04:00

The Wall Street Journal found some options and offers them up in Tracking the Tour de France with Tech.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-64174835650240962812010-07-07T23:53:00.000-04:002010-07-07T23:53:00.283-04:00

Every year, there's a stage that causes the riders to complain that the racing is too dangerous. This year, it was Tuesday's Ardennes-classics-style stage to Spa and Wednesday's Roubaix-style stage to Arenberg. I think the racers are getting whiny over this. These courses aren't inherently dangerous, though it seemed that on stage two there must have been quite a bit of oil on the road, it's

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-64908000887833721552010-07-07T21:49:00.000-04:002010-07-07T21:49:00.454-04:00

While we shouldn't be giving away this secret, as you'll eat up bandwidth, but if you want to get daily tour highlights without having to listen to sportscaster prattle or just need measured doses of said chatter, click on over to Steephill.tv. It's mostly a listing of links. But you can see the final kilometers of just about every stage this way, and can also see highlights from many different

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-24228367065401367762010-07-07T19:45:00.002-04:002010-07-07T19:49:04.940-04:00

Sorry for not posting anything thusfar. Was doing the stage race thing at Fitchburg for the first few days of the Tour. My prediction was going to be "there will be blood," but stage two was not where I was expecting blood. I don't know what was the real cause of all the mayhem on two, but it wasn't the course's fault. They've done the roads during the Tour in the past without a problem and

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-55817091151919373162010-05-21T15:36:00.001-04:002010-05-21T15:38:11.721-04:00

We need to see more of this. Thanks to Slate for curating. There's a Cartier-Bresson image I'd love to have added to the collection.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-73831499615995956732009-10-13T14:35:00.002-04:002009-10-13T14:38:23.402-04:00

Here's a story about the future of American bike racing. Craig Lewis might be unknown to most, but he's young, 23, and could well be the rider of his generation to make it at a Grand Tour.It's written by me and appears on cyclingnews.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-87552746325978006612009-07-31T07:20:00.000-04:002009-07-31T07:20:00.603-04:00

In an effort to prove he's a clean cyclist, TdF fourth-place finisher Bradley Wiggins might release to the public the last 10 years of his drug test results. Seems a bit nutty, and if I were a pro cyclist I might not like the implication that anyone who doesn't do the same is a doper, but then I know the reputation of cyclists despite all the problems in the rest of sport.release them wiggo!

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-16896184112284362612009-07-31T01:10:00.002-04:002009-07-31T01:14:11.500-04:00

That would be George Hincapie. He skipped having it x-rayed after his stage 17 crash, lest the doctors tell him he couldn't go on. Seems like myth, but the guy not only finished the Tour, but drilled it for his teammate Mark Cavendish with 1k to go on the Champs-Elysees. He brought Columbia to the front and Cavendish did his patented winning jump to win the stage. I don't know if that's

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-65586610149624379002009-07-29T14:39:00.002-04:002009-07-29T14:44:00.697-04:00

SF Weekly wonders. In Tour de France Brought to You By ... A Palo Alto Biotech Startup? the have AFLD (France Anti-Doping Lab) head Pierre Bondry wondering if this not-yet-available dialysis drug has already jumped into competition.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-48052306784292854842009-07-29T12:35:00.002-04:002009-07-29T12:38:14.855-04:00

After three weeks of Tour Fever, going a day without can be hard. That's why we're taking you down easy, posting fresh stories, keeping the Tour buzz going, albeit at a more relaxed pitch.We like what ESPN Writer Jim Cagle wrote in his Tour de France Redux piece: "Like the NCAA tournament, the Tour de France is a three-week virtually nonstop extravaganza that fans of the sport wish would never

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-5346981874953969692009-07-29T12:32:00.000-04:002009-07-29T12:32:00.740-04:00

Cadel Evans thinks something was amiss in that two of his countrymen didn't get to ride the Tour...on other teams. Allan Davis of Quick Step was a replacement for Tom Boonen, who got the nod at the last minute, and Simon Gerrans.Cadel Evans' tale of woe in Tour de France

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-56701285178797962522009-07-29T11:27:00.002-04:002009-07-29T11:27:00.427-04:00

Seems nice, but I don't understand how the guy "can't afford to boost salaries, but a Tribeca wine merchant is giving his workers a chance to tackle something bigger than the economy: The Tour de France." It's going to cost him $75,000. I'm sure that couldn' t go to salaries. "The workers have trained for weeks on the George Washington Bridge and at Bear Mountain State Park. They've logged 125

