Le Tour de France

[Valderie]

I think I am onto something. The French are simply going to ban every cyclist until there's a French winner of the Tour de France. Mark my words!

Or persuade more dogs to cross the road!

[Wim]

As Patrik Sinkewitz has been tested positive for testosterone (like Landis), ARD and ZDF, the German TV stations, are stopping their broadcasting of Le Tour.
Sad, sad...

It is not only sad what he did but really unfair towards his fellow T-mobile riders, who could loose their sponsor after the Tour.

ARD and ZDF are very consequent - they do what they had warned for. Only.... the Tour and RTL Deutschland (a commercial tv station) would have agreed that RTL could take over the broadcasting of the Tour in Germany instead of ARD and ZDF. So business as usual. But I don't know if this is true.

[berolina]

...
ARD and ZDF are very consequent - they do what they had warned for. Only.... the Tour and RTL Deutschland (a commercial tv station) would have agreed that RTL could take over the broadcasting of the Tour in Germany instead of ARD and ZDF. So business as usual. But I don't know if this is true.

Let's hope not. Firstly, it would be the wrong signal and secondly, RTL are not very good when it comes to broadcasting sports events...anyway there is still Eurosport

[Portugal-Fan]

Let's hope not. Firstly, it would be the wrong signal and secondly, RTL are not very good when it comes to broadcasting sports events...anyway there is still Eurosport

Oh no! I've stopped watching Formula 1 and Champions League because of them! But I don't think that's true. There has never been any cycling on RTL, so it would be too difficult and too expensive to take it over in such a short time.
Anyway, after years I will go on watching the Tour on Eurosport, even if they can never reach the quality of the ARD broadcasting.
Let's hope that the B sample is negative!

[Wim]

Indeed let s hope the B-sample is negative.

The tour is halfway and is riding from Marseille to Montpelier : http://www.vrtnieuws.net/cm/vrtnieuw...2007_Profielen

A very flat stage today. The blue Quick Step Innergetic lead out train will be put on rails again trying to lead Tom Boonen to victory. Hushovd and Zabel are supposed to end very close as well.

[Nanon]

Let's hope not. Firstly, it would be the wrong signal and secondly, RTL are not very good when it comes to broadcasting sports events...anyway there is still Eurosport

Yes, The Tour on RTL would be unimaginable. The coverage of the WM last year with RTL was horrible. Anyway I like Eurosport and the commentators more than the ARD/ZDF-team. It's not a big loss.

The stage today will be a little bit boring until the last 20 kilometer.

[Portugal-Fan]

Sat 1 is taking over the broadcasting in Germany! It's on air since 15:00. The time trial on Saturday will be on Pro Sieben because of the Ligapokal. Slightly better than RTL.
Good for Sat 1, but a very wrong sign, as it has been said before.

[Wim]

Despite doping and cheating..the Tour is still very alive. The event is bigger than its riders. No matter what they do people are still fascinated about this fantastic 3 weeks. Everywhere the Tour is coming the crowd is on the street. It was the case in the UK, Belgium and now France. ARD/ZDF won't change this by not broadcasting though it has to be said it was very brave and courageous of them.

[Portugal-Fan]

Despite doping and cheating..the Tour is still very alive. The event is bigger than its riders. No matter what they do people are still fascinated about this fantastic 3 weeks. Everywhere the Tour is coming the crowd is on the street. It was the case in the UK, Belgium and now France. ARD/ZDF won't change this by not broadcasting though it has to be said it was very brave and courageous of them.

This decision was made to punish rather the German teams than the whole tour itself, I think. They sat together with T-Mobile and Gerolsteiner some weeks ago and everyone agreed to try and stop doping in Germany. And ARD/ZDF decided to end broadcasting the tour if a German cyclist should be tested positive. So it's an agreement the teams and cyclists knew of, they're just being consequent now. The more stupid it is from Sinkewitz.
But someone has to start the fight against doping! (E.g. the way the spanish cycling federation has handled the Fuentes-affair is just riddiculous.) It's a big headline in Germany, we have always considered our "heroes" like Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel as clean and honest sportsmen. Some other countries have more experiences with former doping cases. That might explain the whole uproar to a foreigner.
But I will love the Tour de France, no matter what!

[Wim]

This is very interesting what you are writing here Portugal-fan (and I don't say this easily because- my friend - your team is not making it easy for us in the football qualification matches for the next EC football )

Not only the Spanish federation is ridiculous as you write but also the Tour with allowing Richard Virenque - Mr Dope - to be in the neighbourhood of the Tour every day. But he is French of course.

On Belgian tele Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevere did not agree with the the decision of ARD/ZDF " German teams are doing a good job by punishing the cheaters, ADR/ZDF are punihing people still believing in the Tour, that is not fair"

And national hero Tom Boonen - very unlucky to be involved in the last km crash - was ready for his next win... (I' m being a chauvinist also )

[Blondie]

Hey Wim,

.........and what a great stage 11 win for Robert Hunter, Barloworld, with Fabian Cancellara coming in second.

The overall leader board standings after stage 11...

1. Michael Rasmussen
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Iban Mayo
4. Cadel Evans
5. Alberto Contador

..........and it will be interesting to see now who will win stage 12, Montpellier - Castres, again, a very interesting race so far...

Lol.....xx

[Wim]

Hey Wim,

.........and what a great stage 11 win for Robert Hunter, Barloworld, with Fabian Cancellara coming in second.

The overall leader board standings after stage 11...

1. Michael Rasmussen
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Iban Mayo
4. Cadel Evans
5. Alberto Contador

..........and it will be interesting to see now who will win stage 12, Montpellier - Castres, again, a very interesting race so far...

Lol.....xx

Hoi Blondie

Yeah what a great stage indeed yesterday, with Cancellara almost winning again...and Rasmussen in a drugs test dispute.
The winner of the Tour will probably be one of those 5 you mentioned above. Though I expect Klode to perform well those coming days. No fire work expected to day I guess.

[Wim]

The last 40 km in 40 min - that' s pretty fast !! 2 km before the end a perfect blue Quick Step train was set up with Roselle, de Jongh, Steegmans and Boonen.
And no mistake was made, no gaps, good pace and well timed accelerations. It needs so much power for the other riders once they are behind that train to go over it that it becomes quite impossible, and Boonen finishing outstanding again.

Tomorrow the first of the Tour's individual time-trials: Kloden, Valverde, Evans being the favorites to me. After that the riders head into the Pyrenees on Sunday.

[April madness]

congrats Wim, Boonen really finished well. I guess all Belgium celebrating?

[attilahun]

Nice one Wim!
Your day has come!
But tomorrow ( eh, i mean today ) is another day, and I think is going to be an important day for the tour.
See you after the stage.