Advantage Landis
Le Tour is supposed to be the toughest challenge in sport. A few detractors aren’t taking as much interest in the tour though this time. Robbo presents the school of thought perfectly here:
Can we really take the Tour de France seriously now they’ve suspended some of the best cyclists ‘cos they might have been on summat? Personally I think they must all be out of their minds to want to do the damn thing in the first place…
But cycling is so full of suspicious supplements it’s getting to the point where it’s not so much a race as an endurance test for chemicals.
The legitimacy of the sport itself is being questioned now when earlier we used to marvel about the strength of the cyclists. I believe the sport cannot be faulted. Just because Le Tour is tough does not mean people have to take drugs. The best which can be done is to make real efforts to cleanse the sport - that process has already begun as we know with the exclusion of many during the tumoltous start of the tour as they were found out.
Coming to today, Gap to l’Alpe d’Huez has always been crucial [see the stage guide and other stages here]. This time around, it was going to be much more so as Telegraph UK said:
The aficionados rank the mighty Col du Galibier, which the riders tackle tomorrow, as the toughest climb in the Tour de France but a combination of circumstances have conspired to make today’s ride up L’Alpe d’Huez the event’s showpiece occasion…
Punters should take note of who wins the stage today. On 19 occasions out of 24, the rider in the yellow jersey after the L’Alpe d’Huez stage has won the Tour de France. It tests everything - physical capability, nerve, composure, competitive instincts and tactical flexibility - and only the best survive.
Read more on L’Alpe d’Huez in the Telegraph piece.
We saw Boonen pull out. We saw riders not up to the task as tough mountain stages show us. The big news, as BBC reports was this:
Oscar Pereiro, who started the day in the yellow jersey, now trails Phonak’s Landis by 10 seconds overall.
And, looking at the future:
The 187km stage was the first of three straight days of gruelling Alpine treks which are likely to help identify the top contenders to win the first Tour after the Lance Armstrong era.
For most, Landis is already big favourite with the 10 second lead now. More importantly, he is more than two minutes ahead of the real rivals left. Two more mountain stages to come and Landis is pretty good in the mountains. There is also the time trial left and Landis is excellent at time trials. So every thing points to a Landis win now.
Regardless of whether that will happen, now is the perfect time to enjoy the tour. See the mountains, see the finale and see why cycling isn’t boring even when the result seems decided.
Tags: Tour de France.