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-66543305536872420722009-07-29T10:24:00.000-04:002009-07-29T10:24:00.587-04:00

Two Japanese riders finished the Tour. In the past, Japanese riders have started, but none have finished. Somehow, this is supposed to lend support to Tokyo 2016, a bid for the city to host teh 2016 summer Olympic games. At least, according to Around the Rings, an Olympic-movement-centric site.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-10876922836749243262009-07-29T08:11:00.002-04:002009-07-29T08:11:00.116-04:00

Would you ask the Versus announcers? They might be knowledgeable and nice guys and all, but can they give a clear assessement? Would you be surprised that Versus announcers are calling Armstrong a favorite for the 2010 tour already?The Los Angeles Times appears to be sourcing their quotes from television broadcasts. "It's already being said, on Versus television by announcers such as Bob Roll

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-61242756962821510722009-07-28T22:18:00.000-04:002009-07-28T22:18:00.333-04:00

I guess that's good to know for all those who aspire to ride the big loop. The quote comes from Bradley Wiggins talking to The Telegraph, the British Garmin-Slipstream rider who finished in fourth place, a huge deal for British cycling. "'It's a huge relief it is finally over,' he said. 'It's a bit like getting out of prison. I won't know what to do with myself next week. 'I won't have to

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-74725310634964368662009-07-28T21:12:00.001-04:002009-07-28T21:12:00.779-04:00

That what Jamey Keaten of the Canadian Press asks in a syndicated story. Certainly a fair question, but one that will take time to answer. He does point out a few things we should all be aware of."France's anti-doping agency said Sunday it will retest blood samples from last year's Tour, mainly for CERA - an advanced form of banned endurance-boosting drug EPO""This year's tests didn't always go

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-44810732675569158342009-07-28T20:05:00.000-04:002009-07-28T20:05:00.549-04:00

Love the post of this editorial in the Christian Science Monitor.While I'm disappointed that they think that drugs made teamwork irrelevant, or as they write, "With chemicals no longer the deciding factor, team strategy and tactics took center stage." Should have been "with chemicals no longer front page news, team strategy and tactics took center stage."We have the good quote from Armstrong, "'

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-40899934754840204662009-07-28T18:57:00.004-04:002009-07-28T20:35:32.796-04:00

In yet another mega-marketing move, Lance Armstrong has been riding custom-painted bikes at the Tour. They are supposed to go on display and then auctioned for charity.What I didn't realize is that the frame Damien Hirst worked on for Armstrongs Champs-Elysees jaunt has real butterflies under the paint. apparently the butterflies were specially-bred for Hirst and are supposed to shimmer in the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-84034889681933210932009-07-28T16:59:00.003-04:002009-07-28T17:06:57.199-04:00

Folks, Sorry I haven't been in touch. The weekend was a bit bigger and longer than anticipated. six hours of driving and the Tour of Hilltowns road race Saturday and two hours of driving and the Freedom Tour crit Sunday. Didn't watch either stage live. Still trying to figure out how to watch Stage 20s video on demand. With Stage 21, the finale on the Champs-Elysees, wow. Garmin's train

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-41910761670907810492009-07-24T18:42:00.001-04:002009-07-24T18:42:00.649-04:00

Brooks Keys was the guy running with the orange and white Clemson flag on the final ascent of stage 17. I didn't know what was up, but certainly noticed the flag. Not as memorable as Antlers Guy, but striking all the same. The Palmetto Scoop adds to his 15 seconds of fame.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-79024193344787664682009-07-24T17:51:00.000-04:002009-07-24T17:51:00.053-04:00

Maybe. But seems likely when reading his "blog" on oregon live.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-8040726012844576622009-07-24T16:45:00.000-04:002009-07-24T16:45:00.735-04:00

How's that for a comparison? You think Woodstock was big? What if they had Woodstock for 21 days? The Tour is actually a bit bigger, but it gives you a sense of size.That's the point of The Tour de France- Woodstock redux in The Examiner. Those people sure try hard.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-89725253856689123722009-07-24T15:39:00.002-04:002009-07-24T15:41:53.967-04:00

