Deutschland Tour Stage 5: True Grit

Strength in numbers doesn't always work for you. In 1969, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman had each other in the best actor category, but they split the vote and John Wayne won for the aforementioned cowboy movie of a different kind. And today at the Deutschland Tour, we saw true grit beat the numbers again, as Jens Voigt put on a great, gutsy performance to stay in the lead.

Brutal was the word of the day, as the Pro Tour reached its highest point of the year with the final climb on today's stage. Lampre and Discovery worked hard, and together, up to the base of the climb, setting a hard tempo and trying to isolate Jens. They did a fine job, and it was nice to see the Discovery train at work, knowing I had to appreciate these moments before they're gone! Jens just had Chris Sorensen, but as the climb started in earnest the Disco and Lampre boys melted away, leaving Levi Leipheimer and Damiano Cunego to fend for themselves anyway. Sorensen worked for Jens as long as he could, but fell off as the group shrank even further.

Neither Levi nor Cunego could come through on their teams' work. They gave it a valiant try, but Jens was on a mission and dropped them both in the final kilometers, picking up valuable time before Friday's Time Trial. As the commentators said, Jens has a great suffer face, and it was on all the way up. You know how much he wants this - to defend, to win clean for Germany, for his sport. Big Jens has a big heart, and it was great to watch. David Lopez Garcia had pulled away at about 6K to go, and took the stage, looking very happy crossing the line.

Jens, second on the day, was completely spent. He got off his bike and sat on the ground soon after the finish. He was there, leaning against the barriers, for a good while, toweling off, changing shirts, having a drink. But he was happy, and had that great big grin come podium time.

It was great to see Linus Gerdemann again, with his helmet at that rakish angle - German TV cuts to him kind of like French TV cuts to Thomas Voeckler. Here's hoping Linus actually progresses from his first 15 minutes! Thomas, dear, I kid because I love.

Great shots of the day - the riders went through a toll booth halfway up the climb! You don't see that every day. Good thing it was on the climb, as they were a small group already in single file. There were great shots from the helicopter of the steep grade, it was a monster climb. Several times WCSN dropped the commentary and just showed the feed, and it was really nice. One time was during a stretch of road with no fans, so it was almost silent, just the whir of the helicopter and faint noise of the small pack of riders. It was great to have a few moments of what the riders hear (provided they weren't getting screamed at in their ear). Context aside, something we can all relate to - breathing, pedaling, just trying to get to the top. Those passages were worth the five bucks alone!

Obviously, I love me some Tour, but I like these smaller races too. It really is all about the bike, kind of nice without so much pomp and circumstance. The Devil was still there, though!

Update on Uran - our pond crasher of yesterday. VeloNews reports he was being operated on all night, with broken ribs on both sides. CyclingNews reports that he broke both elbows and his right wrist. Sadly, I'm guessing they're both right, and as CN said, he has a long road ahead of him.

Sprinters stages coming up, Zabel is only one point behind, go Erik!

So In Love

Amber has nothing to worry about, it's not like that, but I am so in love with Floyd Landis right now! Our boy rocked at Leadville today, and I'm so happy for him I could just burst! It probably helps that I'm a little delirious from a four-hour ride myself today, but hang with me. TBV has good photos and stats, and VeloNews has a good quote. Floyd, baby, you didn't have to take my blood comment literally! Congrats to Dave Wiens on his fifth win - I'm sure if I had followed every detail of his life for the past year, I'd be just as happy for him. ;-) Of course I want Floyd back in Pro Tour races, but if that is not to be, I hope he can keep doing things like this. There is nothing more joyful to me than watching talented people do what they were put on this earth to do. And it seems to make them pretty happy, too. :-)

May I also profess my love for Jens Voigt? And Fabian, and Bobby, and Levi, George and Tommy, and so on and so on. CSC did some rockin' themselves at the Tour of Germany, winning the TTT. Classic Jens - he went for a one-second time bonus yesterday, so he could be in yellow today if the team won. I could quote everything Jens said, because I loved it all, but I'll just give the links, here and here. My personal favorite: "The course was very challenging and almost disgustingly hilly." And in the middle of all that, giving props to the DC riders and staff, a class act as always. Disco came in a solid second, and Tommy D is getting his racing legs back, can't wait to see what he can do!

