RoadSkater.Net - Comments for "France"

Climbing Now

In reply to Christian Vande Velde Takes Paris-Nice Pro Cycling Race Stage 4; Chavanel Holds; Contador Closes; Tirreno-Adriatico Begins:

http://www.justin.tv/abdel55

This is working. Have a look if you can!

Stage 5 Paris-Nice Great Finish; Tirreno-Adriatico Sprint

In reply to Christian Vande Velde Takes Paris-Nice Pro Cycling Race Stage 4; Chavanel Holds; Contador Closes; Tirreno-Adriatico Begins:

A day late, on purpose, most likely, versus has the Stage 4 video up at...

http://www.versus.com/cyclysm

Wow. Is this all versus is offering?

Mar 8 and Mar 15 @ 5PM ET
Also known as "The Race to the Sun", the Paris Nice is the first big stage competition of the season. This eight-stage cycling race kicks off the UCI Pro Tour, and covers over 1000km of road from Paris to the finish on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

This video shows Paris-Nice Stage 5's last few K, but misses the part where Jérémy Roy first separates from Tony Martin and Thomas Voeckler. That's a good part to see if you can, then watch the run in to see Martin and Voeckler

It's a chase to the finish and I'll leave it to you if you're interested to watch....spoilers below in the listings...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofc4nuPg3tw
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza.be/wielrennen/Parijs-Nice_2009/090312_par...

Here's Stage 1 yesterday from Tirreno-Adriatico, the last 3K...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3J6mXT24c

Stage 2 last few K will be here...with the winner sucking his thumb...

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza.be/wielrennen/090312_Tirreno_rit_2

+++ spoilers below +++

Here's the top 4 in Paris-Nice Stage 5
1 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française Des Jeux 4:58:47 (40.966 km/h)
2 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom
3 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad
4 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam 2:33

Overall after 5 stages...
1 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step 18:32:56
2 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Rabobank 0:06
3 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank 0:36
4 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana
5 Kevin Seeldrayers (Bel) Quick Step 0:37
6 Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:45
7 David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:50

Stage 2 Tirreno-Adriatico...
1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) LPR Brakes
2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
3 Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskatel
4 Dominique Rollin (Can) Cervélo
5 Luca Paolini (Ita)

Top 3 after 2 stages...
1 Julien El Fares (Fra) 8:06:32
2 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) :15
3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) :15

More on Christian Vande Velde's Paris-Nice Win, plus Levi, Lance

In reply to Christian Vande Velde Takes Paris-Nice Pro Cycling Race Stage 4; Chavanel Holds; Contador Closes; Tirreno-Adriatico Begins:

I really enjoyed this article with Christian Vande Velde, and the refreshing sound of this gentleman, especially in the wake of a strong, happy struggle as it seemed to me. There was something special in it I felt, even before the finish. Strong! Of course my conditions of viewing over the internet were not optimal, but what came through was a real effort, not something easy, but also someone riding the crest of a wave...and fearlessly...in a perfect emotional and physical storm.

Need I say I wonder about the chemical tests? Honestly, though, I'm a dreamer so I have to say I didn't think this was the edge of doping, but maybe the edge of life. The interview reinforces my view of that. Just my perception. Hope I'm not proven wrong. Sad I have to doubt.

Anyway, Vande Velde has so much time at the finish that he was able to roll in with no hands on the bars and make the motion of cradling a baby, and several other relaxed celebratory gestures...

“I always thought it was cool when other riders did that after having a baby,” Vande Velde, whose daughter Madeline was born last month, said in a telephone interview from France. “And I finally had the chance to do it. Finally. I had never won a bike race before. To be honest with you, I’ve long been embarrassed about that.”

He caught the spirit of my observations and those of many who watched...

“I kept thinking I was going to get caught before the end,” he said. “But I started to realize, ‘Whoa, I’m going quite fast.’ But I won’t lie. I’m surprised that I won.”

He just kept digging, and it was fun to watch his hard work because somehow this captured the fun I've felt in hard work out skating (on a much lower level) particularly on those long 87-mile Athens to Atlanta skates and at the 102-mile Roadskater.net Carolina Century. What I do is not the same, no, but I do think I know some of the feeling of continuing past the threshold of pain and possibilities on some days, when it should keep hurting worse, but something comes together and it comes back to good (this happened at Carolina Century for me around mile 85 or so, where I began to feel better). But I didn't finish like Vande Velde did!