Chasing Legends. It's a documentary look at Team Columbia at the 2009 Tour de France.So far, they only have a trailer to critique. I think if they're going to take the historic angle, they need both rainy weather and crashes to make the preview any good.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-60919147233860064242009-07-24T11:07:00.001-04:002009-07-24T11:07:00.242-04:00

That's what he tells the Telegraph in the UK. "His remarkable achievements in cycling's premier event, however, has led to persistent accusations of doping. 'With spectacular performance, you just get that,' he said. 'Cycling has got itself to this place, where it has to be like that.'"You do. And maybe should, in all walks of sport and life. But he might have had a hand in the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-32086491527667770762009-07-24T10:01:00.002-04:002009-07-24T10:05:15.297-04:00

The NY Times is on the doping beat. The culprit this time appears to be over-the-counter supplements that contain designer steroids. The problem is that the stuff may cause serious liver damage. article is here.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-45205615289243222122009-07-24T07:41:00.000-04:002009-07-24T07:41:00.611-04:00

I might prefer the term "headbanger." Nothing like riding off the front of the hardest race in the world for 160km. Today's stage, a "transition" stage that will take the race to the foothills near the brutal Mont Ventoux, could be one for those opportunists who need to get their team some airtime. Looking at which teams have neither a stage win nor a day in a jersey, that means that

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-29442108512711076722009-07-24T06:35:00.001-04:002009-07-24T06:35:00.249-04:00

Disgraced 1997 Tour champ Jan Ullrich calls drug testing "inhumane." Maybe that's a mistranslation of Ullrich's colloquial German. The story comes from Eurosport. Ullrich, "The boys are thrown out of their beds at 6:30 in the morning. A controller comes into the room and stays with them all the time. From where I'm sitting that's inhumane"Armstrong is quoted, too: "You can't go and pull guys

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-15471701551124395652009-07-23T19:46:00.001-04:002009-07-23T19:46:00.484-04:00

While I can't believe, like many, Radio Shack is still in business, they are and are using their ad budget to sponsor a team led by Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel. Here's the LA Times Story. Lance, ever ahead of the press, made an announcement via his vlog on his Livestrong site. Not exactly a forward-thinking brand that has an "it" factor. But maybe that's why they're making the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-16186733668033035712009-07-23T19:17:00.007-04:002009-07-24T15:27:40.718-04:00

Read the column in French. (if you can read french, translate it for us)Here's the Sydney Morning Herald reporting on the dust-up the column caused.A nugget from the story:"LeMond, referring to the 8.5km climb at an average gradient of 7.5 per cent, wrote: 'Never has a rider in the Tour climbed so fast. How do you explain such a performance? According to the last information published by former

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-61164811542711570922009-07-23T18:44:00.000-04:002009-07-23T18:44:00.649-04:00

It's a photo essay from the Washington Post. My favorite is the Carlos Sastre Fan Club of Aalter, Belgium.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-29208325764536403082009-07-23T17:19:00.002-04:002009-07-23T17:22:48.561-04:00

So says Filip Bondy in the NY Daily News.The reason for the title is this: "'St 17 (Stage 17) done. Tough day!' Armstrong tweeted on Twitter. 'Got caught out on some attacks on the Col de Romme but managed ok from behind. Had some cramps @ the end. No fun!!'"But Bondy has much more on his mind. "This has been a single-minded crusade for Armstrong, even as he has waged two battles at once. He has

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-53804126185996104382009-07-23T16:59:00.003-04:002009-07-23T17:15:58.045-04:00

Yesterday's stage 17 saw an amazing breakaway by the Green Jersey, Thor Hushovd. The big guy can go uphill pretty fast.Two things stood out from his breakaway. One was his great save after he misjudged a blind left turn. Downhill and slick, not a great situation in most conditions, but crazy hard in a race. He turned, realized he couldn't turn harder, so he unclipped his left foot, locked up

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-54402177370830947922009-07-22T22:54:00.000-04:002009-07-22T22:54:00.749-04:00

Nice to see a newspaper make the effort.In Tour de France, Individual Success Is a Product of Team Cooperation

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-76980988944065409132009-07-22T22:26:00.000-04:002009-07-22T22:26:00.544-04:00

Nicholas Roche, Irish National Champ and riding his first Tour, got himself into a break on Stage 14, the one where the Hincapie controversy took place. As a teammate of the yellow jersey, he didn't have to contribute to the escape, so he didn't. And just like other riders who have been in that position, he attacked late in the stage for the win.What we couldn't hear on the broadcast is the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-78496559193823504582009-07-22T21:37:00.001-04:002009-07-22T21:37:00.238-04:00

