Stupid things people do - road tacks tax belief. But it's not the first time. TdF 2012

Not the first, nor the last. Certainly the most recent and just maybe the most watched. Tacks or other sharp objects thrown on the road to puncture tyres. It happens.

It's a bit like dropping rocks from bridges over freeways, just a little more obvious. And just as stupid. Yet people do that, too. Well, some people. A very small number of people, indeed.

The motivation? An urge to see pain, distress, carnage? A grudge against particular riders, or just any bike rider? The sheer thrill of getting away with it? All of the above?

It's an enduring, if childish and stupid practice. I personally witnessed the great Heffron Park crit circuit sabotage in about the late '80s. Someone was seeding the track with iron filings every week, resulting in punctures during Saturday bike races. In my case it was at least 6 consecutive weeks of punctures. It was more than frustrating, it was dangerous and costly at $90 per silk tubular tyre. The club took to sweeping the track with a magnet before each race, and eventualy the local police tracked the culprit down. The filings came from somewhere, and a local machine shop seemed likely. To my recollection one of the staff lived near Heffron Park and caved in when questioned. I may be wrong but I think he resented the bike racers taking over the crit track every Saturday arvo. Well they did have permission from council, and it's a public park, mate. And much of the 2.1km circuit was built by clubmembers at their own cost, too.

But people sometimes just do the darnedest things.   

Tour De France Organisers Doubtful Of Locating Sabotage Suspects | Cyclingnews.com

Sunday's stage to Foix, however, was a bit more dramatic after the tacks stopped first Andreas Klöden on the approach to the summit of the Mur de Péguère, and then Cadel Evans at the top with flat tyres.

Astana's Robert Kiserlovski, an animator of several stages in the Tour, crashed after the summit of the Mur de Péguère as he swerved to help team leader Janez Brajkovic, who had flatted. Kiserlovski was forced to drop out of the Tour with a suspected collarbone fracture. The incident also sent American Levi Leipheimer to the ground.

Play it safe and lose no time or attack and falter? TdF 2012

Stage 11 cracked Evans, or rather he cracked himself. Or perhaps it was the plan that was flawed?

The team had a plan, presumably, or simply went with what they had. Let's just assume they planned it all. One teammate already up the road in the break, they sent another away, within striking distance of an attack by Evans. With that arrangement in place, Evans duly attacked. And all went well until Evans reached his teammates. Firstly his "fallback" guy faltered and then he himself went off the boil. Yes, the pace was already high, so Cadel's attack had to be overwhelming and sudden. And he was still a worryingly long way from the finish. The effort must have pushed him into the red... and when his 3-man BMC train became just 2 he looked the weaker of the pair. Suddenly the plan didn't look so good. Having expended that energy he then faltered again on the final climb.

Is he unwell? Or did he just overstep the line with the first attack, and paid the price later?

Some other observations: Wiggins looked exposed, both when Evans attacked and even more so when his own teammate, Froome, attacked! And both Rogers and Porte were visibly more tired. Coupled with Froome initially faltering and falling back before suddenly coming good again (which was bizarre in itself) it looks like we still have a race on our hands. Perhaps even Evans will now deserve a "good" day and succeed in one of his moves?

Tour De France 2012: Stage 11 Results | Cyclingnews.com

Sky's Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins were both there, as were Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol). However, defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) failed to stay with their pace.

Tactics and all that sort of stuff - Scarponi picks the wrong wheel: TdF 2012

Another stage over. Yes, Stage 10 was a great one to watch.

Voeckler won, but it was never a certainty. Sagan started a break that went all the way, just without Sagan. Instead he dropped back and picked up an attack from his team leader for GC, Nibali. Together they gapped the yellow and Evans, too. But they wilted and Sagan was dropped. With that Nibali fell back as well. Great tactic but just not enough firepower.

Meanwhile Sky held everyone in check that mattered.

Leaving Voeckler to do his gritty, never-say-die-act. To perfection. When all looked lost, back he came. And Voigt did a very similar thing, nearly pulling off an amazing win. Which left Scarponi guessing about what might have been, had he only picked the right wheel!

Scarponi Falls Short In Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | Cyclingnews.com

Scarponi admitted that he hoped that the deck of tactical manoeuvres would ultimately fall in his favour.

"I was hoping that the rivalry between Voeckler and Sánchez would give me a chance in the sprint, but it didn't work out like that," he said. "But in any case, Voeckler was the cleverest and the strongest today."

Scarponi Falls Short In Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | Cyclingnews.com

"It's not just Wiggins and Froome, it's an entire team that gives an impression of strength and cohesion. They're almost unattackable," he said. "But there's still a long way to go. Right now they might seem invincible but the Grand Tours teach you that stage after stage you can invent something."

Voigt Almost Pulls Off The Impossible In Stage 10 At The Tour De France | Cyclingnews.com

By the summit Voigt was still nowhere in sight and the stage looked set to be four-way battle. However when race radio crackled with 'race number 18 at 17 seconds' a once highly unlikely victory became a distinct possibility. On the slopes of the stage's final climb, the shorter and shallower Col de Richemond, Voigt was still closing, and inside the final 10 kilometres the German accelerated alongside and past his rivals.

All hail Team Sky. But is Cyclingnews now talking in code? TdF 2012

OK, Wiggins and Froome have set the pace in the mountains and the time trial, indeed they have dominated. But "on another sphere"? It's not a great choice of words, is it? Especially after Wiggins has just so emphatically countered his "anonymous" doubters at a press conference. It's OK on its own, isolated from its context, but anyone who has followed the sport since, say, 2006 or so knows that any reference to other-worldly performances is shorthand for "assisted". Either Cyclingnews is just ignorant of this - possibly - or are grinding an axe of some sort. Oh well. For the record, there is no evidence of untoward activity, just great sport science, hard work and years of planning and training.

Evans's Tour Defence Suffers First Setback | Cyclingnews.com

In spite of his losses in the overall classification, Evans looked to take solace from the fact that he had fared admirably against the pure time triallists, but it won't have escaped his attention that the Sky pair of Wiggins and Chris Froome – first and second on the stage – were on another sphere to the rest of the field.