Jonathan Vaughters, Garmin’s team director, said he had never seen Vande Velde look that strong at this point in the season.

“He’s always been like a clunky, old diesel engine because it takes him a long time to warm up,” Vaughters said. “But the way he won, out there all alone, will definitely give him tons of confidence for the Tour.”

Vande Velde also kissed his wedding ring at the finish, managing what a fair number at the Academy Awards do not...thanking the spouse.

“I did it for all the families and wives who stay at home way too much while we are away,” he said.

Maybe this is all a load of bull, but even if so, it was an enjoyable bulload for me. I sure hope this was a clean victory. For now, I'm content to think so.

Meanwhile, another story linked below had this info...

Contador's American teammate, Levi Leipheimer, who won last month's Amgen Tour of California, had to miss this race to heal a broken bone he suffered during that win, and Astana's third key rider, Lance Armstrong, is training in southern France in preparation for his next race, March 21 in the Milan-San Remo classic. Armstrong used Twitter today to talk about being called on for his 23rd doping control test of the year.

I believe I read somewhere that Levi's break was a spinal fracture. Ouch! Also, I read about Lance's twitter (or maybe what I read WAS the twitter) and he said the time trial in the Giro d'Italia might not allow for use of the TT bike and that it included a rapid descent, if I got it right.

US Cyclist Adds Flair to His Win - New York Times -

US Cyclist Adds Flair to His Win
New York Times, United States
In his 12 years as a professional, Vande Velde had won time trials, team time trials and overall titles in multi-day races like the Tour of Missouri — but never a mass-start stage of a road race. His long-awaited day to celebrate a solo finish-line ...

[USA Cycling Tours]
Another (not Lance, not Levi) American cyclist wins - Los Angeles Times -

Another (not Lance, not Levi) American cyclist wins
Los Angeles Times, CA
Contador's American teammate, Levi Leipheimer, who won last month's Amgen Tour of California, had to miss this race to heal a broken bone he suffered during that win, and Astana's third key rider, Lance Armstrong, is training in southern France in ...

[USA Cycling Tours]

In France...Which has many problems for us here methinks

In reply to Some Humor and Some Fodder on the French, Razors, Rollerblades, More:

You know the fact that skating is popular in France is just another reason for someone to say oh yeah it proves x or y related to skipping down the hall or not being so great in a world war (except perhaps as resistance). But it makes me feel good to know that skating is popular somewhere! And I am sure that kids just completely love it. The evidence is in the park every single day as they turn their heads away from the playground, from the ducks, from the food, from just about everything, to see this old dude rolling along on skates in a brightly colored swirly squiggled shirt. If we help them not give up on that joy it'll be there. All of this relates to this as well...

http://roadskater.net/what-we-need-more-young-skaters-having-fun

What? Skates are cool again?

In reply to Some Humor and Some Fodder on the French, Razors, Rollerblades, More:

What? Skates are cool again? AWESOME!!!

I've frequently joked that I've dressed exactly the same since about tenth grade and simply watched my style pass in and out of fashion every few years. I guess the same thing is going on with my favorite sport?

Coolness

In reply to Staying Cool: Temperature Management Ideas from the Tour de France :

Interesting article, Timv. I have noticed myself that my heart rate and performance suffer once temps are over 85 deg F or so, but I never really thought I could actually do something about it!

Lately I have seen increasing numbers of walkers or joggers wearing ice vests. It'll be interesting to see how all this will break down to the average roadskater (huh! An oxymoron there) or cyclist. Ice socks around the neck sounds like a good idea.

In the same vein as beating the elements in a portable fashion: back in the 80s and early 90s when straight, flat hair wasn't the coveted beauty mark that it is now, I used to fantasize about inventing an anti-humidity hair device that (mostly) women could wear from their house to their cars then from their cars to the office to preserve their recently poofed-up hair.

In the parking lot outside the Tandoor Indian restaurant on West Market Street in Greensboro, an unmanned ice-vending kiosk always gets my attention, and I mentioned to Blake that I wish these things were out in the country sometimes on those long, baked skrides. However, as Andy, Blake and I discovered at Tour de Guilford, all the fire stations have chests full of ice with which Blake can stuff his jersey, shorts and helmet.

Skenglish Skateylove

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

Just silly stuff I sometimes edit out, and others leave in. Some thoughts on the ones you mention...

