It's July. Midsummer and hot. I've been without football since February. I hurt. Fortunately, July offers lots of good sports drama and is my favorite non-football month. Consider:
- Tour de France: I still love this race. Nearly a month of cycling. These guys are crazy. If Lance wins, he wins. Astana is a loaded team, with Armstrong, Andreas Kloden, Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer all having been podium contendors in recent history. The question remains: who will be the leader of this team, who will sacrifice position to help their teammate win. That will be interesting to watch unravel.
I'm still pulling for Team Garmin and Christian Vande Velde even though he has a tough route considering the injuries sustained in a crash at the Giro d'Italia. The dude is riding after breaking 5 vertebrae. Makes my excuse of being tired seem lame. Here's a nice article in NY Times written by Vande Velde. I wouldn't mind seeing a good race from Team Columbia that features British sprinter Mark Cavendish and longtime American Mr Reliable George Hincapie.
- British Open, or The Open Championships, is also this month. My favorite golf major. This year, it will be played at Turnberry, where in 1986 Greg Norman finally won his first Open Championship.
These two events alone will get me to August and the beginning of football season. Bring on Scotland and the Champs Elysees.
Showing posts with label tour de france. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour de france. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Slipstream
Despite the scandals of doping, I love the Tour de France. As someone who rides, I can appreciate the ability of these riders to get up and down mountains. I love the colors of the peloton, the characters of the spectators that line the roads, and the pageantry and traditon of Le Tour.
To the casual observer, it's just grown men on bikes. But the tour is a series of attacks and counterattacks. You must protect your leader from the wind, road and other riders. Domestiques sacrifice. You work within your team and with rival teams. The peloton works together to close the gap on the breakaways. Strategy is paramount. If a rival takes off, you may not want your team leader expend unnecessary energy. So you send a teammate to "ride" your opponent's wheel and reign him in. It truly is a beautiful sport.
My friend Brent has had some good updates on The Tour de France on his blog.
I've been following Team Slipstream for about a year now. They got a late invitation to the Tour this year and are renowned for their comprehensive independent testing program. They are truly trying to field a clean team. They recently were able to pick up some big sponsors and are racing as Garmin-Chipotle. Not the strongest team in the tour, but they have really ridden well. Early in the race, they actually led the team standings. Their main rider, Christian Vande Velde, is 39 seconds off the lead going into today. If he can stay close, the Individual Time Trial could get him a podium position in Paris.
I am pulling for Vande Velde and Garmin-Chipotle. I am pulling for a race that will be free of doping a scandals. I am pulling for the Tour de France.
To the casual observer, it's just grown men on bikes. But the tour is a series of attacks and counterattacks. You must protect your leader from the wind, road and other riders. Domestiques sacrifice. You work within your team and with rival teams. The peloton works together to close the gap on the breakaways. Strategy is paramount. If a rival takes off, you may not want your team leader expend unnecessary energy. So you send a teammate to "ride" your opponent's wheel and reign him in. It truly is a beautiful sport.
My friend Brent has had some good updates on The Tour de France on his blog.
I've been following Team Slipstream for about a year now. They got a late invitation to the Tour this year and are renowned for their comprehensive independent testing program. They are truly trying to field a clean team. They recently were able to pick up some big sponsors and are racing as Garmin-Chipotle. Not the strongest team in the tour, but they have really ridden well. Early in the race, they actually led the team standings. Their main rider, Christian Vande Velde, is 39 seconds off the lead going into today. If he can stay close, the Individual Time Trial could get him a podium position in Paris.I am pulling for Vande Velde and Garmin-Chipotle. I am pulling for a race that will be free of doping a scandals. I am pulling for the Tour de France.
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