I.B., The Extra Terrestrial? | Cyclingnews.com

Simoni: "I've never seen anyone dominate [like Basso], never seen any one that strong! He seems like an extra-terrestrial," Simoni said post-stage, his face and words minced with bitterness. Whether the Trentino scalatore was implying Basso was 'assisted' in some way is up for speculation, but Basso wasn't happy when he heard this: "I don't like to be called an extra-terrestrial or a phenomenon," he said.

Yes, Basso later served a suspension for "attempting" to dope.

And whereto from here for Le Tour 2012? Well it's quite a change from last year, where Evans waited until the final TT to take control. You couldn't really wait any longer, in fact. And whilst it looks like a poor tactic for Wiggins and Sky to take yellow so early - week one, after all - it's not bad for team and individual morale, is it? Wiggins has only just won his first stage, after all, and leading Le Tour is something most riders would find hard to knock back. And whilst Team Sky now need to expend additional energy in controlling dangerous attacks and protecting both Wiggins and Froome,  BMC themselves expended a lot of energy in acting as though they were "in yellow" last year. Basically it may be hard but it's doable.

OTOH last year other teams with shorter-term ambitions shared responsibility with BMC for keeping control of breakaways and the like. And whilst the Schlecks (and to some extent Contador) knew they had to take time off Evans in the mountains, Evans himself only had to limit losses and win it back in the last TT. So whilst it looks bad for Evans that already his losses have mounted up, coming about despite his strengths in the TT and prologue, this isn't last year. He must have expected something like this scenario, given recent peformance. So either it really is bad and he has little hope of recovering this amount of time, or he has a plan to address the gap. So which one?

As I said, this isn't 2011, so throw that thought out. But Sky has the box seat here, a big lead with Wiggins and a strong wild card to play in Froome. Most likely Wiggins will be able to match all attacks - and there will be many, as the likes of Nibali and Menchov are just as desperate to win as Evans, and both the RadioShack and Lotto teams have some GC gas in the tank, too. But it may expose weaknesses. It could be that Wiggins gets isolated - unlikely, I know - and loses time on a descent. But he has time up his sleeve, doesn't he. And if he or his team really falters then sending Froome up the road will cure the situation. If they are having trouble defending, why not attack?

It is a long way from from Paris and a tough job to defend from here. But Sky must have thought this through and they must see it as their "Plan A". Equally Evans and Nibali must have expected this scenario, too, so they will be executing their own tactics in the Alps to come. With the Pyrenees in week 3 to consolidate. I expect fireworks and I expect that whoever gets the advantage in week 2 will then have the same problem as Sky has now - how do you defend all the way from here to Paris?

So, fireworks in the Alps, yes, particularly Stage 11 - but with care. Whilst they don't want to leave it too late, they don't want to take control too early, either. But if they do, they'll want it to be a crushing blow that sinks Sky's ship all the way to Paris. Anything less will lead to a win for Sky. And it doesn't need to be a win for Wiggins. 
      

Expect the unexpected in Le Tour. Sagan gets the bell, Kloden can't be coaxed and Froome sprints

Given what has happened so far, I expect anything and everything will happen from here on in. (But I will pin hopes on Nibali and Evans attacking downhill at the first opportunity - which will be real soon now.)

RadioShack-Nissan has been hanging on grimly, desperately hoping that Cancellara could stay close enough to Wiggo and co. that he could recover his lead in the ITT. That looks like a forlorn hope, but he'll probably get 30secs back, maybe. As for their GC riders, well falling at speed always hurts and Frank Schleck will take a few days to recover. By then his Tour hopes may be over. And Kloden? Well just plain old "bad legs" apparently. It happens. He wasn't the only one to have bad legs or bad luck on stage 7. It seemed that every one of the GC hopefuls bar Evans, Wiggo and Nibali can't take a trick this year. Cross fingers things improve. 

Meanwhile the ever-interesting Sagan will apparently ring his new bell when he sees an imminent fall... or will he ring it in hope that the others will think "another lap to go!".

And what about Froome? Does the last pull up the mountain, barely recovers and gaps both Wiggens and Evans. Wish I could do that.

RadioShack-Nissan Fighting Without A Leader | Cyclingnews.com

Stage seven didn't go to plan for the RadioShack-Nissan team. As expected Cancellara lost contact with the Sky-lead group on the final climb but it was the performance of the team's key riders that was disappointing. Schleck waited for Andreas Klöden when the two were dropped on the final climb but Schleck could not coax the German into holding his pace. The Luxembourger then continued at his own tempo but couldn’t catch his two teammates Haimar Zubeldia and Maxime Monfort who were clearly riding much stronger than the trailing duo. Klöden ended the day 2:19 back on the winner and nearly a minute behind Schleck while Zubeldia and Monfort finished inside the top-ten.

"I had bad legs and have no real explanation for it, I had felt it in the early part of the stage," said Klöden on his team website.

Tour Shorts: Ice Cream, Sagan's City Bike Bell, Abandoning The Tour | Cyclingnews.com

The current wearer of the green jersey also relies on quite traditional bike components in order to prevent him from crashing. After having his chances annihilated by a fall in the finale of Thursday's stage five, the Slovakian asked his mechanic to mount a bell on his handlebar - indeed, an ordinary, black city bike bell.

Tour Shorts: Ice Cream, Sagan's City Bike Bell, Abandoning The Tour | Cyclingnews.com

Robert Gesink (Rabobank) came in behind his teammate Mollema and although Laurens Ten Dam was there to pace him, he conceded 2:53 at the finish.

