Tour de France thread

Don't know if you guys follow the Tour de France now that Lance is retired but some pretty big news was announced today:

Jan Ulrich, one of the candidates for the end victory has been suspended by his team after being named in a doping scandal in Spain (he supossedly has used blood doping). Togehther with Ulrich the name of the other big candidate Ivan Basso has been named in this doping affair. The comite of the Tour de France has already confirmed that they will suspend everyone who appears on the list of the Spanish investigation.

Seems to me that we'll have one of the weirdest tour de france in history now that the biggest two names for the victory in Paris will not start. The tour starts tomorrow

yup, been keeping up (and even made some cash this a.m. laying basso and ullrich on betfair). too bad, but this probably means that there's definitely going to be an american on the podium, if not winning it.

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Originally Posted by ulty_guy

but this probably means that there's definitely going to be an american on the podium, if not winning it.

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The frogs would LOVE that.

But I thought Velo News reported wednesday the green light for the Big German.

no no, everyone's getting the boot now, mancebo and menchov too.

maybe simoni was so off his rocker when he accused basso of being 'extraterrestrial' at the giro this year? even weirder, how about menchov getting the vuelta title last year b/c of heras' disqualification due to epo only to find out they were both using the same doctor...the saga continues. :nonono2:

Yep, it's now also sure basso won't start, he wil most probably be kicked from the CSC team.

So who do we have for new candidates: Leipheimer, Vinokourov, Mayo, Julich, Moreaux,...? Not sure if Hamilton is also on the list.

Makes you think if 56 people were on that list, is there then anyone who still plays it clean.

Anyhow, we normally still have the green jersey with Tom Boonen, olé

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Originally Posted by dorfke

Yep, it's now also sure basso won't start, he wil most probably be kicked from the CSC team.

So who do we have for new candidates: Leipheimer, Vinokourov, Mayo, Julich, Moreaux,...? Not sure if Hamilton is also on the list.

Makes you think if 56 people were on that list, is there then anyone who still plays it clean.

Anyhow, we normally still have the green jersey with Tom Boonen, olé

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Not Vino. ASO is defying the CAS decision to let them in. No Vino. I'm picking Floyd Landis for the Tour. Go Floyd.

WOW. This is huge... let's go Floyd!

On another related note, if this all plays out as is, and Lance continues to be exonerated of any charges of doping, what he did the last 7 years is even more amazing.

I may be a cynical bastard but did anyone really think these guys were racing clean? Don't get me wrong, I love the spectacle that the grand tours give us but with the long history of prevalent drug use amoung riders I never once imagined it was a clean sport with a few bad apples. Why not let them do what they want? Proracers as a sort of unlimited class.

no vino anyways, cause you have to have 6 riders to start a grand tour and everyone one his team outside him and the other kazahk are implicated. f'in bummer for him.

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Originally Posted by dorfke

So who do we have for new candidates: Leipheimer, Vinokourov, Mayo, Julich, Moreaux,...? Not sure if Hamilton is also on the list.

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Hamilton is still serving a 2 year suspension for blood boosting.

Without Ullrich and Basso, Landis has a very good shot at wearing yellow on the Champs Elyssees. Lepheimer could make the podium.

I expect someone from Discovery to have agood shot at the win. Without Basso and Ullrich, T-Mobile and CSC don't have someone ready to ride the race to win. Disco is strong enough and experienced enough that they can ride one of their GC contenders into yellow.

It's gonna be a REAL interesting race now.

And I'm rooting for Floyd.

My money is pretty much on Marco, but I'm *secretly* rooting for Landis. My darkhorse pick is Yaroslav Popovych.

Isn't it nice knowing (as of now, knock on wood) that NONE of the Team Disco riders were named?

Go Floyd!!!!!!!

No Disco riders named, looks like they now should own the TTT

Veloe News Article

http://www.velonews.com/tour2006/new...s/10176.0.html

c'est bizarre. but it just goes to show you how extensive doping is. i think they should just allow everything. back in the old days, they would just have 10 cups of coffee laced with cocaine. my how times change...

Well, this news really sucks. Kind of takes the fun out of tour now that most of the big names are gone.

Theres no TTT this year.

Does T-Mobile still have Klodden? Wasn't he second in 2004? Should be a GC contender.

Michael Rasmussen
was basically 3rd last year in the GC
With major teams losing big riders, Rabobank might be able to pull him through.

Landis on paper,
Rasmussen in my gut.

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Originally Posted by Below Zero

Well, this news really sucks. Kind of takes the fun out of tour now that most of the big names are gone.

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Actually, I think this is going to make the tour much more exciting. This gives some other riders that would have been resigned to work for their team leader a chance to now shine on their own or have their team supporting them.

I wanted to believe guys like Ulrich and Basso did not need to Dope. And even with all of these guys out of the Peleton it doesn’t mean the winner will be clean he is just using a different Dr.

Did Simoni just win his 3rd Giro?

You guys are forgetting Alejandro Valverde, very young but with the latest news he become a favorite. Not only is he a top climber, but he can sprint as well. I think he takes it.



PS. Isn't it amazing that all these guys were on drugs and they still couldn't beat the great Lance Armstrong?!? :rolleyes2

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Originally Posted by ICEHOCEY77

You guys are forgetting Alejandro Valverde, I think he takes it. :rolleyes2

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Only if he makes it to Paris.

Rassmussen can't time trial.
Hoping for an american sweep: Landis, George, Leipheimer

Go Floyd Landis! that is all....:yourock:

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Originally Posted by XtrPickels

Michael Rasmussen
was basically 3rd last year in the GC
With major teams losing big riders, Rabobank might be able to pull him through.

Landis on paper,
Rasmussen in my gut.

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Yup, I am going to back Ramussen as well. if he could only time trial he would have real shot (imvho).

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Originally Posted by Flake

Why not let them do what they want? Proracers as a sort of unlimited class.

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Here's an excerpt from the article in Wikipedia about EPO:

"EPO doping probably became common in Grand Tour cycling after pharmaceutical EPO became available in the late 1980s, but there was at the time no way to prove its use in the absence of physical evidence of EPO possession. In retrospect, the deaths of a dozen or more elite cyclists in the early 1990s from heart failure while sleeping, were grim evidence of its overuse.

Excessive use of pharmaceutical EPO can lead to so many red blood cells that the blood becomes thick enough to strain the heart, especially during sleep when the heart rate is low."

So, I'd say that's why. If EPO was allowed, people would take it, and people would probaby die as a result.