Tour Fever

04 August, 2008

Look at doping from management perspective

The author of "What to do when you become the boss" argues that "teams" as opposed to "groups" are less likely to dope and operate better together.

Tour de Farce or Team de Force?
Management-Issues - London,England,UK
It's probably fair to say that most followers and even casual observers of
the recent Tour de France expected the race to throw up some drug cheats.

...

http://www.management-issues.com/2008/8/1/opinion/tour-de-farce-or-team-de-force.asp

Columbia Sportswear Company happy with Tour

There are a few amazing htings to know here. One is that Columbia
had already locked in their marketing budget for the year. Another
is that the Euopean division was opposed to it. Must have been an
incredible powerpoint demo.

Columbia says Tour de France sponsorship 'an unqualified success'
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
But in the first public accounting of the team's success in the recently
concluded Tour de France, Chief Executive Tim Boyle was anything but
ambivalent. ...
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1217476509289450.xml&coll=7

30 July, 2008

Sastre gets hero's welcome at hometown

As the Australian newspaper points out, "the only man to finish ahead of Australian Cadel Evans."

Hero's welcome for Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre
Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia
TOUR de France winner Carlos Sastre received a hero's welcome when he
returned to his home town today after becoming the third Spaniard in a row

to win the ...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24105494-11088,00.html

Ricco calls himself a "false idol"

Riccardo Ricco never fails to entertain. He calls himself a false idol, then says he should have tested positive for EPO every time at the Tour, so the anti-doping tests need to be recalibrated or re-analyzed.

Ricco admits to doping at Tour de France
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UK
... Wednesday in a hearing in front of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI)
which was called following his failed dope test at this year's Tour de

France. ...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/222460,ricco-admits-to-doping-at-tour-de-france.html

29 July, 2008

Tour Viewership down on Versus

Not exactly a good sign, but not as bad as a complete drop-off either. Not that I have any data on this, but I think more American cycling fans are appreciating the Tour for the Tour and not for Lance.

Tour de France viewership drown in US on Versus
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
Bas Czerwinski/The Associated PressTeam Columbia's Marcus Burghardt wins
the 18th stage of the Tour de France. Average viewership of the Tour on

Versus ...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2008/07/tour_de_france_viewership_drop.html

28 July, 2008

Prof studies doping in cycling

UVM Professor Brian Gilley is starting to study why people dope in cycling. He'll be looking through his anthropologist's lens, also as a former racer and current faculty advisor to the UVM cycling team.

UVM prof studies doping in pro cycling
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA
It seems that during the 95th Tour de France, which concludes today, doping
has taken the leader's yellow jersey. The fact that riders continue to be

caught ...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200807 27/NEWS02/807270311

Cervelo isn't going to amp production after Tour Win

More Canadian love for Cervelo. This time we read they don't want to make a bigger brand thanks to Sastre's win.

Winning Tour de France event was Canadian cycle-maker's dream ambition
The Canadian Press - TORONTO
TORONTO - Tired and wired after a party that lasted until 4 am, Phil
White had to make sure The Tour de France wasn't just a fantastic dream.

...

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7ZK64mPg7meTEtCgIcIQh i1KRGg

Writing to tell the world how little this columnist cares about the Tour

Got to admit, there's something ironic about a columnist who bothers to pen a column about how the Tour is irrelevant. Maybe it's a plea for attention.

JAMIE SAMUELSEN'S BLOG Without Lance Armstrong, Tour de France is ...
Detroit Free Press - United States
Has anything ever lost more relevance in sports so quickly than the Tour de
France? It was never relevant to start with. Lance was relevant, the Tour

wasn't ...

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080728/SPORTS18/80 728054/1217/SPORTS

After finishing the Tour, it's time to Hike and mountain bike

That's what Adam Hansen is doing. Not sure if the hunger is real, metaphoric, or both.

Hansen's Tour heroics trigger hunger
Cairns Post - Cairns,QLD,Australia
He admitted a gruelling year of racing which included the big three of the
Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Tour of Spain had taken a toll. ...

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/07/29/5844_local-sport-new s.html

They danced the Conga in Sastre's Hometown

Isn't that what victory celebrations should be about?

Carlos Sastre´s hometown celebrates his Tour de France triumph
CCTV - Beijing,China
Hundreds erupted with cheers the minute his Tour de France victory became
official as the Spaniard led the final parade. Family, friends and elated

fans of ...

http://www.cctv.com/program/sportsscene/20080728/104065.shtml

The Tour invades a Mariner's Game

An ESPN Senior Writer watches the Tour on his trainer rides. He also thought that by going to a baseball game, he wouldn't have someone inadvertetntly inform him of hte winner of the Alpe d'Huez stage before he watched it on Tivo. Wrong. And like most observers, this writer doesn't feel the race was "doping scarred."