"The GC is shattered. I can’t say much more about it. It was a difficult day and the speed was high. Luis León [Sánchez] kept up really well. I myself rode at the utmost speed and it wasn’t enough. We all know how I was before this, how good I was in California and Suisse. You don’t lose that just like that. But you know, yesterday I landed on the tarmac. You’re not supposed to do that, but it happened. Today didn’t turn out as I had expected." AM

Sagan wins, many lose. TdF 2012 smash-fest continues

If you've never been in the middle of a 200-strong peleton you can only imagine the eerie feeling. To describe it briefly, it's wonderful and scary in equal measure. It sucks you forward relentlessly, and on the flat you barely need to pedal. Rolling hills are no bother either, it's only when the road pitches sharply up that you need to do some serious work. But if you drift to the edges or the rear, or when the road turns sharply, beware. Changes of pace or direction are unsettling enough, but a narrowing road is worse. Suddenly what was a carefree bunch rolling along (unless you are doing the engine room work at the front, of course) becames a nervous monster. Everyone has to find a spot in a decreasing space. You can imagine what it's like if a rider touches the wheel ahead. Any sudden movement, unexpected braking or swerves around gravel or potholes can set off mayhem... even on a straight road.

Most of the time you just manage. Sometimes it all happens too fast. Tired riders, nervousness and a big peleton can equal big changes in the GC.

At least it frees a few riders up to attack and be let free. As long as Hesjedal doesn't get 10 or so minutes ahead he may be allowed to escape and win a stage. Maybe. I doubt they'll let Schleck or Gesink come back, but they'll sure try. Maybe even tomorrow. Could we even see Cancellara sacrifice his yellow jersey for a Kloden attack? And let Schleck roam free in a break? Or will they hold off such tactics until week 3?  

Video: BMC Remains Intact After Metz Mayhem | Cyclingnews.com

Ryder Hesjedal lost over 13 minutes, with Alejandro Valverde, Frank Schleck, Bauke Mollema and Robert Gesink all crossing the line with less skin than they started with and more time in their general classification tally than before.

Embattled 'Shack actually doing well everywhere - France, Austria... TdF

The flipside of controversy and disruption is - perhaps ironically - team bonding? It's hard to imagine a worse scenario for RadioShack-Nissan, with several current and past members of the team embroiled in their individual doping allegations, pay disputes, injuries and seemingly unending speculation about the team's future. You'd think that losing master tactician Bruyneel (Armstrong-related doping allegations), plus last year's TdF 2nd place rider Andy Schleck (through injury) would be enough but no, they also have Fuglsang fuming about being overlooked for the TdF and a number of riders awaiting overdue pay. Yet here they are leading 2 stage races at once!

However it isn't all rosy.

Fuglsang is at least partly trying to prove (I imagine, as I haven't asked him personally) that the team made the wrong decision in sending him to Austria when he deserved to be racing in France instead. In doing so he's inadvertently 'proving' that the team was actually right - he's currently leading the race he was sent to! He may well be motivated by the 'snub' but he's doing exactly the job intended. Whilst it's motivational genius it's hardly surprising...

And isn't Cancellara just doing what Spartacus does? Win the prologue, hold onto the yellow jersey for as long as possible (first mountain stage, perhaps?). He is above all of the controversy and simply doing his job. Self-motivated, really. Yes, the team is there to support the yellow jersey but guys like Jens Voigt will simply do their job, irrespective, so again it's "situation normal".

The real test for RadioShack-Nissan will come when Cancellara eventually finds lifting his weightier TT-er body over the mountains too much. And teh team will turn to Kloden and Frank Schleck to deliver. Can they? Will they? It'll be fun to find out! 
 
Fuglsang Earns Overall Lead At Tour Of Austria | Cyclingnews.com

Left off the RadioShack-Nissan roster for the Tour de France, Jakob Fuglsang has fought back at the Tour of Austria, winning stage 4 and moving into the overall lead.

It was the team's second yellow jersey of the day on Wednesday with Fabian Cancellara not threatened at the Tour de France.

"I'm super happy with this win and the overall," said Fuglsang following the 141.3km stage. "It is certainly defendable and we're going to do everything we can to bring the yellow home. It's cool that the team has the yellow jersey in two different stage races."

Bruyneel Asserts Innocence Regarding USADA Doping Allegations | Cyclingnews.com

"I have never participated in any doping activity and I am innocent of all charges," read a statement on Bruyneel's personal website. "I am dismayed that once again doping allegations have been raised against me, this time by USADA.

Tour De France 2012: Stage 4 Results | Cyclingnews.com

The top of general classification remains unchanged as Fabian Cancellara continues in the yellow jersey with a seven-second lead over Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep).

Sagan rules these lumpy stages - TdF 2012

Every bike club has one - the guy who you never seem to be able to beat. And suddenly, one day, you do.

Of course at pro level there's a bunch of guys like that, and specialists who dominate certain races and terrains. But the principle's the same. You have to keep at it. (In other words, Sagan can - and will - be beaten.)

The usual suspects again featured in this tough, crash-ridden stage. Wiggins and several others were lucky to get away with the same time as the lead group. Evans was more decisive and committed to the front, and Cancellara passed the test. Surely now he will hang onto - and maybe extend - his lead?

Tour De France 2012: Stage 3 Results | Cyclingnews.com

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 4:42:58
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:01
3 Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
4 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan
5 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
6 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
7 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
8 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
9 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
10 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
11 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp
12 Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
13 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
14 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team
15 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
16 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
17 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
18 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
19 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
20 Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
21 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
22 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
23 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team

Well they still look happy enough - Le Tour 2012

The usual falls, mad roadside furniture, a stray photographer and Jens smiling, waving. And then that finish! Now that was exciting.

So RadioShack-Nissan are still full of beans, basking in the glory of Spartacus. And when Fabian finally runs out of steam, probably on a mountain later this week, most likely on Stage 7, what happens then? Will Kloden get his chance to lead? Or will Frank have clawed his way back? But if Cancellara survives the attacks up La Planche Des Belles Filles (possible, since the opportunists and the GC guys playing catch-up will likely seize upon it, rather than those closest on GC) he'll probably get over the next day's bumps, too. But will he pay a price during the following 41km ITT? Or will it open up his lead even further?