Somewhere along the way "spanky" became a word for "fast" and later, I believe, "spank" became a word for "sprint." Either I used it somewhere and it caught on or more likely I got it from someone on APRR (Atlanta Peachtree Road Rollers list). It'd be cool to find the first use of this sense of the word. The image I get is of a jockey whipping a horse to speed up. Of course the word has other connotations that I won't get into here and do not believe were as prominent when the term here was coined.

The idea in context is that if you are in a pack skating at A2A or elsewhere, if the person in front of you lets a gap develop, the pack or "train" can be split, or in my head when I was writing that it became a "worm" that had been segmented and grew a new head. If this happens you have to make a quick choice and sprint to rejoin the front pack, or else you'll become the front of a new pack (in this case, worm) and take the wind in a smaller group with less mass on the downhills (the downs) and thus have less easy time hunkered down behind the person in front of you, hiding in the wind so you can all go faster. Braking in the pack splits it, making it less fast downhill, which is easy time and a good time to drink (my phrase for remembering to drink...a good habit to form to stay hydrated..."Drink on the Downs").

Buttburger is just road rash on your butt that looks vaguely like very freshly ground beef!

Skatemonkeys just comes from a phrase I used to say to avoid falling..."skate like a monkey"...which to me meant bend my knees, keep my hands somewhere near them or alongside, remain flexible and keep balanced. Something like that.

Skops is just skate cops. My favorite thing with words is to mash them together. Usually they're pretty predictable, unfortunately!

I need a skateylove translation book

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

Wow. Trying to follow Blake's verbage, especially for a newbie, is quite dizzying. It's like reading the Q&A on bridge in the Sunday paper - a language all it's own. I've clipped a few examples: have to spank it to rejoin; easy time on the downs; if you make them the head of a new worm; hunker in the wind; buttburger; skatemonkeys; skops;

I've got so much to learn - would it be too hard or dangerous to pull a translation book out of my camelbak or take out my blackberry & go online for translations during a skate? :-)

Chirp...chirp...chirp...

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

Hey! I was listening! I was especially amused by the Princess Anne comments and looked to find the hairdo, thankyuhverymuch. However, I concluded after not finding it, that much like Kodachrome, it'd never match my imagination - especially after your hilarious description.

Still, Blakes say the darndest things and now I've got the Lovely Rita song on my mind. That's me Mum's name! She hated that song! Just like my friend Joanna hates that Joanna song. I enjoyed your rundown of the French Manifestants. Merci.

London Skops, Heely Kids & Helmets, Paris RolliPoli, Heely Cops!

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

Hmm. Think I'm alone now. Tempting to say anything but no, this is Googable. Maybe I'll whistle instead and hear it echo. It's dark in this film noir black'n'white grainy underground waterway tunnel. Now what was I going to reply to myself about? Hmm. Oh yeah...self...

Here's an article from the BBC web about skops that mentions previous attempts and "bobbies on blades" gone wild (not really that last bit). The article also has a photo of the roller police in Paris, and the article makes the (now) obvious (finally to me) point that because of the Paris Roll every week with thousands of participants, it makes sense that the police would have some offiskaters.

I think there's a great place for skate police wherever part of the function is to be an ambassador and guiding presence, and where pursuit would likely be assisted by others after radio call. Barring that, they'd definitely need skates where the frames pop off to go off-road humping after bad boyz bad boyz whatcha gonna do.

Here's the article...some good comments there...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7335277.stm

Also as an aside, I was heartened by the fact that at least one school has decided to go with the flow of enthusiasm of children for Heelys and add helmets to the equation, with a Heelys club and organized and safe fun. Cute pics of the kids working out their skills on rails in the gym! Suweeet!...

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/...

Now Heely Poli might be better than RolliPoli and may just have a future, especially in the shopping malls and "hypercenters," ha!

"Lovely Rita Meter Skate, Lovely Rita Meter Skate."

Photos and Video of the Roller Police in Paris; London Video

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

Here are some more links since at least one person tried to see some of the other video and let me know it had changed.

Interesting stuff. The guy that tried to extinguish the flame in London had on a jacket VERY similar to those the police were wearing. I'd love to hear that story!

Reuters is good stuff, and BBC is good coverage too. Here's a fluff piece about the eternal flame and the backup lanterns they claim work in all conditions. OK. Whatever. Too funny about Paris having 3000 police and snuffing it at least 3 times.

