Winners and losers at the ’10 Tour de France
Another TdF has come and gone. The cycling news sites are generally pretty quiet now and everyone is gearing up for the Vuelta. A kaleidoscope of jerseys were handed out to the “winners” but were these riders the real winners? I say we look back and reshuffle the deck of perception.
First, let’s look at the “losers”…
Lance Armstrong: Holy cow, did Lance lose big or did he lose huge? Expectations were high for the Texan and many hoped and believed he would walk out with an 8th TdF victory. Not only did he walk out empty handed but he got bruised and pretty much gave up. It started with a flat tire and ended with three crashes (in one day). The accusations from Floyd Landis did not help any and I’m sure it shook Lance up a bit. Despite a strong performance in Stage 15, any hope for a personal victory was lost. Lance claimed that age and karma had finally caught up to him. The media hype surrounding Lance dried up and all eyes were focused elsewhere. Ouch.
Levi Leipheimer: I like Levi as a personality but I am disappointed in his determination. He seems to give up too easy, like Lance Armstrong did in this years TdF. Rather than continuing to fight, he concedes that he may not make the podium. He rides simply to finish not too far down. Why can he not attack the TdF like he does the ToC? Go Levi or go away. Please, win!
Alberto Contador: I listed Alberto but I’ll include Andy Schleck and Carlos Sastre in this too. The whole messy question of waiting (or not waiting) for a rider turned into a tweenage spitfest. I mentioned it before in this blog. Seriously, grown men squabbling like kids? Ok, I’ll admit that cycling is a gentleman’s sport and squabbling is part of the atmosphere, but only to a point. Rather than admit poor sportsmanship, everyone swept the whole waiting issue under the rug. Hopefully it will stay there. Will everyone play nice now? Yes, cycling is a “nice” sport. If you want “rough” then go for Mixed Martial Arts or American Football.
Now, the winners…
Chris Horner: What a classy act! I have always thought that Chris is one of the most underutilized cyclists in the peloton. Here is a rider who can climb very well, put out decent time trials, and will support his team to the very end. Johann Bruyneel should have made Chris the team captain. With the entire team riding for him, Chris could have at least made the podium. He never brings in age as a deterrent to his performance. Instead, he says that he is one of the top riders in the world. I say that he is the top rider in the world!
Greg LeMond: Here’s a surprising entry. Greg’s image had really taken a sharp nose dive in the past months/years. Many people think he turned into a bitter whiner with his outspoken opinions of who is and who isn’t doping and how to detect it. What good does it do to run around squawking, “I didn’t see you dope but I know you did. There’s evidence out there. I just can’t find it.” Pointing fingers is never nice unless you have something to back it up with. He took another black eye during his lawsuit with Trek. I admit that I was a detractor but I was once a fan like many who witnessed his victories in ’86, ’89, and ’90. Seeing him reconcile with Floyd a bit was the first step. The second thing that helped was reading his blog posts on cyclingnews.com. They were good and insightful. Lastly, I think time helped soothe perceptions. Although I still wouldn’t ride a LeMond branded bike, I am willing to listen to him more now than before. His imagine has been rehabilitated.
Fabian Cancellara: Motorman Cancellara! I just love watching and reading about his time trials. Stage 19 was simply awesome. Just awesome! Stage 19 was 52 km long, which translates to about 32 miles. Fabian rode it in one hour and fifty six seconds! Can you average 32 MPH for an hour? This is starting to get close to the World Hour Record. I think Fabian is going to pick up where David Zabriskie let go and where David Millar left off and we will see some impressive records from Fabian.
I made a prediction that we’d get some more doping confessions and we got at least one. Rudy Pevenage confirmed what the world was already suspecting. Jan Ullrich was doped up to the eyeballs by Dr. Fuentes. Should we put some more asterisks in the TdF standings? It’s all sad because it’s all past history. We can’t change it and yet we as riders and enthusiasts suffer from the fall out. Maybe we should have a Truth and Reconciliation Council and just get over it.