It will still be too early for most of the top GC guys, so I'm betting he'll still be there, in yellow. Having said that, he will have to decide how he manages his energy loss over stages 7 and 8. If an opportunist (and it could even be a GC guy like Evans) takes a risk on Stage 7 then Cancellara's lead will quickly dissolve. So will he chase and defend, or let it go? And maybe even get it back in the ITT? Yellow is yellow, after all. He'll fight.

There's a rest day after the ITT, and then a shock to the system as Stage 10 will be the first real climbers' stage. If Cancellara gets this far then he will want to have a big lead, as it will be whittled away quickly enough as the real climbers take advantage. And surely they'll have a go. Surely! (And he can't possibly survive Stage 11!)


Tour De France 2012: Stage 1 Results | Cyclingnews.com

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 4:58:19 Expected, really
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan Not unexpected. He was always going to try.
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling Expected, really
4 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team Expected, really, even if he is having an ordinary season so far... had this been 2011 it would've been his stage to win
5 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team Good ride.
6 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team Expected, but slighly disappointing, it really should have been his stage!
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team Expected, really
8 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp I guess it's no surprise
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp Fresher, perhaps, than we thought?
10 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep Another good ride.
11 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team Expected, really
12 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep Expected, really
13 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team Expected, really
14 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne Expected, really
15 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale Expected, really
16 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling Expected, really
20 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team Expected, really, and another likely winner had Cancellara not charged like a bull
22 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling Nice recovery after a fall
34 Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan Frank's back!
35 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan And Andreas is hangin' with Frank!

Oh, forgot Van Den Broek and Gesink!

Ooops. Well, I forgot them 'cause they are on the edge here; they could fall either way. Whereas Frank Schleck is probably abseiling or free falling, take your pick. 

Mind you, it's still a bad sign. Obviously neither of them can afford to lose more time and they must take every opportunity to attack from here. Well, at least to take sensible opportunities. One good mountain stage and they'll be back. 

Van Den Broeck Not Bothered By Tour Prologue Time Loss | Cyclingnews.com

"Twenty seconds is negligible," Van den Broeck said. "We'll see at the end of the Tour de France but I don't have to look at others but at myself. It's important that I don't lose twenty seconds on a man like [Robert] Gesink,"

While losing 11 seconds on defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans (BMC), Van den Broeck lost only two seconds on Robert Gesink (Rabobank) who has similar climbing qualities as the Belgian.

Le Tour 2012: how to lose at the start - or hey, it's only the prologue!

Perhaps this Tour was lost weeks ago, maybe even years ago. As I have your attention now (both of us, me and you) let me explain. Kinda.

This is the hypothesis: what goes around comes around. Simple. When things look extraterrestrial, maybe they are. It's not news to say that there are clouds hanging over some past performances at Le Tour (amongst other races) and - perhaps - it's all coming to a head. Or a beheading. There are riders and managers past and present hoping it all comes to nought. They may have nothing to fear but they still fear it in their bones. Or blood. It still has an effect. It rattles a few things, and focus is lost. And riders make mistakes, or lose form. And then there are aftershocks, pay disputes and general unhappiness. You know what I mean. Morale is damaged.

And there's more to the hypothesis, too: you are where you came from. Wiggins for example is a pursuit guy, a trackie used to smooth, fast velodromes. Yes, as are many other great road cyclists. But some of that basic training hangs around and whilst he's made a huge improvement on the road he still has to match the great descenders and tactical guys. Can he gain enough in the mountains and TTs to give up some time elsewhere?   

So what do I (club-level crit racer that I am) reckon the GC will look like in Paris? Well Wiggo, Evans and Menchov look good but you can't write Nibali out, either. Hesjedal? He'll give it a shot but his best tactic will be to look exhausted (from his Giro win), hang tough, stay close and pull out a surprise or 2 late in the race. But they all know to expect that. Wiggo, as I said, will take time in the mountains and TTs but may lose a bit to opportunists and descenders. Evans will just do what Evans does, hang in there, cling to Wiggo et al and just stay close enough to strike if he can. An opportunistic attack on a wet downhill may be his best tactic. However unless Wiggo cracks his strong TT will not be enough. He's not facing the Schlecks this time, is he? (Well not judging by Frank's performance so far - unless he has a miracle mountain ride up his sleeve.)

Of course it's a long race, of course anything can happen. To survive week one is hard enough, but then to attack or to match the attackers, that is the question. It may come down to who keeps the most energy and best form all the way through 4 weeks. It may depend on crashes, viruses, or one or 2 smart attacks on just the right days. Or it may play out exactly as expected. But I doubt it.  

So on with the show, this is it (summarised and commented, of course):