I was wearing my Smith & Nephew jersey today, and thinking about both of these races as I rode, so it was great to come home and see the results. My ride, all things being relative, was a great one - sunny skies, stunning scenery, a new saddle, and I didn't run into any small children or horses! (It's Acadia in the summer, one has to be thankful for such things.) I even managed to take some photos, I'll try and get them up somewhere soon.

Another Day

Disco realized they had to explain themselves, and made some interesting comments. (I use "Disco," because it's easier than naming the four guys, and has always meant the team rather than the sponsor anyway.) So, it was a walking away more than a being forced out. I mean, the environment is what they decided they didn't want to deal with, but it was them deciding rather than a lack of sponsors. There's spin there, but I think the spin is backing up why they wanted to leave, not the fact that they did want to leave. The story on Johan (same link) also provides some insight - how this is how he's made each cycling decision along the way, quick and painless. Painless for him, of course; we can still feel bad for the riders and staff. But for the four horsemen, if they're not feelin' it anymore, it makes sense to leave. We thought they might be good pillars for the future of cycling, but if they don't want to fight that fight, as Lance said, they're not our guys. So long, and thanks for all the fish; we'll always have Paris. (someone had to say it ;)

Speaking of fish, plenty other in the sea to be happy about. As Axel Merckx says goodbye, we have a gene-pool double-dipper in Taylor Phinney, who just won the Junior World Time Trial Championship. That's got to be the best medicine for Dad.

The Tour of Germany is under way, with Robert Forster taking the opening stage. As the man said himself, a German rider, on a German team, in a German race, that's got to soothe things in Germany a bit. Also fun to read about Fabian Cancellara working for JJ Haedo, love that team spirit. And next up is a TTT, what's more fun than that?

And Floyd is racing his bicycle, can I get an Amen? As I said, it's been so soothing to read about him training the last few weeks. It's where he belongs, and it means he'll have fun on Saturday. Fun in that blood, sweat, tears, pushing themselves to the limit way that professional cyclists like to have fun. :-)

Wild Blue Yonder

On the demise of Discovery, just a few thoughts off the top of my head for now:

I had somewhat mixed feelings, which I think mirrors some of the issues in cycling. I've been annoyed at Johan for signing OP riders, and the team's deafening silence on doping issues, and have had my suspicions that Johan is of the old guard. But, how he runs a race is one of the more beautiful sights in all of sports. (see Disco Apocalypse entry) It's like how I feel about Lance - I don't always like him, but I sure do love to see him ride.

Yes, I think Levi will land on his feet, as suggested at VeloNews. But he's a guy who particularly benefited from having a strong team around him, and had finally gotten back to one, so there's something sad in that. Maybe he can go back to Rabobank, they have a rock-solid support team now!

Disco had such a good team atmosphere, despite whatever class system went on, I worry about the guys in that respect also. They seemed to flourish in it; will they be able to continue on the same track with other teams? Guys like Popovych, Danielson, Brajkovic. Johan had great patience in developing riders, I hope they can find that elsewhere. We've seen what a difference team atmosphere can make, like how T-Mobile killed Bobby Julich and others. I'm sure some things were done wrong at Disco, but a lot was done right, it was a tight operation. If the staff all find jobs elsewhere, do they bring that, or does it get diluted?

I agree with Marty, Bruce Springsteen's Dublin Sessions CD is awesome traveling music. And so it is with that version of Blinded By The Light that I think of one of the probable stumbling blocks in finding a new sponsor. Johan's signing of four OP riders. I don't want to go too far on that bandwagon, of it being the sole reason for Disco's demise, but it made an impression. It rankled me, and many others, from the start, and perhaps gave insight into Johan's blind need to win. Yes, it is confounding that the GC and Team winner of the Tour can't find a sponsor, but would the picture be different if it had been Levi on the top of the podium? And I don't just mean the American angle.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, Daniel Coyle was tiresome with his Tom-Wolfe-wannabe symbolism in Lance Armstrong's War. But the basic ideas did have merit, including the river of money flowing beneath the feet of a bunch of (mostly) guys who by luck or design caught the Blue Train. That flow just came to a screeching halt and I imagine some people are going to have some sleepless nights. Here's hoping they followed the age-old advice to diversify and aren't all left holding empty baskets.

