adeben

Vinokourov (and, I assume, Rasmussen) are paid in excess of €1 million per year to ride in competitive cycle races. The temptation to ensure that they are 'ultra-competitive' by using performance enhancing techniques must be severe. Certainly Rasmussen was withdrawn BY HIS TEAM because he had lied to them about where he was when he was supposed to be having compulsory, scheduled tests: He said Mexico, and folks believed him. It now turns out that he was in Italy all the time, and that is what has brought down on him the wrath of Team Radobank, the Danish Cycling Federation and the Danish Olympic Committee. Any chance that all of them are wrong, and that he is 'innocent' and much put upon? I suspect not. His employment as a highly-paid cyclist is dependent on having regular doping tests, and he chose not to have the tests. Say 'Goodbye', Michael.

kerouac

Parisians are beginning to collect spoiled fruit and vegetables from the street markets to greet the Tour on Sunday.

adeben

That would be a pity. I assume that the riders who tire on mountain stages, or who can't sustain severe efforts over successive stages, are actually relying on training, and not pharmaceuticals. That seems to be most of them. Just to get to Paris is a great effort, and the honest riders (and there seems to be plenty of them) deserve plaudits, not abuse.

rkkwan

This is the first year in the past 7 or 8 that I have not followed TdF at all. I am so glad I didn't waste time this July.

This sports is a total farce.

PalenQ

Last Man Standing to win Tour?

kerouac

I was thinking they could reverse the standings and give the prize to the person finishing last.

ComfyShoes

Great suggestion, kerouac!! Today's NY Times has a good article on the topic. The link's too long and I am in too much of a hurry right now to post it!

PalenQ

Or maybe change the winning jersey from Maillot Jaune to Malliot Noir, signifying the darkness cast of the Tour and cycling in general

PalenQ

When Lance was reigning even the mention that he may have doped up as several key witnesses attest to were met by an almost indignant attitude "How dare you taint the Golden boy"

I wonder now how many still believe that he too - WINNER OF 7 STRAIGHT TOURS - didn't dope. Seems very improbable.

fnarf999

Rasmussen had his blood tested 17 times in the past 14 days. How much more testing can they do?

PalenQ

Just proves how hard it is to detect doping - ih he weren't doping it seems he'd been at back of the pack.

MyriamC

They may stop this ridiculous spectacle called Tour de France right away.

StuDudley

I've stopped watching the tour, and now I'm focusing on our local sports challenge - Barry Bonds pursuit of the HR record.

Stu Dudley
in San Francisco

PalenQ

Nice one Stu

now even golfers are accused of roids - will Poker be next?

basingstoke2

Re Lance - not logical Pal.
It is a given that many, if not almost all of the riders dope so they are still starting from the same baseline. If he doped, to beat all the other dopers 7x is still a heck of an achievement - if he didn't dope it's even more so. I think that the key to Armstrong's success, in addition to having a strong team, is that his illness taught him endure extreme pain over long periods.

job816_2

More like Tour de Farce.

PalenQ

Bstoked: in any event yes Lance' accomplishment, however, is one of the more incredible in sports history - even more having come back from serious cancer.

ComfyShoes

I remember reading somewhere Lance had the heart of a horse capable of beating 200 times a minute. Some University of Texas study.

MyriamC

A heartbeat of 200 times a minute is not exceptional for an athlete. My husband, who is an amateur biker, can go (and still be safe) upto 190. His lowest, at rest, is 45 beats/min.

Nora_S

The "key witnesses" against Lance (Betsy Andreu and ???) are not very credible. But even if you accept her hospital room story, that was 1996, before Lance's first Tour de France victory. Can you point to any actual evidence that he took drugs later, while competing in the Tour? (Not counting the EPO and other drugs he undoubtedly and legally took while undergoing chemo).

His survival of cancer was not only improbable, it was close to a miracle. As a cancer survivor myself, I can tell you that anyone who has been through that is very unlikely to put drugs or dangerous substances in his or her body after that. You are a different person, after your life has been spared.

I think Lance's success can be entirely accounted for in other ways---you might say he hit on a winning combination.

First, his doctors say that the fight against cancer changed his body composition (he lost a lot of upper body weight, which is mostly dead weight in cycling) and strengthened his heart. Second, his team was VERY good (they still are), and they worked only for him---no destructive internecine rivalries like T-Mobile's. Third, he had a lot of technological support, designing special low-resistance suits, helmets, bikes, etc., just for him. This really benefitted him in his time trials. Fourth, he is naturally gifted as a rider. Watch the scenes of him riding, compared to other competitors. He was so smooth. He really did "dance on the pedal"---effortlessly, no wasted side-to-side motion, no weaving up the hill. Fifth, he has incredible will and ability to withstand pain. Sixth, he was incredibly good (or lucky) at staying out of crashes.

I don't particularly care for the guy as a person, at least what I have seen of him in his public appearances. But do I think he is an amazing athlete. I also believe he could not have done what he did without his team.