Jens Voigt is a popular rider amongst fans, myself included. Chatty, upbeat, and spends hundreds of kilometers off the front in breakaways every year. We enjoy his feats possibly because they seem to be something that mere mortals could achieve.He's out of the Tour this year. He crashed heavily descending near the end of Stage 16, and the world got to see it live.Here's The Guardian's story on

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-59976048058678078312009-07-22T10:15:00.000-04:002009-07-22T10:15:00.531-04:00

And the Santa Rosa Press Democrat was there to see it."Of course, Leipheimer didn’t become a world-class cyclist by loving the soft touch of a sofa. Cyclists, at least the great ones, find movement compelling, necessary even, and if faced with the absence of action, will spoof on it if only for comic relief."

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-15215832517587013402009-07-22T09:12:00.001-04:002009-07-22T09:12:00.924-04:00

Wonder if it has to do with their Tour de France content? Free live coverage? Couldn't be. Sure is. "It has delivered more than 10 million videos through July 19, nearly doubling the 6.5 million videos it delivered last year, and more than tripling its total video delivery count in 2007, Bradshaw said."here's a quote for cyclists to note, "'Our challenge is for Versus to make a transition from

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-53247653954801552732009-07-22T08:07:00.000-04:002009-07-22T08:07:00.935-04:00

So much ink has been spilled about Lance and cancer, it's crowded out other feel-good, taking lemons and making lemonade pieces related to the Tour.One such story is that of Garmin-Slipstream's sprinter Tyler Farrar's dad. Dr. Ed Farrar was a cyclist, got his son into cycling, and, was paralyzed when a car hit him riding to work last fall. Paralyzed from the waist down, he can no longer work as

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-75310111951452496152009-07-21T21:48:00.002-04:002009-07-21T21:53:05.069-04:00

Never thought, good, old-fashioned, red-blooded Americans from the Red States needed drugs to drive a car fast. Apparently, I thought wrong. The Times has a piece on NASCAR's drug policy, and the suspension of driver Jeremy Mayfield. He tested positive for crystal meth. but he also has a prescription for Adderall. I'm not a drug expert, but anything that can increase alertness without adding

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-91479525367271173912009-07-21T13:27:00.000-04:002009-07-21T13:27:00.116-04:00

Maybe not just. Seems that the mental component of fatigue is huge. so much thathttp://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/going-all-out/?ref=magazine"> swishing some Gatorade in test cyclists mouths, not swallowing, was enough to make a difference in terms of riding hard.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-14112782156581418952009-07-21T12:15:00.001-04:002009-07-21T12:15:00.501-04:00

It appears that Team Astana is hell-bent on proving they are a clean team. A team truck was searched for three hours at the Swiss-French border. That will show those doubters.I'm tired of people complaining about the scrutiny. It's a great thing. It shows that the sport doesn't have dope in the Astana Truck. Or in the tested riders.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-29305234505304502582009-07-21T11:10:00.001-04:002009-07-21T11:10:00.855-04:00

Always looking for a way to get himself in the news, Pope Bendict XVI sent greetings to the Tour. They passed a residence of his today, one that looked like his mitre. "Benedict said in his message that sports can contribute to a person's growth and should always respect moral and educational values." Wonder what he said.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-60338011330766448322009-07-21T08:55:00.002-04:002009-07-21T08:59:57.311-04:00

That's what the Daily News says. "Armstrong, barring unforeseen circumstances, says he will follow in the grand, albeit odd traditions of the Tour de France and yield to the current owner of the yellow jersey, his Astana teammate, Alberto Contador."The DN also polled their cycling -mad readers to see what they think about Lance, whether or not he's "still the world's greatest cyclist." As of

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-67068925528601863182009-07-21T07:02:00.000-04:002009-07-21T07:02:00.708-04:00

Mark Cavendish is miffed at his relegation in Stage 14. He doesn't seem to want the sprint jersey now and is seemingly conceding it to Hushovd. From the article in the Guardian:"This guy [Hushovd] thinks so highly of himself that he thinks I'm trying to cheat to beat him. He thinks so highly of me and my team that the only way he can beat us is to have us disqualified."He even admitted

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-48122407312692737152009-07-21T06:59:00.000-04:002009-07-21T22:04:58.860-04:00