Lance and Johan's comments strike me as a tad disingenuous - we might be back if the sport figures itself out. Oh, please, don't do us any favors. ;-) How about staying and fighting and making sure it does? It's a little like - we can't find a sponsor - oh, we didn't want you anyway. Yeah, right, 'cause you had no fun winning the Tour again, huh? Are you telling me Lance can't float them a year to see if the situation improves? Heck, he can even incorporate the cancer thing - Team LiveStrong. Ah, well, as Lance said, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of some form of this program.

TdF Stage 20: Search For Tomorrow

I always got a kick out of how Lance suddenly looked 12-years old on the podium, year after year. It was like after all the fight and the swagger and the ruthlessness, he was still a kid with a dream. I didn't get that so much with Alberto Contador yesterday, but maybe that's because he already looks 12! He kind of goes the other way, in fact; you get glimpses of fire and swagger that show he isn't just a babyface. Like the way he tugged his jersey around the collar - yeah, that's right, I'm the boss.

There was much made of the youngster versus the veterans in the top three. That works with Levi Leipheimer, but not so much with Cadel Evans. Cadel has a few years on Alberto, but has only been a pro for two more years, and had only a few more career wins coming into the Tour. It's only Cadel's third Tour - and it would have been Alberto's third Tour as well if he wasn't kicked out last year. Cadel has had an amazing path at the Tour - 8th, 5th, and now 2nd. He's not going anywhere, he'll be in the fight for a few more years to come.

Levi could taste it this year, and is rarin' to come back and win it. I'd give him a chance. He saw how much he had left at the end this year, so maybe he can fine-tune that peak-fitness dial and bring it on a little earlier next time.

I have grave doubts that Floyd Landis will ever get another shot. No matter what decision comes down on his case, I can't see him being "allowed" back in this climate. Meaning, even if he's fully eligible, his presence won't be tolerated. I fear he will be the victim of the sea change we saw this year, where no less than the yellow jersey can be plucked from the race by no less than his own team, in a sense because no one wanted to see him win. We thought there was a rush to judgment on Floyd last year, but that got dropped like a sprinter in the mountains compared to the lightning speed this year that the likes of Alexandre Vinokourov got branded an evil heathen after one blood test.

Riders, teams, organizers, fans, and press are all so fed up with the doping, they want it all gone, banished, never to return. There was instant talk of a lifetime ban for Vino, because he was seen as such an insult to the race. Now, whatever ban he might get for his two positives will spell the end of his career anyway, but that's beside the point, the prevailing mood is no mercy, no benefit of the doubt, no second chances. So even if Floyd is completely innocent, and people (other than his original supporters) actually believe it, I think he will smack too much of "that" past, that dark cloud that cycling is so desperately trying to be reborn out of. There were so many things lost by way of Floyd's situation, each of them a heartbreaker, and I hate to think that one of those things is that we'll never get to really see what he can do with that new hip. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, maybe we'll at least get to see him racing in the other Grand Tours or big races. And maybe something will finally give at LNDD and Floyd can be welcomed back to France. I can't say I'm optimistic, though.

I never paid close attention to Tyler Hamilton's case. He never grabbed me as much as someone like Floyd, and he always has that kind of vacant look in his eyes that doesn't breed confidence. But some of it has come back to me in recent days, with all the Vino talk. And I remember that though this test sounds straightforward, it is fairly new in cycling, with Tyler being one of the first cases. Vanishing twins aside, I think we do owe it to Vino to at least hear him out. In addition to the general climate, I think there were aspects of his background that made judgment come quicker. But I think of how I reacted to people who just wrote off Floyd, and said vile things about him, and it makes me want to be careful with Vino. It has been shown that someone is still stupid enough to use testosterone in the Tour de France, so I know the stupid argument isn't foolproof, so to speak, but really, that would've been so stupid of Vino. Especially given that he doesn't just carry a team or a random company on his back, he's carrying his whole nation.

Oh, yes, we were talking about an actual race, weren't we? Happier thoughts - I thought it couldn't get any better than Eki leading off on the Champs last year, and that's still a Top-Ten moment, but how thrilling was it to see George Hincapie charging down the cobbles to lead the peloton home. Resplendent in his Stars and Stripes, the ultimate road captain shepherding another yellow jersey to victory. Tears and goose bumps all around.

