Le Tour de France

[elvaago]

And now Rasmussen is out of the tour.

What's the point anymore? Really, what is the point of having a professional cycling contest anymore?

[MrRottweiler]

Did anyone see that Labrador that wandered in the road and got hit by a cyclist last week? How did it come to be in the road? I think the owners should have been given a stern talking to about that.

[April madness]

And now Rasmussen is out of the tour.

What's the point anymore? Really, what is the point of having a professional cycling contest anymore?

Last year was bad, but this year the Tour has turned into complete farce. The IOC is considering now to exclude cycling from the programme of olympic games - at least I've read about that in the news.

[elvaago]

I would wholeheartedly support such a decision. The sport is completely broken. I don't know how they'll ever fix it.

[Nina]

I never followed the cycling scene closely, but what I've heard about the sport in the last couple of years is sad and frustrating.
Perhaps a ban from 2 or 3 Olympic Games would benefit the sport in the long run, even if it disappoints the fans at first. Isn't watching healthy athletes compete what it's all about after all?

[chasmmi]

Could they not put an onus on the teams to make sure they are fielding drug free competitors.

If a team knew it would be fined say 100,000 pounds for entering a drugged up rider then I'm sure teams would introduce a private drug testing system that all their riders would have to pass in prder to compete and thus clean things up.


I am not suggesting the teams are to blame but if you go for them then they will be forced to carry out checks on their riders.

[Wim]

I never followed the cycling scene closely, but what I've heard about the sport in the last couple of years is sad and frustrating.
Perhaps a ban from 2 or 3 Olympic Games would benefit the sport in the long run, even if it disappoints the fans at first. Isn't watching healthy athletes compete what it's all about after all?

Sad and frustrating is also that East European countries the initiators of dope in the Olympic Games and in the whole world were never punished.
During the World cup last year not a single doping test was done. Why has Zidane never been checked after he - like a madman attacked Materazzi in the final of the WC ?? What drug did he take ?
And Nina - weren' t some Greek athletes tested positive on drugs in their discipline in the last OG in Athens ?? So ban their sport as well.
At least the Tour the France is in war with cheating - can't be said about other sports.
And Kazachstan behaving like a 'victim' after Vino was tested positive - a political issue they said
to punish their poor, hard working Kazach - poor people, 100 year behind. Germany already banned Astana from their Tour, because they found the Astana behaviour 'hypocrit'.

[Nina]

Wim, I understand your need to defend a sport you like, no need to get this defensive!

The Greek sprinters were not tested positive during the 2004 Olympics. They could not be reached for tests 3 times and that was considered proof of guilt. They were banned for 2 years like the regulations dictate. However, they were just 2 athletes, from one country. If the sport suffered scandals every day, I would say the same thing about it as I said about cycling.

I agree there are sports where nobody intervenes where drugs are concerned, football and weightlifting being two good examples I guess. But cases of doping going without punishment there is surely no excuse for cycling!

[Wim]

Wim, I understand your need to defend a sport you like, no need to get this defensive!

The Greek sprinters were not tested positive during the 2004 Olympics. They could not be reached for tests 3 times and that was considered proof of guilt. They were banned for 2 years like the regulations dictate. However, they were just 2 athletes, from one country. If the sport suffered scandals every day, I would say the same thing about it as I said about cycling.

I agree there are sports where nobody intervenes where drugs are concerned, football and weightlifting being two good examples I guess. But cases of doping going without punishment there is surely no excuse for cycling!

Me defensive Nina? Where do you get that
But glad we agree. So in this case Rasmussen is to be considered as the Greek athletes. He is not tested positive. Why should his sport be banned then ? And cyclism suffers scandals every day because riders are tested every day Don't ban the sport ban the athletes...in every sport !

[Blondie]

Hey Wim,

.....and I'm still on the tour just about, but been very busy at work..

And interesting to see that Sandy Casar won stage 18 yesterday, and that Alberto Contador still holds yellow, and overall leader.

And now today I think it's back to the individual time trials again......

Lol....xx

[Wim]

Hey Wim,

.....and I'm still on the tour just about, but been very busy at work..

And interesting to see that Sandy Casar won stage 18 yesterday, and that Alberto Contador still holds yellow, and overall leader.

And now today I think it's back to the individual time trials again......

Lol....xx

Very true Blondie The question is will Alberto Contador still be in the yellow this evening or will Cadel Evans be able to take back the 1.50 min he is behind ?
The battle for the yellow this afternoon promises to be thrilling.

[attilahun]

Contador holds a 23-second lead over Cadel Evans, which should give the Spaniard his first Tour win on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Contador's team-mate Leipheimer took the stage in a time of one hour, two minutes and 44 seconds.

Leipheimer's superb ride - his first Tour stage victory - put him just nine seconds behind the Australian Evans.

In winning the stage the American clocked an average speed of 53.082km per hour. in the 55.5km stage from Cognac to Angouleme.

"I feel this is maybe the best day of my life," said Leipheimer. "It's my first Tour de France stage win and after this I think I deserve to stand on the podium in Paris."

At the start of the stage Evans trailed Contador by nearly two minutes but the Australian, turning an enormous gear, gradually chizelled away at the Spaniard's lead.

"I've done all I could," said Evans.

"I lost 55 seconds in the ascent of the Col de Peyresourde, that is where I lost the Tour," the Australian added, referring to one of the climbs in the Pyrenees in Wednesday's 16th stage.

Watched on Saturday by seven-times Tour winner and former Discovery Channel rider Lance Armstrong, Contador is set to become the first Spaniard to win the Tour since Miguel Indurain's fifth victory in 1995.

He is also about to become the first pure climber to secure victory in the tour since Italian Marco Pantani triumped in 1998.

This is from BBC site. I hope is useful.

[attilahun]

This is the overall standings

î1.CONTADOR A. 87h 09' 18"
2.EVANS C. 0' 23"
3.LEIPHEIMER L. 0' 31"
4.SASTRE C. 07' 08"
5.ZUBELDIA H. 08' 17"
6.VALVERDE A. 11' 37"
7.KIRCHEN K. 12' 18"
8.POPOVYCH Y. 12' 30"
9.ASTARLOZA M. 14' 14"
10.PEREIRO SIO O. 14' 25

[Wim]

Thanks Attilahun very useful. So finally Contador won the battle for the yellow.
It was a thrilling afternoon with Evans and Leipheimer ending very close to Alberto. It was a tragic Tour but also one that started the mothers of all wars against Dope. I hope other sports will take an example to this. And tomorrow the final stage towards Paris ending on the Champs Elysees. National proud is telling me that the blue Quick Step Innergetic lead out train will take Tom Boonen to his third victory

[Wim]

So I was wrong - the blue Quick Step lead out train of Tom Boonen was not able to bring him in leading position over the finish. A sprint in the the Champ Elysées is always 'Russian Roulette'. The built up of the blue train was not correct - Benatti sneaked in after Rosseler and jumped on the right moment to victory. But Quick Step Innergetic have what they wanted - the green jersey and 4 stages victories with Steegmans (here in Gent), Vasseur and Tom Boonen twice.
And Contador..if logic is respected we have the new Armstrong - hopefelly one without doping. 'Hard working popular' Vinokourov, playing the innocent Kazach was confirmed in the second test he was doped...I hope the old 'dope generation' is out once and for good. This was the Tour 2007.