Back in the day, local sponsors would do something for the riders, or the lead rider, or a local rider in order to get a little press. The Tour has largely moved on from that era. I'll concede that such a tradition can seem a little low-budget and possibly bush-league, but I like the intimacy it confers. You can still see the tradition in some places, like the winner of Clasica San Sebastian

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-77098071098964464182009-07-20T21:16:00.000-04:002009-07-20T21:16:00.374-04:00

Since no Lance connection can go un-mentioned during the media juggernaut's Tour, here's a snippet from an interview with his mother. "George Hincapie is my all time favorite! I have known him since he was a young up and coming rider. He has such a kind way about him and is to this day, a good friend to Lance. As Lance’s teammate, he was one heck of a good domestique (support rider to Lance).

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-22637057017248522282009-07-20T20:10:00.001-04:002009-07-21T09:25:20.280-04:00

In Crude Oil: Tour de Forecast :"According to mainstream economic thought -- fundamentals are to financial markets what tire pressure is to a Tour de France bicycle racer. To wit: Inflated (i.e. positive) news makes it easier for a market to soar up those steep mountain hills (i.e. price charts). AND, deflated (i.e. negative) news makes prices fall behind and struggle to climb. In reality,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-24547381620274058352009-07-20T19:03:00.003-04:002009-07-20T19:07:21.457-04:00

Says BusinessWeek. "The absence of marquee brands is an opportunity for midsize companies to gain international exposure for a relatively low price." I don't know how much attention the writers are paying. Credit Lyonnais, sponsor of the yellow jersey, is a pretty huge banking conglomerate. Columbia sportswear, sponsor of Columbia-HTC, doesn't seem like a midsize company to me. Rabobank is

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-19462207176612678372009-07-20T14:03:00.001-04:002009-07-20T14:03:00.711-04:00

For years, Christian Vande Velde toiled in relative anonymity for team leaders Lance Armstrong, Roberto Heras, Ivan Basso, and Carlos Sastre. In 2008, he put it all together and rode to fourth at the Tour. This year, after a nasty crash at the Giro nearly ruined his Tour prep, he was looking good, until the climb to Verbiers. Now that his teammate Brad Wiggins is in third, Vande Velde seems

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-44266044231402597642009-07-20T13:57:00.001-04:002009-07-20T13:57:00.697-04:00

Sad but true: "As Cadel Evans pushes up into the mountains, many Personal Video Records will lose sight of the yellow jersey."That's because most Personal Video Records are not up to the task, says a blogger on Australia's The Age. They can't create a true "Season Pass," because they don't have the technology. "almost every mainstream digital recorder that you'd find on the shelf in your in

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-10846922167487200722009-07-20T12:46:00.002-04:002009-07-20T12:46:00.762-04:00

Brad Wiggins bored the world by refusing to look past his stage 15 performance to Verbiers. "It's a day-by-day thing." No red meat to the journos, no brags, seemingly little self-congratulatory statements. It's as if he took lessons from Crash Davis personally, or watched Bull Durham on the team bus.A Christian blogger picked up on it and used Wiggins statment to tie to "Give us each day our

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-59925265808169247412009-07-20T11:39:00.000-04:002009-07-20T11:39:00.481-04:00

I was wrong in expecting Hincapie to concede at least five minutes on the road to Verbier. He conceded four and change.Since there's still lots of buzz about George's near miss, here are a few extra thoughts. While Astana certainly kept the race close enough so that AG2R could pull Nocentini back into yellow, and Armstrong has basically admitted as much, it appears that Astana thought they gave

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-10134899925094599142009-07-20T10:34:00.000-04:002009-07-20T10:34:00.250-04:00

Sunday, I wanted to get in my own big ride. So I hit the hills with a friend for four hours. Since the ride coincided with the live Tour coverage, I snagged an invite to a friend's place with HD TV and a DVR. I enforced a Tour blackout on myself all day until 6pm, where I took in magnificient views of the Hudson River as well as pizza and Tour. I think my friend called the moment when

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-2705786712328101172009-07-20T09:30:00.003-04:002009-07-20T09:34:10.931-04:00

Don't know if this is a first or not, but it's impressive all the same.Verbier has created a website that is just about the intersection of Verbier and the Tour. Lots of details on both the town and the race. Possibly most important for Tour fans, they've posted time tables of when the tour arrives and leaves and when it passes various points. A few things were lost in translation. Take a look

