Tour de France preview

[Heidi]

Did anyoone else catch OLN's Tour de France preview show yesterday? At the end the guys all picked their top 3 for the race. ALL OF THEM HAD HINCAPIE UP THERE!!!!!!!!!

Wow, that would be hot!

[Westy]

I predict who ever has the best doctor will win.

[Heidi]

That would be Hincapie then!

[sanjuro]

That would be Hincapie then!
I think Landis gets the best drugs. I read his interview in Outside (a good interview btw), and one point they made was that he doubled his victory count from the last 4 years this year. Keeping in mind that the 3 races he won this year are the Tour of Cali, Paris-Nice, and the Dauphine Libere; he basically went from a typical domestique palmares to winning 3 mid-level tours.

[Heidi]

I think Landis gets the best drugs. I read his interview in Outside (a good interview btw), and one point they made was that he doubled his victory count from the last 4 years this year. Keeping in mind that the 3 races he won this year are the Tour of Cali, Paris-Nice, and the Dauphine Libere; he basically went from a typical domestique palmares to winning 3 mid-level tours.

Yep, I get that magazine and read that article. I would only worry about him because others on his team have already been busted.

[McGRP01]

I think Landis gets the best drugs. I read his interview in Outside (a good interview btw), and one point they made was that he doubled his victory count from the last 4 years this year. Keeping in mind that the 3 races he won this year are the Tour of Cali, Paris-Nice, and the Dauphine Libere; he basically went from a typical domestique palmares to winning 3 mid-level tours.

He won the Tour de Georgia this year too didn't he? I like Floyd, but I've got a vibe about Levi doing well. We'll see. I still pick Basso to win the G.C..

[MMcG]

I'm not a big follower of road cycling, and some of the recent stories I've seen in cycling news has really soured me on watching this year's Tour de France.

It basically seems like a sport where the big bucks, and high pressure from teams force or lure riders to cheat to compete (and win)- and to me that is just wrong.

[Heidi]

And what, you think other sports are clean?

[sanjuro]

At least baseball and football are...

[Westy]

And what, you think other sports are clean?


Performance enhancers only work for cyclists, not to mention cycling is the only pro sport where enough money is involved to make it worhtwhile.:rolleyes:

Cycling is just the only sport that really seems to make a real effort to clean things up. Other sports are more concerned with protecting their image than the integrity of the sport. I guarantee that the majority of NFL, NBA, and NHL players dope, those sports just don't go after their players that hard. NFL players get tested but never suprised tested. If all those cyclists can pass random tests while doping their asses off you know anyone can pass a scheduled one.

I had a very interesting conversation with a guy who used to be the starting quarterback for Eastern Carolina University. He said that 90% of his college team mates took steroids. Of course he denied it.

[rooftest]

.... Tour of Cali, Paris-Nice, and the Dauphine Libere; he basically went from a typical domestique palmares to winning 3 mid-level tours.

Levi won the Dauphine - that was the Tour of GA that Floyd won.
I didn't watch the tour of CA, but the tour of GA definitely didn't have the same caliber of competition- how often do you see "Team Jelly Belly" racing in a European classic?

[Tenchiro]

I saw most of the show but had to leave before the end. I am just happy to not know the outcome in advance for the first time in years.

[sanjuro]

Levi won the Dauphine - that was the Tour of GA that Floyd won.
I didn't watch the tour of CA, but the tour of GA definitely didn't have the same caliber of competition- how often do you see "Team Jelly Belly" racing in a European classic?
Whoops, thanks for the correction.

Tour of Cali was pretty serious comp: Levi, George, Simoni, Julich, Savodelli. It was an early season race, but considering Floyd smoked them at the Paris Nice as well, he was obviously ready for the early season.

[Zutroy]

It's going to be someone that no one has ever heard of, cause everyone else is going to get kicked out.........

[jaydee]

It's going to be someone that no one has ever heard of, cause everyone else is going to get kicked out.........

That's what I've been thinking too. It's going to end up being a club team race.

[Tenchiro]

We need a pool on each stage, winner for whether they will be immediately disqualified for doping or not. :p

[MMcG]

And what, you think other sports are clean?

Nope. I don't think that at all.

I think it sucks that performance enhancing drugs are so prevalent in so many sports these days.

It is a sad state of affairs.

[MtnBikerChk]

Nope. I don't think that at all.

I think it sucks that performance enhancing drugs are so prevalent in so many sports these days.

It is a sad state of affairs.

I'm all for the asterisk!

[indieboy]

I think Landis gets the best drugs. I read his interview in Outside (a good interview btw), and one point they made was that he doubled his victory count from the last 4 years this year. Keeping in mind that the 3 races he won this year are the Tour of Cali, Paris-Nice, and the Dauphine Libere; he basically went from a typical domestique palmares to winning 3 mid-level tours.

he went from being a domestique on a team where everyone of the domestiques could have easily been contenders on other teams. easily. lance hand picked all those guys so he knew he'd have the strongest team he could possibly have.
and physically there isn't a whole lot that seperates those "domestiques" from their GC boys. biggest thing is motivation or lack of.

[Heidi]

Indie - how come you ain't racin in the tour yet? :)

[indieboy]

b/c i have a deathly fear of needles :)