Tour De France 2012: Prologue Results | Cyclingnews.com

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan 0:07:13  Expected but a pleasant surprise to see confirmation - he's back. Fabian will hang onto the yellow until it makes no more sense for him or the team. He's done good, but where are the 'Shack's GC guys?
2 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:07 Expected. On form, done good. Used to be a TT specialist, despite obvious improvements elsewhere it remains to be seen how he copes with mountain descents in the wet, or the pressure of favoritism. Still, deserves to be the GC fave.
3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep Great ride, Chavanel will steal a stage or 2, surely?
4 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10 Again, rode out of his skin. A boost to BMC and a hopeful sign of strong support for GC man Evans.
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:11 Expected. Wiggins has support, too.
6 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team Expected.
7 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano 0:00:12 Perhaps unexpected? Obviously a good result.
8 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:13 Expected. A welcome return to form, deserves a break this year. Must be counted for the GC podium in Paris.
9 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team Coming on strong at exactly the right time. Watch this space. Again a comfort to Evans to have another powerhouse on his side.
10 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 0:00:15 Expected.
11 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:16 Expected. Another Wiggo support man.
12 Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:00:17 Expected.
13 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team Expected. He's not a TT specialist, although he does great TTs, especially long ones. He's managed his loss to just a few seconds, so he's in the game.
14 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:18 Like Evans he's done his job. Expected. Wiggo-Evans-Menchov for the podium, Nibali a close 4th? Maybe. It's a cliche but it's true - anything can happen from here. Expect an exciting week 3 if these 4 are still on the same page.
15 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp Expected. OK, make that 5. It's a tough call to expect Hesjedal to back up after his epic Giro, so I'll say "not this time".
16 David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Sharp Expected.
17 Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team Great ride. More support for Cadel.
18 Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:19 Expected. Always there, isn't he? But he's not the 'Shack leader, is he? Maybe it's the next guy?
19 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan Expected. Definitely in the game and if he's called upon to race like a leader and gets the support he's got the class to surprise... but then again, it's a big ask at the wrong end of a famous career, so maybe not.
20 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:00:20 Expected.
21 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team Expected.
22 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team Expected and good to see Cadel's support around him after this short test. But it's the long game that matters.
skip a few
30 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp Expected, but perhaps he should have been a few places higher. We shall see how he sprints.
skip some more
36 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling Expected, but again he's not as far up as we might have hoped. Will have saved something for Wiggo's support in the mountains, I suspect.
skip again
41 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling Expected. But a good ride nonetheless. Makes it look a good contest between Cav and Farrar in the sprints, methinks.
43 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team Expected. Make that a 3-way race for Green. 
45 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep A good ride but he should have won - a bike change drama slowed him down. Revenge will be sweet, later.
53 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale Oh dear, a bit less than expected. Missed a corner, pulled his foot? Whatever, he'll be back. Make it a 4-way race for Green.
61 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling Expected. He's not a short TT guy and like Porte he'll be supporting Wiggo later.
69 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Sharp Not that far off but slower than expected.
80 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-QuickStep First GC guy to miss a trick, perhaps, but he's really here to support VDB... but where's VDB? Still, it's a lot of time to lose in the prologue. 
87 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team No GC ambitions but can Gossy match it with the 4 sprinters above him? We shall see.
90 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale Ouch. It's OK, he's a support guy for Nibali this year. Calm down. 
Skipping a few more
113 Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack-Nissan Obviously saving himself.
And the rest. They all have their jobs to do.

Oh, what about Frank? Theory A. is that he's fried after a strong run a month or so back. Theory B is that he's going to pull a surprise. Theory C is that he'll support Andreas instead. They are professionals, they'll get over the dramas. Or not. 

136
Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan. No chance from this far back, really, unless he is hiding stellar climbing form and cracks the lot of 'em in the mountains. It'll be fun to see him try, anyway. Or will he simply support Andreas?  

On to Stage 1, I guess.

It's now or never for the "truth" to out in Armstrong's case

So far the evidence has seemed circumstantial at best. There hasn't been hard evidence of doping, not in his blood or urine tests, anyway. Or so it seems, as the accusations include cover-ups, don't they? And that's the problem. It's all smoke - dense smoke at that. How can we pin the truth down except by trusting the guy - or not? It's his word against a lot of hot-air opinions, so far. Yes, Armstrong worked with people like Dr Ferrari, previously named, shamed and barred from the sport.  Yes, a large number of his teammates from the US Postal era went on to get caught doping. Yes, many - if not most - of the riders he beat for his Tour titles were later found to be doping. So? It's still not proof, is it?

Yet it all adds up to a great big cloud of doubt. Hopefully this is it. The proof, one way or the other.

It's hard to imagine that anyone will ever try again if this attempt fails, surely?

Doping Charges Recommended In Armstrong Case | Cyclingnews.com

A review board has recommended that the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) file anti-doping rule violations against Lance Armstrong, it was announced today. The agency claims to have evidence that the seven-time Tour de France champion conspired to boost his and his US Postal team's performance through the use of performance enhancing drugs.

“USADA can confirm that the independent three person Anti-Doping Review Board (ADRB) has conducted a full evaluation and has made a unanimous recommendation to move forward with the adjudication process in accordance with the rules," a statement from USADA read.

Good, short summary by Millar on why Evans won

Worth a read. Not mind-blowing but incisive and concise nonetheless. Robert Millar was the Scottish climber who really should have won Le Tour but fell short. Life's like that, try and try again as you will but sometimes there's nothing more you can do. Luck can be a factor, as can the presence of another in-form GC guy who just has a better team or better prep. Millar's grasp of the issues makes it plain that the early know-it-all commentary that Cadel's team was wasting energy has a flip-side. But you knew that already, of course. 

Why Evans Beat The Schleck Brothers | Cyclingnews.com

In the end, confidence was probably the difference. The whole race, Cadel Evans looked like he was riding to win the Tour, while the Schleck brothers looked like they were trying not to lose.

FWIW I agree with Mia. And I reckon Cadel would, too

Not that I would presume to know Cadel Evans well enough - or at all - to imagine what he'd think. But I don't believe he'd be so self-opinionated as to back the vitriol that's been poured on Mia Freedman just because she's not prepared to label sportspeople as "heroes". Frankly, it's all about perspective. Athletes, sports personalities, whatever - they may be good, or even great at what they do, they may even inspire you in some way. And that's fantastic. In that way they can be seen as a personal hero - but as a national hero? Well, it's a stretch. Whilst I accept that sportspeople are prominent in Australia's recognised or 'popular' cultural pantheon, if you like, that may have a lot to do with our short history as colonisers here and our lack of knowledge - or recognition - of what came before the British invasion. In time we may well achieve more balance and recognition for others from a wider, more varied selection of fields.

Hopefully from here on we can embrace all achievements in any field and not over-emphasise sport - or Ned Kelly for that matter - over all else. Public holiday for winning Le Tour? I don't think so. However I think there's room here for celebrating Cadel's achievement and recognising that - as he himself has said - he's just a guy riding a bike. 

Cadel Evans - is he a hero? Mamamia

I think pursuing a life doing something you’re good at for the benefit of yourself is not heroic. It’s not a BAD thing, I’m not dissing Cadel (of course not!) but the idea that a sports person should be idolised because they can ride far or jump high or swim fast is, to me, a bit odd. I guess I’m just flagging the fact that if you do well in sport, the country and the media stop to worship you in a way that doesn’t happen to anyone else for doing anything else.