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-84602965522707174332009-07-18T21:33:00.002-04:002009-07-18T21:40:03.541-04:00

After Stage 14, the world is embroiled over who is to blame for George Hincapie not riding into the Yellow Jersey. Much of the discussion, I can't believe. From what I saw, I think there's plenty of blame all around. First, George should take some blame here. Five seconds is nothing. There were so many places to get it. To me, it didn't look like Hincapie was riding smart enough to take

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-32086405568196646222009-07-18T20:00:00.000-04:002009-07-18T20:00:00.518-04:00

the Tour visits Switzerland Sunday, stays Monday for the rest day, then rolls off to Italy Tuesday. This means BIG PROFIT for the Swiss--they collected all the underpants.At least that's what Swiss Info has found out. "'The impact will be substantial, because there will be some 4,000 people who are directly linked to the Tour de France staying in our region for two nights,' said Patrick

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-57734636736743506542009-07-18T19:55:00.000-04:002009-07-18T19:55:01.019-04:00

An American working as chef to a pro team in the Tour?"Sean Fowler, an American chef who runs a restaurant, El Racó d’Urús, in the Pyrenees. The team had eaten there during training sessions and hired him on the spot."Fowler, 43, and a native of Wondervu, Colo., has a lofty résumé. A graduate of theCulinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., he is thought to be the first American chef at

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-83130939349084488662009-07-18T18:52:00.000-04:002009-07-18T18:52:00.186-04:00

Act like sophisticates?"So what did we do? We lost it. Joyfully. We acted as yokels and loved it. We got Tour fever just as everyone else has done in every other quarter of the country the past 100 years or so."Even the visiting Parisians entered into the spirit, in their aloof way, which meant shouting things in English to Mark Cavendish, the 24-year-old sprint phenom from the Isle of Man, as he

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-25450354323839778142009-07-18T17:45:00.000-04:002009-07-18T17:45:00.443-04:00

Never one to mince words, The Badger sees Alberto as the man of the tour."I don't think so. He's of a certain age, and Contador is able to build a big lead in the mountains...In the time trial in Monaco, Armstrong lost 20 seconds in the first five kilometers, the uphill part. Believe me, it's a sign."

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-17073509516542769692009-07-18T16:47:00.000-04:002009-07-18T16:47:00.182-04:00

Jerry Davich has learned alot about the Tour de France. A Lot."I've learned that the annual race is broken down into day-long "stages," and the rider with the fastest time is allowed to then sport a famed yellow jersey and stuffed lion mascot. Similarly, the rider who places second in points wears a green jersey, and the daily "King of the Mountains" rider wears a white jersey with red dots. "

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-17689038173654474362009-07-18T15:38:00.002-04:002009-07-18T15:40:40.826-04:00

Two cyclists were shot during the 13th stage of the Tour. the shooting appears to have been from an air gun (people don't kill people, guns do). One of the two victims, Rabobank's Oscar Freire, removed the bullet himself during the stage.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-56114702392529552132009-07-18T15:33:00.003-04:002009-07-18T15:37:47.891-04:00

Not too many places in the US would it be news if someone decided to ride 21 days in a row, even if htose 21 days share calendar dates with the Tour de France.But Corpus Christi, TX is not just any place. And Wes Cheslak has his Tour de Corpus. It's news to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times."Cheslak said the idea came to him at the start of last year’s tour. 'It was the first ride, the first

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-37215672092527803232009-07-18T10:27:00.002-04:002009-07-18T10:35:12.328-04:00

You don't see too many editorials rooting for an athlete, especially one who isn't a local. The Concord Monitor of New Hampshire leaves no question of their feelings with the editorial, "Rooting for Lance to make it eight."The board has bought the company line. "Armstrong, who nearly died in 1996 from testicular cancer that metastasized to his brain and lungs, has long been the subject of

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-7891182256428831702009-07-18T06:30:00.001-04:002009-07-18T06:30:00.528-04:00

This should be news. Lance Armstrong doesn't talk to the press these days. He talks to somebody, presumably the Team Astana Press Secretary, who records comments onto a laptop and then said press secretary takes the laptop to the newsroom. He plays the laptop to the assembled press and they write down the comments. Follow the link. The Times Online's Owen Slot has some worthwhile reading. "