George is a perennial favorite of mine, along with Jens Voigt and assorted others. This year added some new favorites, guys who represented the soul of the Tour and kept me smiling through all the difficulties. There was Fabian Cancellara, such a delight the first week. And even though he tired as the race wore on, he kept smiling and working for the team and trying to get another win here and there. He was even up amongst in yesterday, coming in just behind the sprinters.

And David Millar, wearing his heart and his prickly heat on his sleeve. I can't imagine how uncomfortable and exhausting it must have been to fight that rash every day, but it didn't dampen his effort one bit. He gave his all in a number of breakaways, and remarkably also in the mountain stages, sometimes setting a crushing pace for the whole peloton. His frank and heartfelt comments on the doping issue were moving and refreshing, and credible from someone who's been there. As if he hadn't been through enough already, then his tires explode, on two different bikes, on the final TT, unbelievable. He was close enough to the start that they could ride Iban Mayo's bike to him so he could at least keep on riding, but of course all was lost in terms of time on the stage. I look forward to seeing him bring it again next year, hopefully with fewer problems!

I guess there's only so many times I can express respect and affection for Yaroslav Popovych, but he just came through every day, how can one not take notice? His hard work and positive energy were a joy to watch and inspiring to witness, right through the final TT and the ride into Paris. Once upon a time he was going to be the Next Big Thing, but he hit a plateau, and here comes Contador just sweeping right by him. But Popo did take a big step up this year, and perhaps found he is better suited as a super-domestique. Or maybe he will be a late(r) bloomer, 8th on GC ain't bad! Wherever he finds his place, I'll be watching and cheering him on. Yes, there are an abundance of good memories from this Tour, I wish everyone could've seen as much of them as that other stuff.


A hearty thanks for all the support and encouragement to keep me coming back day after day. It's always great to talk Tour with people that "get" it! I don't know who's in and who's out, but I'm already looking forward to the Vuelta!

R.I.P. Bill Walsh, a genius and a pioneer.

TdF Stage 19: Unchain My Heart

Yes, it's almost time for the Tour to set me free for another year, but I'm savoring every last drop. I can't say it was as emotional as in some years past, but the final TT was as thrilling as it gets and I was literally on the edge of my seat (when I could stay seated, that is). I was rooting hard for Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer, but also wanting Alberto Contador to make it through safe and sound. I'm always so relieved when nothing weird happens on the course, so it's just a true race against each other. Poor David Millar doesn't have that satisfaction, but I can't imagine he would've beaten Levi today. Levi finally showed that full fire, and took a well-deserved monster win.

I can't do the whole "8 Seconds" thing, it just makes me think of Luke Perry and a sad story about a bullfighter dying young. (Although, that would fit right in with Versus.) I know, 8 Seconds in the Tour means LeMond, but they didn't make a major motion picture called that, so I go with Luke. Anyway, the chain incident does indeed come back to haunt Levi - he was penalized 10 seconds in Stage 8 after getting a little extra help returning to the peloton after his mechanical. Would he really not have made it back to the pack without that? Who knows, and I doubt Levi will dwell on it.

I also don't think he (or we) should dwell on questions of sacrifices and maybe not having to lose as much time on Cadel. If Levi didn't take the second place bonus on Stage 16, you might have an argument, but he did and he was going as hard as he could, so I don't know that he could've taken much more time from Cadel there than he did. Levi had plenty of opportunities in the early mountain stages and in the first TT to get time or keep even with Cadel, but he just couldn't bring it. And it was Contador's success that blew Evans up on Stage 14, where Levi took over a minute on him. So I think it all pretty much shakes out in terms of Levi and Contador helping each other. All three of these guys are obviously pretty evenly matched, so it could have gone another way, but I don't think anyone was robbed by the way it did go. Levi seemed very happy and at peace with his emphatic stage win and his podium finish, as he should be.

Cadel might have gotten it if he didn't blow on 14, but maybe he had to do that to learn how to go in the remaining stages, so again, I think it all works out in the end. They can all be happy and proud of how they fought to the last and made it through. May they all be back again next year, when the lines are (hopefully!) more clearly drawn. Which perhaps would mean Levi needing to find another team, is Slipstream still looking for a top GC contender??