London...
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=79675&videoChannel=1

Protests mar Olympic relay
Clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police disrupted the London leg of the Beijing 2008 torch relay.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7330000/newsid_7333100/7333120.s...

Paris...
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=79706&videoChannel=1

Olympic torch relay in Paris (glimpses of the skater police in this one)
The Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay has been abandoned because of sporadic pro-Tibet protests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7330000/newsid_7334500/7334526.s...

Photos...number 1 and 9 show the Roller police...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7335043.stm

No I'm not for taking the torch or snuffing it, but I'm glad people were able to protest. The London Police really seemed to handle it well mostly. The Paris Police, well, it was weird, but perhaps it was their way of (not actually but in effect) saying, we don't like what you're doing, China. The Mayor of Paris had a huge banner on the City Hall that said, I believe, something to the effect of "We support human rights throughout the world."

Can't really say that roller police seem like any better idea except as general street police intended to be helpful and informative to tourists and ambassadors for their sport, ha! Probably as efficient as many of the street walking police throughout the ages, and certainly more than some.

Torch Twice Snuffed by Police! My Illusions Gone. Extinguisher

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

This is interesting to me, if only me. Reports from France are that twice the torch was snuffed by those in charge and put on a bus for part of the ride.

OK. My illusions are gone. The eternal flame isn't eternal after all. I guess that has ramifications for the Bangles song, too (in the later, less Beatley jangly, more whiney piney period), but maybe they were still clever and just asked if it could be an eternal flame, and the answer is now no, I guess. Who would have thought the police would be responsible! Not me.

I would have thought that if they protected that flame with 3000 police that one goal would be to not let it go out even if it meant finding a magic bus, or an electric bus, or a loaner of the Pope mobile, or maybe a bicycle or electric scooter or electric convertible? Surely there is some mode of transport that would protect it while still lighted?

How about an electric tank of love for the torch? It could be white with different colors on the wheels to make Olympic rings! I've seen video of tanks being used in protests and they're usually pretty effective unless they meet with "dangerous unselfishness," as MLK2 put it.

One cool thing about the French is they love to go out and protest in the streets if conditions are right, and they seem to be just now. Even if I don't agree with what they're saying I love that they will go out and exercise some free speech. Me, I just sit at home and talk back to the radio. At least they go where they can be seen! Despite all the jokes about them, they do visibly, audibly protest these last few decades.

OK. Back to the torch relay in Paris. Sounds like 80 runners were to go just 27 km (huh?). The first snuffing was as a runner carried the flame, the second was reported to be after a wheelchair athlete arrived out of a tunnel with the torch. I've not seen any reports of any of the torch bearers being hurt. The CBC reporter said it would be hard to see the torch with all the security.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/07/paris-torch.html

Here's some not so impressive video, but it does include some of the upper bodies and heads of what appear to be the Skops (roller police) in white hats (helmets).

The CBC reporter said the protesters were not trying to extinguish the flame (I guess he meant the ones he met in Paris!).

Oh yes, there was a reference in the same story to what appeared to be a fire extinguisher in the London protests, and logically enough, it was a protester wielding that rather than the police (supposedly). My bad! But it was still a pretty funny idea to me to think they might do something so ironic and ineffective. The Pink Panther Runs Rings Around You Olympically!

I hope everyone is OK, nobody gets hurt, and all protest are non-violent! Skateylove, y'all, roadskater

Photo of Paris Roller Police at Arc de Triomphe on Brick Pavers

In reply to 100 Police on Rollerblades (Inline Skates) Guard Olympic Torch Relay in Paris:

OK at first I thought ITN had viddy of the skops by the arch but it was just clippage of the London protest. Almost had an unofficial torchist there for a sec. I liked the comments of the official bearer afterward. Well said.

Princess Anne was puttin' on the Elvis a bit with that 'do, sans widow's peak and superhero cape, but at least she didn't seem so equestrian. Perhaps that was not her hair but a hat for the rain?

Nice how those police dress up in tennis ball yellow to make it easy to spot the real ones from the more ceremonial blokes. They even had some blue dudes from China protecting the flame it seems. Glad to see everyone's for non-violence...that is unless the police need to beat someone down to keep them from embarrassing the Olympics, especially with all that money about to flow that way in 2012, methinks?