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-45351333895536897132009-07-17T23:23:00.002-04:002009-07-17T23:26:38.001-04:00

Greatest Athlete of All Time Matchup#2 on ProTradeDespite the author referring to The Cannibal as Eddie, rather than Eddy, we give props for him laying out the palmares of both Merckx and Woods. Merckx's are much deeper.No Surprise. Merckx takes it.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-59397618373536865982009-07-17T17:30:00.000-04:002009-07-17T17:38:13.111-04:00

Otherwise, he'd be too depressed to ride. The ever-candid Horner not only told the San Diego Union-Tribune that politics are the only reason he's not at the tour, and that he expects Armstrong to win, even though Contador has the better form.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-48868816580684049522009-07-17T17:10:00.000-04:002009-07-17T23:41:45.894-04:00

So says Bloomberg News. What is most interesting is that, according to Bloomberg, he already almost had it and the potential sponsors backed out. Contador Feud Speeds Armstrong Push for Cycle Team Since Bruyneel, Astana's director, almost certainly won't put up with the return of Kazhak Alexandre Vinokourov, he's out anyways. And Contador might be forming his own team as well.Stay tuned.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-54209935397989094622009-07-17T11:39:00.004-04:002009-07-17T16:48:28.233-04:00

File this in the double-standard cycling lives in the fight against doping. Pro athletes in the Big Three US sports get a slap on the wrist and a little shame when they test positive. Bike racers lose everything. They're typically fired by their teams and lose any sponsorship deal they might have had. Tyler Hamilton, who already got busted for doping in 2004 and served a two-year suspension,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-40820401388649425632009-07-17T10:37:00.002-04:002009-07-17T10:39:34.513-04:00

Called one of the few regular group rides in Palm Springs, the ride leader is amped on the Tour. True, not much of a surprise that a cyclist is paying attention to the Tour, but the hippety-hop name and the thought that no one else is riding in the desert caught my attention.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-89611054212666140012009-07-17T08:20:00.000-04:002009-07-17T08:20:00.218-04:00

They've got a TdF lottery. You can do it by getting a card at a trek dealer or visiting their site. They say you can win Lance, Levi, or Alberto's actual TdF bike. Seems like a good payout for easy work.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-88988799271866458962009-07-17T07:58:00.002-04:002009-07-17T07:58:00.707-04:00

It will be interesting to see if this story has legs.The Associated Press reports that: "French Sports minister Roselyne Bachelot confirmed Thursday that Astana team riders at the Tour de France stayed too long out of sight of an UCI inspector during a random doping test last week." The officials "didn't test the riders for nearly an hour." (after a random test visit)Apparently, the UCI official

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-63352117318210457822009-07-16T22:50:00.001-04:002009-07-16T22:50:00.482-04:00

folks, it wasn't a big deal. Tires occasionally get cut and lose air. And when you're a leader or even co-leader of a team, at least one teammate is guaranteed to wait for you to help you back. That's what happened to Lance today. It happened with 37 miles remaining in the stage and teammates waited. Somehow, for the New York Daily News, he "avoided disaster." I guess he did. And I avoided

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-16461032823266221962009-07-16T21:44:00.001-04:002009-07-16T21:44:00.795-04:00

While Stage 12 looked like a simple affair, the journos largely overlooked Cadel Evans insurrection. The Pre-race favorite lit up the race with an escape that contained a few other fellow left-behind stars. He started drilling it and after 70km, his little split had 15 seconds. Not much, but it showed that Astana had some work to do. Evans isn't going to roll over just yet.chapeau!

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-83196465051006159732009-07-16T20:30:00.003-04:002009-07-16T20:39:37.499-04:00

The Red Kite aka Flamme Rouge aka one kilometer to go banner has been known to tease those at the head of the race. The Red Kite Prayer is what you've got when you're in the mix and aren't sure which way the race is going to play. We're not the praying type, but we find ourselves tense when we see a race get down to the final kilometer. That goes for whether we're in the middle of the action

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-75263854268606553532009-07-16T18:09:00.002-04:002009-07-16T18:16:41.098-04:00

It's hard to read or listen to people discuss flat stages being easy. Here's one guy's take on yesterday's stage 11, "Another flat stage, another easy ride with a bunch sprint at the end."These aren't easy. It's more than just a four-plus hour spin. The roads are narrow, the turns tight, the wind shifts, there are countless hills even on what seems like a flat day, and just one mistake by one