Hat's off to Carlos Sastre for holding his fourth position. And to Popo and George for making it four in the top ten for the TT for DC. Fun times tonight in the Discovery camp. And to Chris Horner and Christian Vande Velde, they've both had a great Tour, great attitudes, and they both finished strong.

I don't think Cadel will try anything tomorrow, the green jersey is still up for grabs and the sprinters won't let that opportunity go. Discovery will have to be attentive, though, and watch for the gaps at the end. Levi has already promised not to "pull a Vino," probably helps that he was on the receiving end of that one a couple of years ago.

Lance was pretty subdued. Probably jet lag, but also probably doesn't know what to do with not being the center of attention at the Tour. And he wouldn't want to be, but it will still probably be weird for him to take a back seat at the victory party.

There's talk of a major rider statement on the Champs tomorrow, that should keep things interesting. Again, we've got green up for grabs, but if they do something on the first pass and then let the stage run out, maybe everyone will be happy. Riders taking a stand is crucial, but so to is showing that the race lives on. The race was alive with a great three-way battle for GC today, so here's hoping the top three sprinters give us another thriller tomorrow in their battle for green.

TdF Stage 18: Keep On The Sunny Side

As rumors swirl of another prominent positive, let's just enjoy today, shall we? It was hard to know who to root for in the breakaway, for there were three compelling stories to choose from. There was Axel Merckx, the son of the greatest rider ever, coming to the end of his accomplished career. It sounds like there's a healthy attitude in the Merckx family, no one expecting Axel to be Eddy, but still, it can't have been easy to follow in dad's footsteps when they were so huge. Sentimental as we all were for him, it came as a heart-wrenching surprise to see him so emotional at the end. It was so touching to hear him talk of how he appreciated every moment of the day, especially the crowds lining the roads. We've heard that from a lot of riders the last few days, how it is so heartening in these tough times to see that people still love the sport. But especially for guys like Axel, who have the misfortune to have their final cycling days marred by all of the turmoil. So it is gratifying, and instructive, to see that he could put that aside and take all the good from the day. There was a nice moment when one of the scribbling reporters in the scrum around Axel suddenly realized that Merckx was getting emotional, and the reporter's face instantly softened and he was drawn away from his notebook for a moment. Yes, folks, let's take a moment to appreciate the humanity.

And then we had Michael Boogerd, exhibiting the renewed attitude of the Rabobank squad, flying the colors proudly and hoping for a stage win to salvage things for himself and the team. Also on his final Tour, he certainly did not want to go out on the negative note of the previous day. A valiant effort, and even without a victory, it lifted everyone's spirits. The funny thing about Dutch TV - they will cut away from anything to show a post-race interview with Boogerd, no matter what he did in the stage. Aliens could come from the sky and pluck the yellow jersey from the road, and we would still be watching the Boogey-man and his beyond-pearly whites. Not that I blame them, he's been a great rider for many years, and did a classy job this year.

Sandy Casar became an instant compelling story after yet another spectacular dog-meets-bike crash. (And what is up with that anyway?) His painful backside had a long, hot day in the sun, not to mention his elbow and shoulder and whatever else got scraped up. It showed great heart and guts to continue on in the break, and then pull out a thrilling win. After his close seconds, and a day like that, I was happy to see him hold them off in the end.

Interesting to see Levi in the sweeper spot today, I guess he could trust Predictor-Lotto to have his back.

Loved what I saw from Cadel Evans today. He's left the whining behind and even had a bit of swagger in his pre-race comments. Not in an obnoxious way, but in a relaxed, confident way. Very encouraging. And love the heads-up move to take three seconds from Contador and Leipheimer, that's a guy on his game, ready to take it all!

You could parse lost seconds until the cows come home, and I don't think the Kid is going to lose sleep over it, but it's just one of those little signs. And I always wondered if those 10 seconds Levi got penalized after the chain incident would come back to haunt him. We shall see.

Please, please let it come down to silly talk about seconds, and not syringes. I was supposed to have a hard time going to sleep tonight in giddy anticipation of the TT, but now I've got the sickening adrenalin rush of anticipating more bad news. Alright, time to think of Axel and keep on the sunny side.