The abuse I received was instant and it continues, seemingly unabated. I have a pretty thick skin but by 8:15 I was in tears. I genuinely miscalculated the level of viciousness my comments (which I have made many times before) would provoke. My bad. Not for stating my opinion but perhaps for misreading the mood and the audience.

Many people have made the point that it’s great to have role models for kids to look up to, to encourage them to get on a bike or kick a ball. I agree absolutely. They’re certainly better role models than rappers or reality TV stars.

But I only wish other kinds of heroes would receive the same media and popular adulation, that kids could see that you could be wildly popular for helping others or doing something other than having a physical skill.

Unsurprisingly BMC team would like Evans to win again in 2012. Nice SMH story anyway

A lot is made of Cadel's age but - despite many falls and broken bones - he's in good health and - for a cyclist especially - he's not especially old at 34. It's not swimming or gymnastics, after all. And in some ways he has also been 'saved for later' by previous teams holding him back from even starting Le Tour; it's not as though he has ridden 16 of them after all. And older, more Grand-Tour-experienced riders like Hincapie and Voigt have shown that Grand Tours can be ridden at seemingly undiminished intensity until you are 38 or 39. Perhaps older. Ekimov comes to mind, too. I guess the Armstrong example also leaps to mind, in the sense that he didn't exactly make his body - and luck - work as well in his last year as he did during his seven straight wins. But how hungry was he, really, the second time around? And what physical effects did the 'retirement' have? Cadel OTOH has not retired and returned, and has just started winning at the Grand Tour level. So his motivation is strong. Personal experience tells me that racing after 40 - even at club level - gets more complicated. But there's little difference in performance between 34 and 35, or even 39, if you maintain a decent level.

BMC chief tipping Evans to go back-to-back in 2012

Evans told his guests at a BMC team celebration dinner on Sunday night that the seed for his desire to one day win the Tour was planted when he was 14 years old. That was in 1991, when he watched Spaniard Miguel Indurain beat American Greg LeMond to win the first of his five successive titles.

''I thought, 'Hey, one day that would be nice to ride that race, wouldn't it'?'' Evans told about 300 guests. ''Many years later, and many, many months, hours and years of hard work, here I am today. Having crossed the finish line on the Champs Elysees with this jersey is really something I can't quite believe.''

BMC chief tipping Evans to go back-to-back in 2012

John Lelangue says Australian is training 'like a junior'. Rupert Guinness reports from Paris.

John Lelangue, the chief sporting director of Cadel Evans's BMC team, says the Australian Tour de France champion could top his remarkable achievement by returning to win cycling's most prestigious race for a second time next year.

Peleton skills 101: ride in the middle or the edge? The back or the front? Leipheimer surfs the guardrail

It's the little details that I like, post-race. What actually happened to Levi? Well he was back too far and on the edge, trying to take his opportunities to move forward. Now if you pick your moment this can be fine - but get it wrong and you pay.

If you are a TdF newbie or have simply never ridden in a large peleton then it's possibly not clear how difficult all of this can be. Deep inside the peleton is warmer, faster and easier - it sucks you along. But it's nervous spot, too. You can't move left or right and there's always someone in front and behind. Getting out of the middle to do anything, be it attack, counter or take 'a natural' involves a lot of work. And if one guy falls, you all go down. So you want teammates around you or 'safe hands' at least and you want to be up the front so you can avoid dramas. Now whilst you may want to be up the front all of the time so does everyone else, and a pecking order develops with special skills employed to enable you to out-compete the others. Sometimes you simply follow a known front-runner and hang on grimly. Other times your team mates take you forward. Or you just give in and make the best of it.

If you are a known rider it may be easier, or harder, depending upon who you need to pass. Risks are taken, and riding on the edge may be the only way to get ahead. And if you are making your way forward just when the peleton gets squeezed by a narrowing road then you have few choices. You ride the grass, accelerate into a gap or drop back - if you can. And if you simply get caught out then you cross your fingers and hope for the best. It may mean a bunny-hop over a gutter or some cross-country work, or a fall. Levi took the fall this time.   

Leipheimer Loses Time In Crash | Cyclingnews.com

"You just try to shoot through some gaps and one time, it closed up on me, and I was pinned against the guardrail. I kind of surfed the guardrail for 20 metres. Thankfully that slowed me down.

"Eventually the guardrail ended, and then I fell onto the ground. It didn't do anything. I scraped my elbow a little bit. Compared to yesterday's crashes, that's nothing."

Sunderland makes good sense in his analysis of the 2011 TdF GC riders

Stage 4 was clearly another short but fierce climb at the end of a punishing stage, one that would sort out the GC guys from the rest - at least by a few seconds. And as expected, Gilbert and Evans were there, their teams making it so by working together in the inevitable chase and final launch. No-one was surprised either to see Contador try to steal some time, although it was a little surprising to see him unable to accelerate into a gap like he usually does. Perhaps the Giro really did take it's toll? Or is he holding back? But in the end it was Evans who had to overcome mechanical adversity, get back to the front and take a gritty win. In so doing he stamped some further authority on himself and his BMC team.

Not forgeting Hushovd's amazing feat in hanging onto the skinny guy's wheels up a wall!

Whilst it's still early days, here's a nice, fair overall analysis by Scott Sunderland from today's SMH:   

This time Evans can win, says his spoiler

''Cadel is a very strong time triallist, and a very good climber - the third asset he's got is his positioning [in the bunch]. And in the stages before the mountains he can still do something. We've seen in the classics that he is a bit above Schleck and Contador there … the only thing he is missing is the accelerating speed and power that Schleck and Contador have in the mountains. If he can be calm and reserved and the team and management can protect him, then in the third week when it comes down to attrition, they won't be able to ride away from him.''