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-31825620889720733602009-07-16T12:37:00.001-04:002009-07-16T12:37:00.647-04:00

Yes, folks, it's that easy. Just like Walter Kirn fakin' it at Princeton, you can learn how to fake it with people like me* by using a few key phrases from the Examiner. A warning, don't ever use "velodrome track." And get the distinct feeling Kirn's faking us out now. *not really.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-18114062390040559792009-07-16T10:32:00.003-04:002009-07-16T10:32:00.658-04:00

Some just love Lance. Others love the color he brings. This person loves that he brought in Robin Williams. Much more interesting than any cyclist, and yet, Williams is a cyclist.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-90647263391555516642009-07-16T08:29:00.000-04:002009-07-16T08:29:00.627-04:00

Why watch the race when you can race the actual racers yourself?http://www.411mania.com/games/news/110292/Tour-de-France-2009:-The-Official-Game-Available-on-Xbox-Live.htm"Players will be able to take control of individual racers during the time trial stages and think of various strategies during the other legs. All of the riding goes towards trying to get a team member the yellow jersey, of

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-88186479696699330962009-07-16T07:26:00.000-04:002009-07-16T07:26:00.505-04:00

And even 18% above when Lance last won the tour. Reuters covered the story. Apparently, Versus wants to grow their network. "The strong numbers for the Comcast Corp-owned network's early Tour coverage are a sign of the sports broadcaster's momentum as it looks to add content, broaden its reach and boost advertising revenue, network president Jamie Davis said."Confusingly, the 2008 Tour

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-40455710901536841262009-07-16T06:14:00.000-04:002009-07-16T06:14:00.421-04:00

That's what the mobile phone world is asking. Or at least a guy on Mobile Phone News.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-19695666851664028512009-07-15T22:10:00.002-04:002009-07-15T22:13:00.115-04:00

As every bike race fan knows, it's the team that makes the difference. Mark Cavendish has an amazing sprint, but he has the best lead out train in cycling. The Team Columbia roleurs go to the front and bring back the break, then George Hincapie takes over a little more than a kilometer to go. When he's through, Mark Renshaw takes over. Renshaw burns out just as Cav needs to get his sprint on.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-20300917888974217052009-07-15T18:22:00.003-04:002009-07-15T18:29:58.773-04:00

Every year, I try to give a shout-out to the best coverage of cycling found in daily newspapers. When Sal Ruibal is on the job at USA Today, his paper takes the title easily.Here he is writing about the radio-free stage 10. He's the rare journo to point out that the upcoming, currently scheduled to be radio-free stage 13, is the stage that nearly derailed Lance's bid for a seventh victory in

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-56156732573680069432009-07-15T16:49:00.002-04:002009-07-15T16:52:31.634-04:00

Team Columbia gives an incredible leadout. They ride fast enough to keep the other sprinter teams on the ropes in the final few kilometers and then drop Mark Cavendish off at the perfect spot every time. on the flat stages that moment was at 200 meters to go. on stage 11's uphill finish, it was at 150 to go. Cavendish still hasn't taken more than 20 pedal strokes in a sprint. Today, it was

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-75730237274377465262009-07-15T15:15:00.002-04:002009-07-15T15:22:35.748-04:00

It's a great noir. Skip the next CGI-infused thriller and check out this old flick instead.Despite what writers at Sports Illustrated think, Bernard Hinault, not Lance Armstrong, is the multi-time Tour de France champ who is not afraid to speak his mind. He may be from "old europe," but the 55-year old, who won the last of his five Tours in 1985, is still The Badger. in an interview with Velo

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-13137963695035688772009-07-14T17:57:00.002-04:002009-07-14T17:57:00.951-04:00

"I can't win the Tour de France this year, says Cadel Evans" So leads a story in The Australian. Since Lance is known for bluffing off the bike, is Cadel taking a page from his playbook? The Aussie challenger isn't as far back as Sastre and is a better time trialist and has finished second in the two previous tours, despite a weak team both times.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3237988814947672279.post-23040201529568329212009-07-14T16:54:00.002-04:002009-07-14T16:56:09.007-04:00

No doubt the 2008 Tour champ likes things low-key. He was a forgotten man at the Giro and surged at the end to finish fourth. While in the race as the defending champ,he has been largely ignored by the press. And he seems to like it that way.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04652650302908704632noreply@blogger.com0