Thoughts on the Tour de France while waiting for next year to come
ESPN - USA
By Jim Caple I love the Tour de France, but 3:30 am starts on the West
Coast are beyond me (hell, who am I fooling, 9:30 am starts are beyond me

-- sleeping ...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/080728

60 Euros for inappropriate Urination

It is the Tour, and yet is the Tour getting all American on us? Austin Murphy of Sports Illustrated gives his thumbs up for this year's race and runs down the highlights, including the above, to one unlucky rider.

INSIDE THE TOUR DE FRANCE
SI.com - USA
A dramatic, transformative Tour de France has been decided by one of the
narrowest margins in the 105-year history of the race. Cycling fans who've

been ...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/austin_murphy/07/28/wr ap.up/

A First for Canada at The Tour

A Canadian Bike Wins! Will Evans join the people of South Park and Blame Canada?

Tour de France champ rides to win on Canadian bike
CTV.ca - Canada
A Canadian didn't win the Tour de France, but a Canadian bike did. Carlos
Sastre won the prestigious event Sunday, becoming the third Spainish rider

to win ...

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080727/bike_canada_080727/20080727?hub=Canada

le Tour de France en Minature

Burned out on finishing up the tour blogging for hte moment. Crashing after the Flame Rouge, cracking on the final mountain, if you will. This animated film gave me a chuckle.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x65a6i_minitour-un-grand-moment-de-tele-ma_fun

27 July, 2008

Clean Tour...and curtailment of 100m dash

From Brendan Gallagher of the Telegraph--"One or two media outlets have even curtailed their coverage of hte Tour this year because of the drugs issue. Presumably, they will be relegating their reports of the men's 100 metres final in Beijin next month to 'sporting briefs'."

Carlos Sastre wins 'cleanest Tour de France for years'
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
By Brendan Gallagher in Paris Rafa Nadal and Wimbledon, Euro 2008 and now a
third consecutive winner of the Tour de France. King Juan Carlos should

probably ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/2463469/Carlos-Sastre-wins-'cleanest-Tour-de-France-for-yearsandrsquo.html

TdF Director dislikes predictions that come true, likes exhausted cyclists

This story from the AP will probably be the big talk in the sports pages. It gives the Tour de France's side of the doping scandals of this year's Tour. Expect columnists to rebut the Tour side of the story. Tour director Christian Prudhomme's big quote, "I don't like people who can read tea leaves to predict a stage win." In regards to Riccardo Ricco predicting what stage teammate Leonardo Piepoli would win.

Race director hails 2008 Tour de France as victory over doping cheats
International Herald Tribune - France
AP PARIS: Race director Christian Prudhomme hopes the 2008 Tour de France
will be remembered as a victory against doping cheats. The Tour, won by
Spaniard ..

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/27/sports/EU-CYC-Tour-de-France-Prudhomm e

Should Women Race the Tour Alongside Men?

The author of the piece below thinks so, though I wish she had much more knowledge with which to make her argument. As it is, she doesn't prove her case.

The missing filles in the Tour de France
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
I WAS watching the Tour de France when a thought struck me: Where are the
women? I've now learned that women have their own "tour" called the Grande

Boucle. ...

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-missing-filles-in-the-tour-de-f rance-20080727-3lp5.html

Tour "color" courtesy of The Guardian

Lots of looking at the Tour, few gems from this writer. The one surprise starts as follows: "While it is true that cycling fans are spoiled, it occurs today that few events are as anti-cycling as the Tour de France."

Prato Nevoso, Sunday
guardian.co.uk - UK
Being part of the official Tour de France entourage is a privilege, but it
comes with certain responsibilities. We learned about one of them today.

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jul/27/tourdefrance.cycling2

"New" tour

This is the first of what will probably be a spate of articles on the Tour overcoming drugs scandals. the author was a regular contributor to British cycling mags.

Tour de France: Old race finds new lease of life without the need ...
Independent - London,England,UK
By Alasdair Fotheringham This afternoon, just as they have done for the
past 23 years, the survivors of the Tour de France will speed up and down

the ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/tour-de-france-old -race-finds-new-lease-of-life-without-the-need-for-drugs-878336.html

26 July, 2008

"Bored by the Tour de France: No doping, no drama"

Joel Stein takes a satirical jab at the Tour for daring to clean up its mess. So dry you might think he's serious, until he takes baseball to task. Which is serious.

Bored by the Tour de France: No doping, no drama
Houston Chronicle - United States
By JOEL STEIN You might not have noticed that this is the lamest Tour de
France ever, probably because you already find guys racing bicycles to be