Crash splits field, GC leaders wait for Contador... uh, maybe not this time

Of course it's different if you drop a chain or make a clumsy, newbie gear-change, then you are expected to wait, aren't you? But if a spectator brings half the field down then it's open slather, apparently. (Armstrong proved that in '99.) And of course Cancellara didn't call a "too dangerous" truce this time either. That nit-picking aside, it's sad to see the competition for stage honours reduced in such a way, let alone Contador losing over a minute. And no I'm not a fan of waiting for riders who have made their own mistakes, but it's a fine line that gets drawn sometimes and a difficult one to be certain about. That's bike racing.

I still don't think the pure sprinters had a chance but a few of the more experienced hands would have played things differently had they been able to get up the front, post-crash. Mind you, Hushovd had a dig, unlike Boonen, Cavendish, Renshaw and Goss who seemed to hit the wall somewhat. At least they were there. Can't blame Greipel, he did a ton of work for Gilbert. In the end it was Lotto's protected rider doing what he does on a hill like this, and Cadel Evans pretty well doing what he does best as well - grinding it out steadily up a hill at a pace few can match. If there had been another 100m to go then Evans may well have passed Gilbert, but it's all in the timing, ain't it?

Tour De France: Stage 1, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

when they realised that Contador wasn’t among them, they showed no mercy, driving the group and quickly carving out a forty-second advantage. Behind, Contador seemed isolated.

Can't wait for the press conf. Only 1 year off for Bert? I guess Andy won Le Tour after all.

There's so much to think about here. Alberto can appeal, firstly. Or he can cop it sweet and have another rest year. Or he could just retire. It also opens up a spot for an unemployed rider or 2 in Bjarne's team. And it presumably moves Andy Schleck up a place into the winner's spot of the 2010 Tour. He'll really want to win this year to prove himself. And with no Contador it opens up the 2011 season once again. All very bizarre.

It's a tough enough sport anyway without this constant revisionism. Whilst a level playing field is ideal - as a rider myself the concept of "fairplay" makes a lot of sense - this is terrible price to pay for what I described earlier as a homeopathic dose of a drug that may in fact do very little. Sadly there also remains a chance that Contador took it unknowingly, as much as we may like to think we've just brought down another cheat. Either way, rules are rules.


SBS: Cycling Central : Contador one-year ban is offiicial

"Alberto Contador has received today a notification of one year ban proposal by the Competition Committee of the Spanish Federation," said the spokesperson.

"Therefore, together with Bjarne Riis (director of his team Saxo Bank), a Press Conference will be held next Friday, January 28, at 16:00 hours (2am AEDT, Saturday), at the Hotel Son Net in Palma de Mallorca, to express their opinion about this case."

Contador To Receive One-year Ban For Clenbuterol Positive | Cyclingnews.com

Contador tested positive for a low level of the banned substance Clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France's second rest day in Pau. He claimed the adverse finding was the result of contaminated meat. He was provisionally suspended by the UCI in September after the announcement of the test results was made.

Scott Sunderland makes Hushovd's mind up for him over Stage 2. And still we go on about "fairness"

I wasn't there so I don't know - but I have an opinion on the question of "fairness". And it's a saga that goes on and on, regrettably, without a solution. And isn't that the way everything works these days? The tiniest detail gets pounced upon and sides are taken, black or white. If it sticks and goes viral it snowballs out of all proportion but no agreement is reached or solution offered.

Andy Schleck's so-called "mechanical" when he somehow "lost his chain" (when in fact it appeared to jam on his cogs, as if he'd stuffed up a gearchange) is one example, and Stage 2 into Spa is another one. And now in post-race analysis Scott Sunderland appears to be putting his (possibly biased, being an ex member of what was the CSC team) views into Thor Hushovd's mouth. As well as putting Contador in his place for not waiting for Andy when his chain jammed. But what exactly is "fair"? Is it so black and white?

Now on the day into Spa it appeared (on TV and in post-race interviews, anyway) that Thor Hushovd wasn't very pleased about the bullying tactics used by Cancellara and the Saxo Bank team to annul the slippery stage. So to say that Thor wouldn't have wanted to win like that is certainly going a bit far. If Thor has changed his mind, great - let him say that himself. 

Now in principle we probably agree that gaining time by leveraging other riders' misfortune is not how we would like to win a race. But it assumes several things:

• Firstly that only the lucky got through unscathed, which is debatable. Wet, narrow descent with or without a crashed motorbike says "keep clear of other riders, slow down, pick your line" to me
  
• Secondly, a corollary to the first, that skill was not involved. Again, bike handling and the ability to pick your line is paramount
• Thirdly, that all teams played the conditions the same and were equally affected, which is not true. There was a breakaway and a chase group plus a larger group, all playing out different tactics. There are safer ways to play dangerous situations and some teams did better than others by design
  
• Fourthly, that an independent referee is available to assess the conditions and make an informed but unpressured and one-step-removed decision on conditions and actions to address. Which is debatable. The race referee was certainly there but his decision was visibly informed by Cancellara, who had an obvious (and conflicted) role in firstly waiting for the Schlecks and secondly in coercing other riders from other teams into a go-slow agreement.  

Now the other side to the argument is that an unusually large proportion of riders were affected and that several riders reported conditions where "everyone" went down and that even cars couldn't stay on the road. In which case you'd think that the stage should be annulled there and then, rather than let one rider win and take yellow whilst effectively penalising anyone else who'd recovered or avoided the drama.

It's not as if it hasn't happened before. There was for example Le Tour in 1999 when an unusually large proportion of the field went down and lost 6 minutes or more - effectively ending the race for the overall there and then. But Armstrong isn't likely to hand back that Tour win because he didn't wait for Zulle, is he? Indeed his team and others actively exploited the situation. Riders are down, big fall - let's stomp on the gas!

There's always another side, another way to view things. In 1999 you had to get to the front. It wasn't just luck. The same applies in 2010, or perhaps should have applied.

You could say that we must learn for these things, and so we should. But one thing to learn from 2010 is that it isn't appropriate for race officials to appear to do a deal with the yellow jersey where obvious conflicts of interest exist. There must be a better, fairer way to deal with such situations. It isn't necessarily easy but leaving it 'as it is' is inappropriate.

