Tour de France 2007 who will win?

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by XJ.

Tuesday is the rest day kONGO.

Yeah, I was all screwed up... I spent the afternoon sweating in the 35C attic with no TdF love. Today was nice, though.

[Centurion]

What the heck is going on?

Overall leader, Michael Rasmussen, has been fired from his team just hours after his stage win today.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ur.stage16.ap/

[JMerrick]

Looks to be "last man standing" time, with all the druggies falling off one by one...

I'm also a strong believer that Lance Armstrong took PEDs but then again, so did many of those he competed against.

[k0NG0]

Screw me sideways, they fired Rasmussen. He shouldn't have been allowed to start the TdF at all, but still. He was a shoo-in for the overall finish after today.

And yet again it's a pretty open race. Evans and Leipheimer have a reasonable shot at trumping Contador on the TT stage on Saturday.

It's nice to see the teams actively participating in getting rid of doping. The chances of another Festina scandal is ever-decreasing. Question is if sponsors will keep paying to be seen together with cycling teams. I sincerely hope so, because as a sport it's a beautiful thing. All in all, it's sad but good for cycling to see people get caught and then kicked out. You'll never stop doping completely, but getting it down to the levels of e.g. track & field would mean a lot.

[Centurion]

Great time trial today. I was sitting on the edge of my seat watching the last 3 riders, wondering if Cadel would catch Alberto, and if Levi could catch Cadel. They all had the race of their lives today, and I am happy that Levi got his stage win finally.

With all the exposure that Team Discovery has received, it's a shame that the Discovery Channel is not going to renew their sponsorship. It's like USPS dropping US Postal at the height of their success. Anyone know who will take over as the main sponsor now?

[swannema]

All sponsor ship should stop till everyone understands that cheating doesn't give you a monetary advantage. The tour will be won by another cheater.

[ronbo 613]

I love bike riding, I love bike racing. I gave the pros as much as a benefit of the doubt as I could, but it's all about drugs, just like American baseball and football, so now I could care less about bike racing, which is too bad for the riders who aren't doping, now I just go riding.

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by ronbo 613

I love bike riding, I love bike racing. I gave the pros as much as a benefit of the doubt as I could, but it's all about drugs, just like American baseball and football, so now I could care less about bike racing, which is too bad for the riders who aren't doping, now I just go riding.

What's needed is sponsors making demands that the cyclists are clean (should be in iron clad contracts which mean the cyclists will have to pay back every fraction of a cent if they're dirty).

The UCI and all similar organizations need to start making off-race testing in much larger numbers. Younger team directors are needed, who haven't been involved with cycling during the dark years (like the guy in Cofidis who's just a big moron clearly not on-board with getting rid of doping).

What's necessary is to make sure the sport of cycling (as in the UCI who is the entity that represents cycling) doesn't get blamed, but the individual cyclists. The media has been very skewed, I think, with blaming "cycling", when cycling involves everyone from 7-year-olds to 70-year-olds racing or just cycling for fun.

I'm pretty well bummed out too. And surprised at how stupid the cyclists are.

[Centurion]

Drug use is probably prevalent in every professional sport, and while I don't know the answers to these questions, I think they need to be asked in all fairness to the sport of cycling:

How many other sports drug test as frequently and randomly?

How many other sports have punishments as harsh?

[Vheox]

Originally Posted by Centurion

Drug use is probably prevalent in every professional sport, and while I don't know the answers to these questions, I think they need to be asked in all fairness to the sport of cycling:

How many other sports drug test as frequently and randomly?

How many other sports have punishments as harsh?

Baseball? lol... The reason that drug testing is such an important factor is because cycling is all about raw power. In baseball, you have to be able to hit the ball. Or in soccer, you have to have technical skill etc... In cycling, it's your legs, and only your legs.

[XJ.]

Originally Posted by Centurion

How many other sports drug test as frequently and randomly?

How many other sports have punishments as harsh?

1) Athletics (Track & Field) are tested more frequently.

2) I don't know.

[XJ.]

Originally Posted by Vheox

Baseball? lol... The reason that drug testing is such an important factor is because cycling is all about raw power. In baseball, you have to be able to hit the ball. Or in soccer, you have to have technical skill etc... In cycling, it's your legs, and only your legs.

Cycling is a strategic team sport - It's just more like chess and the game is played out over 4 - 8 hours. Once you have the necessary physical fitness, the next most important things are concentration and mental toughness.

[Vheox]

Originally Posted by XJ.

Cycling is a strategic team sport - It's just more like chess and the game is played out over 4 - 8 hours. Once you have the necessary physical fitness, the next most important things are concentration and mental toughness.

Cycling is a team sport, but in few sports does physical endurance matter as much. If your legs are twice as big as the guy next to you, odds are you'll do better...

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by Vheox

Cycling is a team sport, but in few sports does physical endurance matter as much. If your legs are twice as big as the guy next to you, odds are you'll do better...

Bulk only really matters on the track sprint races. It's there you see the biggest thighs, like tree trunks they are. Big glutes too.

Endurance has little to do with size, hauling around too much muscle weight is a downside rather than a good thing. The doping has to do with oxygen uptake in the blood, red blood cells and recuperation between stages. Hence EPO, transfusions and testosterone gels/patches. It's no panacea either, Vino had done transfusions and still lost almost 30 minutes on a single stage.

It's got a lot to do with the mental constitution as well. Withstanding the pain of lactic acid when you're trying to outrun or catch up to a rider in a steep climb. Being able to focus over three weeks, overcoming various aches and pains, recovering from crashes (if any) and things like that.

[Centurion]

Discovery Channel team done - Lance Armstrong era ends as former squad is over

PARIS (AP) -- PARIS (AP) -- Lance Armstrong's old team is disbanding.

Tailwind Sports, which owns and operates the Discovery Channel team that Armstrong rode for, announced Friday that it will cease operations at the end of this season. The team had struggled to find a replacement sponsor.

Tailwind's statement also suggested that Armstrong's mentor, Johan Bruyneel, who coached him through his record seven Tour de France wins, will retire. It said "his departure from the sport was not an easy choice."