Was that a fire extinguisher they used on the flame protester? (My spell check says it's not protestor, but I would have thought so...ha, could be protestant) Does anyone see irony in using fire retardant spray near the eternal flame? I wonder if there's some secret reingnition device built into that torch. Was the torch made in China? Such questions I have.

If those Paris Skops fall, especially like dominoes, they're going to be seriously YouTubed (yes I know I just verbed...oops I did it again, played with your nouns). Rain would make it good sport I say! Good luck to all and a non-violent fun time of it for everyone. I hope the skaters (and all beings) stay upright.

Check out the vid if you like...
http://itn.co.uk/news/e00d567bd14251af7fe4decfb3647ef2.html

[Edit: Things have changed at that landing page. No skops photo, just a bloody protester. New video too, leaving out Princess Anne. At 44 secs you can see a roller police dude and of note are his shoulder pads built into his outfit. Looks a bit tussled but I'm not sure. Can't see the skates. Maybe they're skates with removable wheels. That Tibet flag looks like the one Arizona uses, eh?]

More Tour de France Doping Connections, Podiums, Announcers, Wow

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

I just read another fine article, on ESPN's site by Bonnie DeSimone, and it mentioned several interesting things, reminding me of some. How strange it is that people who are outcasts at one moment look a little more sane, later. Or vice versa! Anyway, part of the article says:

Compelled to give a deposition in a multimillion-dollar case Armstrong brought against a Dallas-based insurance company, Andreu testified to hearing a then-cancer-riddled Armstrong admit to past use of performance-enhancing drugs. (Armstrong continues to deny the allegations.)

Then, Andreu made his own admission, telling New York Times reporter Juliet Macur that he had used the blood booster EPO while training for the 1999 Tour, Armstrong's first victory.

Would he do it again? Well Andreu says he knows it was wrong, but seems like he can still understand the lure:

"I regret that I had to take EPO to be able to get to that point, but I enjoyed being there."

Another great line from DeSimone in the article, referring to Riis being asteriskized (yes i meant it) in the records:

But when you paper over Riis' name, you default to the other two men on the podium, Ullrich and Virenque.

Rather than keep you from reading this great article by overquoting, let me say, take a look. It's a nice piece of writing that sees the connections but tries to balance and encourages us to keep the good rather than throw everything out altogether.

Meanwhile, spooky connections on podiums and at the tops of mountains.

I Agree: Send Tour de France Rider Samples to Independent Labs

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

Some good thoughts. Thanks for the eloquent reply. It sounds like the idea of using a different lab, or several, is a great one. In one report, a lab in Lausanne had "taught" the French lab to do the blood test that caught Vino. A source said that this was a new test that the riders did not know the French lab could do. Here's the article and a quote mentioning Lausanne's lab:

"Up to this year, only the Lausanne laboratory was conducting tests for homologous blood-doping," McQuaid said, referring to a test center in Switzerland. "But the Lausanne lab taught the French one how to detect,[sic] it and therefore they were able to test Vinokourov's sample."

My thought was that perhaps the Lausanne should do the testing!

Having said this, I suspect the riders a lot more than the lab, and the more connections there are between Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, Floyd Landis, Alexandre Vinokourov, Roberto Heras Hernández, Alberto Contador Velasco, Discovery Channel Cycling, Liberty Seguros, and many others, the creepier it gets for me. When Ivan Basso is on the podium, then out of the tour, then on Discovery, then out again, it's not so good. When that podium is shared by Jan Ullrich (Swiss court rejects Ullrich appeal, Ullrich: I'll talk when people listen) that doesn't really seem better. Lance's former "lieutenants" have often turned up non-negative it seems, and it is starting to look like a pattern. Yes it could be a pattern of lies, but I think the athletes have more to gain from cheating than the labs or certainly the TdF.

Lots of what I'm saying is from conversations with timv, who can help draw more lines between the dots I am sure, but as for me, I have to say I saw the whole jealous French labs theory as difficult to believe from the start. The TdF is a huge financial and publicity engine, all the more so if people from other countries do well. The tour does not even stay in France, showcasing other countries and cities by starting and holding important stages outside of France.

Certainly the lab in question could make mistakes, and I don't think the leaking of information is at all good. But the testing has brought admissions, and clearly, most riders thought the odds were good they would not be caught. Now those odds seem to be changing.