Oh, and jamming your chain is just one of those things that can happen when you make ham-fisted changes on the highly-tuned engineering kludges we call bicycle drivetrains.

Where The Tour Was Won | Cyclingnews.com

Sunderland: "I think the same logic should be applied to the green jersey competition. Thor Hushovd missed out on a lot of points that day but I don’t think he would have wanted to win that way."

1999 Tour de France - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1999 edition of Tour de France had two bizarre moments. The first was on stage 2 when a 25 rider pile-up occurred at Passage du Gois. Passage du Gois is a two mile causeway which depending on the tide can be under water. The second bizarre incident was on stage 10, one kilometre from the summit of L'Alpe d'Huez. Leading Italian rider Giuseppe Guerini was confronted by a spectator holding a camera in the middle of the road. Guerini hit the spectator but recovered and went on to win the stage.

The Tour de France At A Glance - 1999

Frankie Andreu: The main difficulty in this completely flat stage was a four-kilometer causeway that crossed a huge river. It's passable during the day with low tide and flooded during high tide. You can imagine that the causeway would be a little slick and wet by the time we arrived.

The race was calm till the first bonus sprint of the day at kilometer 30. After that the attacks started and the battle for good position for the causeway was already starting. It was still 50 kilometers till we arrived there. To make matters worse it was windy and I'm sure every team told their riders to be first into the causeway.

The battle was furious trying to keep Lance in good position to get across this causeway safely. Looking back it was a good thing we did. After the entrance to this four-kilometer causeway there was a huge crash. Guys went down everywhere. You could see riders trying to brake, but they hit the ground instantaneously. Going across the causeway was very, very scary. It was wet, slippery and windy. It felt like a risk to even turn your wheel to change directions. I was scared to ride on the edge of the road because it was too slick.

Coming out of the causeway the group had split - partially because we went fast and partly because of the huge crash. There was a front group of about 40 and immediately ONCE started riding. It took us a few kilometers to figure out why. We didn't know there was a crash at the time and in the rear group there were a few favorites.

Right away Johan told us to go to the front and help ONCE. The reason was that in the second group were Gotti, Belli, Zülle, Boogerd, Robin, and some other favorites in the overall.

In the second group Banesto started to chase immediately. They came within 30 seconds of catching us, but we were in time-trial mode in the first group with about ten guys. It became an 80-kilometer team time trial, trying to increase the gap between the second group and us. We had five ONCE riders, two Casino, two Cofidis, and Christian and I riding full tilt all the way to the finish. We put over six minutes on the guys behind. Lance lost the jersey today to Kirsipu, who won every bonus sprint, but Lance did manage to eliminate some very strong riders for the classement.

In the race today the Spanish guys had a new nickname for Jonathon Vaughters. They called him "El Gato", the cat. He got the name after he flew into a crash yesterday and went flying. Somehow he landed on his feet; he didn't get a scratch on his body. The bad news is that today Jonathon lost his nickname. He was one of the unlucky ones to get caught in the crash on the causeway.

1999- The Clean Tour - RideStrong

So the Tour had an undeniably "clean" winner, though his (Armstrong's) domination was not the unnatural performance that certain sections of the French press tried to accuse him of. Take away the stage over the Passage de Gois, and his lead over Zülle is a rather more mundane-looking 1½ minutes. And the Tour threw up several other imponderables. There were no French stage winners for the first time since 1926. The transition stages saw breaks of minor riders gain huge leads each day, with the big stars seemingly content to have four days off. Yet for all the drug-free culture, the average speed was over 40kmh for the first time ever. Even allowing for the easier route this year (and arguably it was in fact a harder route than some of those in the seventies and eighties), one is left with questions. If a drug-free peloton could ride so fast, what was the point of taking EPO in the past? And if EPO does have an effect, was 1999 really a drug-free peloton?

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Dangerous course or dangerous force?

It’s been a long time since I’ve witnessed this much carnage at the Tour de France.

The last occasion I can recall such circumstances was 11 years ago, at the 1999 Tour.

What was thought to be a relatively innocuous second stage quickly turned into a massacre, when on the Passage du Gois, a two-mile long causeway that depending on tidal conditions can be submerged in water, a 25 rider pile-up eventuated that split the field to itty bitty pieces and left Lance Armstrong’s most noted adversary, Swiss rider Alex Zülle, behind in a frantic chase that never regained contact.

Zülle along with Jan Ullrich were arguably the only two riders to really challenge the Texan during his Tour reign, and Armstrong’s 7’37” winning advantage did not really tell the full story.

I’m not saying Zülle would have beaten Armstrong in the first of his seven straight wins, but had he not crashed, the race would without doubt have played out very differently.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Dangerous course or dangerous force?

But read this from cycling legend Eddy Merckx, who told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf after Stage 1: “It’s part of the job. Especially in the beginning of a Grand Tour, you can not blame the organisation. It is the riders themselves who [must] bear the blame. If you do not want to brake and if you are not afraid to go for an opponent who is faster, then do not be afraid of crashing.”

In the end Monday, the Schleck brothers were saved by an entente cordiale initiated by the erstwhile maillot jaune of Fabian Cancellara, who relinquished his golden fleece to perhaps the most popular guy in France right now, Sylvain Chavanel.

Where The Tour Was Won | Cyclingnews.com

Scott Sunderland: "Contador pulled on the yellow jersey in Luchon but when he heard the crowd whistle and boo him, I'm sure he realised he'd unfairly taken advantage of Andy's mechanical problem."

'I know the race was 'on', that everything was decided in split seconds and the other riders attacked too, but Contador was the first to go clear and kept going all the way to the finish thanks to a special 'friendship' with Samuel Sanchez, who guided him down the descent."

I think he should have at least of asked the other riders to wait. I know these guys are competing against each other but there must always be room for some sportsmanship in cycling. The riders share the same road and face the same difficulties. Alberto is a special champion but missed an opportunity to show he has a special sense of fair play."