Favorites ascending. Photo: Gruber Images.
As many of you know, I write a monthly column for Cyclist Magazine where I answer Dear Abby-esque questions, and the most recent query pertained to whether I consider the Tour the best race of the year, or whether it’s an over-publicized circus. The question made me realize something about myself: I have a weariness around the Tour de France not unlike a romantic whose heart has been broken one too many times.
The fact is, as much as I prefer a race like Paris-Roubaix or the Giro d’Italia to the mid-summer shit show that is the Tour de France, nothing gets my anticipation going quite the way the Tour does, which is undeniably the pinnacle of the season; all the classifications and stages are prestigious enough that racers of all sorts are all arriving at the start in peak form. There is a promise of hard racing from day one, but the first week consists mostly of me worrying about the big favorites crashing out. As soon as we get through that mess, my heart is usually broken on the first day in the mountains, when the favorite takes a decisive lead and the rest of the race is most about stages than the GC.
At least, these are the dreads of a man who lived through the Indurain and Armstrong eras of racing.
Nevertheless, the Tour always manages to seduce me, and this year is no different. Maybe this year, she won’t be such a cruel lover. And, maybe this year, I won’t make horrible picks in the VSP. Just maybe, just maybe. You know the drill; get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero, and you get some swap options on the rest day. Good luck!
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@ChrisO
relieved not to crash?
@Cary
For most it's the way he skated through Puerto under full protection of the Spanish Federation - http://www.velominati.com/racing/how-the-mighty-fall/ and has since seemed to get better & better despite advancing years...
@Cary
Hmmm, link didn't work. http://www.velominati.com/racing/how-the-mighty-fall/
@Mikael Liddy
very interesting. i had noticed that some riders seemingly skate through untouched, while others are hammered. i have been quite unaware Spain's national federation had behaved this way.
@Cary
Sorry, just seeing this.
It is the completely unrepentant doper who is obviously still on the sauce and doesn't bother really hiding his past or showing any concern or shame about it. Not to mention the way he attacked like FUCK Cuddles flat that cost Cuddles the Vuelta and gave Malmerde the victory.
The guy has no class or integrity or honour and is everything that is wrong with the sport and everything that the sport is trying to cleanse itself of and get ride of.
For our TdF excursion we had what I believe was an official TdF Photo bike. He's a few of the pics he took as the TdF went through. Either side of this wee storm it was a nice day.
@RobSandy
Exactly. The ITV interviewer grabbed him on the turbo and asked was he happy to get through and Porte just couldn't have agreed any harder.
@ChrisO
He was probably also relieved that he won't have the pressure of being anywhere close to leading the race. He gave away The Tour in the first stage.
@Rick
He's let quite a big time gap open to Froome already which he's going to have to work hard to close. 30 odd seconds is never trivial.
I'm not surprised any of the other main contenders didn't finish closer to the top of the stage rankings, but I'm surprised that none of them were any closer to Froome - didn't a lot of these guys beat Froome in a TT in the Dauphine?