Tour De France
 

Anyone watching? Even with all of the scandals, I still find myself drawn to the race. This year is especially entertaining with such a wide open field. There are four or five guys with a real chance of winning.

Also, I applaud the Tour for its all out assault on cheaters. If a rider gets caught, it is very likely that you will never see them again. Imagine if baseball did the same. We would be out a lead-off hitter...

Re: Tour De France
 

I watched stage 15 and it was amazing. Attack after attack in the Alps. The top 6 riders are now all within a minute of each other. Since I don't watch cycling (except for the Tour) I am pulling for the American. Vandevelde (SP?) is only 39 seconds out of the lead.

I also applaud the Tour cracking down hard on those who cheat. I wish other sports would follow their lead. I never was the 'if you're not cheating, you're not trying' type.

Re: Tour De France
 

I don't watch it anymore. The whole doping thing has turned racing into a circus.

Re: Tour De France
 

unlike baseball......

Re: Tour De France
 

There is doping in baseball? What on earth are you suggesting?

Re: Tour De France
 

If Bonds and Clemens weren't a Circus, I would love to know what is.

Re: Tour De France
 

Huge day on the Alpe D'Huez. CSC had everyone worried about Schleck and pulled a rope-a-dope with Sastre. They were absolutely masterful. Sastre took off and the Schleck brother fought off all of the counter attacks. I cannot wait for the Stage 20 time trial. I would love to see a final sprint on the Champs-Elysees.

Re: Tour De France
 

I've watched every stage. It's been a real treat watching how evenly matched the best riders are in the mountains. It's also nice to see that no one's able to do a superman routine every day. Denis Menchov deserves a ton of credit for fighting his way back after cracking on the lower portion of Alpe D'Huez.

I've become a big fan of the Schlecks. It hope Frank can win a TDF before Andy takes over and makes him the world's best domestique.

I'm thinking CSC needs to try to hit Evans and Menchov tomorrow as well. They'd do well to try to get Frank off the front (maybe try to link him up with Jens Voigt or Fabian Cancellara) and make the other contenders decide whether they want to mark Sastre or chase after Schleck.

And I like that doping violators get caught and sent home in the TDF. IMO, it's a lot better than trying to suspend my disbelief that the mutants in the NFL got that way through working out and exercise. I'm thinking that what we're seeing in the TDF is the emergence of a basically clean sport. It's not that riders won't cheat. It's just that the ones who do will be caught and the teams won't tolerate them.

Re: Tour De France
 

BTW, Frank Schleck looks just like Eric Bana.
http://www.cyclingfans.com/frank_schleck_fan.jpg
http://bestof.provocateuse.com/image...ic_bana_98.jpg