It seems incredible to me that this year's Tour could provide bigger shocks than the 2006 Tour de France. Last year, before the race had even begun, the top two riders were thrown out because their names were linked to the blood doping scandal that had come out of Spain. Since then Jan Ullrich, who was the most gifted natural rider the sport had ever seen, has retired, his entire career a tragic series of missed opportunities and tactical blunders. Ivan Basso, the Golden Boy from two years ago and the man who was supposed to succeed Lance Armstrong, is facing a 2-year ban and was let go of the Discovery Team. Then there's Floyd Landis who "won" the 2006 Tour de France only to test positive for a banned substance and, a year later, is still caught up in legal battles to keep his Tour victory. This year was supposed to be a fresh start. The organization that governs professional cycling was supposed to be cracking down, and the teams themselves were supposed to implement their own anti-doping measures. So, with all the heightened awareness, how is that Alexandre Vinokourov, the race favorite, and Michael Rasmussen, the race leader, both got bounced during the race because of doping? Some people say that kicking the Astana and Cofidis teams out of the race and removing Rasmussen while he was in the Yellow Jersey somehow cleans up the sport because it sends a "zero tolerance" message to the riders. Others say that cycling is polluted with doping, and there's always going to be questions about whether a rider is "clean" (just like the ones that have dogged Lance Armstrong despite repeated blood-doping tests that were always negative). I fall somewhere in the middle. This year's Tour was great, despite the scandals, because it was about the next generation of riders. Alberto Contador is 24 years old. He could be the next great Tour de France winner, in the tradition of Eddy Merkyxx and Miguel Indurain. Tom Boonen is another young guy who's in top form and is dominating the sprints. He's incredible to watch. Fabien Cancellara is the time trial world champion, and his win in this year's Prologue was astonishing. The list goes on. However, my feeling is that the only way to really clean up the sport is to impose ever harsher penalties on the riders who continue to break the rules. I'm talking about a lifetime ban. Riders might not consider EPO worth the risk of losing their livelihoods which could eventually lead to a clean Tour. What happens next year is anybody's guess, but I'm hopeful. The Tour de France is a beautiful event, made even more magical when you know these incredible athletes are performing on their own and without the help of performance-enhancing drugs. I'd like to know that the man who ultimately stands on the podium in Paris wearing the Yellow Jersey got there because he really was better than everyone else, something that we'll probably never know about Barry Bonds as he breaks Hank Aaron's home run record.
1 comment:
You simply MUST be the ONLY remaining fan of this debacle. The entire thing should be banned as a colossal waste of time - and if it IS held next year, it should be held on a fifteen-foot long straight track on which hamsters compete in a straight-up running contest, each one sponsored by a different cartel of blood-doping drug manufacturers (whose brands could be shaved onto the critters' sides). The order in which the hamsters win is the order in which you should buy those drugs on the black market. Why go through the rigamarole of the drivers and the tights and the bikes and the trophies? This last tour proved one thing above all others: like in professional American football, when we watch the Tour de France, ALL we're watching is duelling pharacueticals. No elan. No esprit de corps. Certainly no uncompromised athletic prowess.
I say bring on the hamsters!
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