Wow, stage 9 today already? I am so far behind. I swear every day I spend maybe 6-8 hours sleeping and the rest either watching the Tour or reading about it online.
There have been some really brutal stages so far. With Frank Schleck and Christian Vandevelde out, there are still a lot of GC contenders left. But it became clear today that Contador and Andy Schleck are the best climbers in the business, as Bob Roll would say. Watching Lance and his series of bad luck issues, beginning with the spill in Stage 2 and then the flat on Stage 3 which lost him some time, and culminating in not one, not two, but three crashes on stage 8, it's clear that an 8th Tour win will not happen for him. It's really bizarre, like all the good karma he had in those 7 tours having great teams around him and surviving without any major mishaps has caught up with him. Who knows. In any case, it makes him appear more human and will be interesting to see him once again ride in support of another teammate, but this time I really do think he wants Levi to do well. Can't say this was the case last year, though Lance & Alberto were both on team Astana then. Today's stage & climb up the Madeleine was painful to watch - the images of a struggling Cadel Evans in the maillot jeune, the face of Jens Voigt contorted in pain, the cool, calm and collected face of Alberto Contador, and the slight grimace on the face of Andy Schleck are the ones I remember most. Yet I saw an interview with Chris Horner in which he just laughed at how brutal it was, talked about how much he suffered, and will be there tomorrow for more of the same. He gave a somewhat emotional interview on Sunday saying that he'd ride for Lance any time and that he's "a legend". That kind of loyalty is pure as this sport can be. You don't see that in the NFL or NBA, do you? I'm not so sure. But nothing can compare with the brutality of the Tour de France, the sheer and absolute lunacy of riding a bicycle around France.
While I'm ranting, can I say a few words about ugly kits? I can't even remember who I mentioned last year but come on AG2R, brown bibs? Really? And what is with the Footon- Sevetto team? Couldn't they at least come up with a better design or some better colors besides brown and brownish? If you want to send a guy in the break for some quality camera time, don't you think they'd consider having something a bit more pleasing on the eyes?
Speaking of pleasing, I sure loved seeing Fabian Cancellara in yellow. His dimpled smiles on the podium as he dons the yellow jersey brighten up even the gloomiest of days. And I have to admit that I yelled at my TV as if it would help Mark Renshaw and the rest of the Columbia HTC leadout train deliver Mark Cavendish to his 2 stage wins. I actually cried when I saw his emotions burst forth as he stood on top of the podium, not able to hold back the tears as he finally regained lost confidence, paid back his team for their hard work with a well-deserved win, and hopefully silenced his critics. He's been under a lot of pressure, and coming off such a phenomenal 2009 season he had a lot to prove.
There's still a lot of Tour left. I can't even make any predicions right now but I would absolutely LOVE to see Levi Leipheimer on the podium. Everyone is ruling out Cadel after his admission today that he's riding with a fractured elbow. I see no cracks in the armor of either Schleck or Contador, both of whom have strong teams around them. I'd rather see Andy Schleck win, which I can only justify by saying he seems more humble to me, and more appreciative of his team than Contador was of his Astana teammates last year. I also have more faith in Saxo Bank to deliver Andy to the Champs Elysses than I do of Astana to deliver Alberto. But, we shall see....
So when I'm not watching the Tour, or reading about the Tour, or thinking about the Tour, or talking about the Tour, I'm riding my bike. I put in 180 miles last week!
Oh. I just remembered, I have a full time job. Back to work.
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