As for Rasmussen, the team joins the TdF, not the rider, or Vino would have continued without Liberty Seguros last year. If Rabobank wanted to fire him for any reason and give up the huge, long-lasting, positive publicity the yellow jersey and perhaps a win would have garnered, that's their choice. Let Rasmussen bring suit for damages if he likes, but I've always worked where the boss could stop paying any time they wanted and workers were expected not to show up after that, no matter what project they were in the middle of completing. I believe Rabobank knows more than they have said, and I agree that basing it all on one person's identification of Rasmussen's whereabouts would be thin. But so is cycling under the auspices of Mexico then Monaco and admitting to having never been tested by them in over two years.

I thought Floyd's comeback was credible. I had said the day before that it was not beyond impossible, if he got major time in the mountains and at the time trial. On the day of the ride, he probably could have been stopped. I was amazed that no team stuck to him as he took off, and they acted indifferently toward him. At the finish, I was disturbed a bit by how aggressive and angry Floyd seemed, but it didn't click for me that it might have been related in any way to doping. But I did notice. I still don't know if taking some synthetic testosterone could influence aggressiveness in that way, but it seems believable to me. And I don't know if he was acting more aggressive than usual, but it seemed that way to me. Regardless, I was ready to hear his claims and looking forward to reading about the details, then his manager made a mess of it during the hearings and I doubt that Floyd would not know what a trusted aide was doing, but he'd maintain plausible deniability.

Could it be that we are starting to know when there's been some doping of one kind or another? Maybe so; maybe no. But for my money, Alberto was right there with Rasmussen, and his initials were in the Operación Puerto doctor's handwriting. He was on Liberty Seguros then Discovery. How many of these guys have been on those two teams and have ended up failing "botched" tests and were "unfairly" implicated in Operación Puerto? Why would Discovery, with it's previously pristine reputation, ever hire a Liberty Seguros rider, or any rider formerly implicated in Operación Puerto or associated with visiting Eufemiano Fuentes? There are other teams who could give them their chance to make a comeback. I believe timv told me of some more connections, and there's a Discovery/Liberty Seguros link it seems to me.

I know Lance surely loved Basso and believed he was the future winner of the tour. I seem to recall his statement to that effect, perhaps on the podium with Ullrich there? I don't know. Maybe that's a movie I made up in my head. But I have to say Discovery Channel picking up Basso was a shocker.

So I wouldn't be surprised if Alberto fails a test, and as timv and I were discussing, I think he mentioned it, Levi destroyed the rest of the field in the last time trial, just like Vino had in the second one. Before this, we had (or at least I had) thought that Levi Leipheimer and Cadel Evans looked clean. They looked credibly human, not incredibly godlike, without the spank at will power of Rasmussen, Alberto, Lance, Floyd. So as sad as it makes me, I won't be surprised if Levi fails a test. And I don't know him, except of course I'm sure he remembers meeting me at the Tour de Georgia when he was there with Gerolsteiner (just kidding; I mean, I was there; I did meet him, insignificantly for him I am certain).

If they pass the tests, I'll vaguely wonder, but I'll be glad. As with other sports, the game's over when the rules say so, even if the ref makes a bad call, even if you can look back and wonder what if, or claim if only, or say so and so cheated, meaning the refs, the judges, the lab, or anyone else.

Yes. Let's find a way to get quick results that remain anonymous (could this be exactly what happened with Rabobank? I have thought so, because their lawyers were with Rasmussen in the press conferences one day, and he was out the next, as I recall). Let's also call all results provisional until the testing is in, so official results don't include the cheaters, or those robbed by a "bad call," or whatever you want to call it.

Yes knowing the official winner or record holder will be more complicated, and we won't have Pop-Tart instant results if we want them to be closer to real, but that's OK with me. I'd still gladly take a spot in the Tour de France if offered, no matter how many tests or workouts they required. I'd even tell them where I was going every day in my spiffy Lycra suit and clickety-click shoes.

Testing Process is Flawed & Suspect

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

Am I the only one that questions the ingrity of the testing process and particularly the French lab. The cycling federation is a mess too, but let's disregard it for the moment.

Consider that the samples are barcoded and supposedly anonymous, yet the leaked test results are coming from the lab according to the reporting French paper. The lab supposedly does not know the sample donor other than by a barcode. How is it possible for the lab to leak that rider X tested positive when the rider identity is supposedly retained elsewhere? Protocol was definitely violated (IMO). In US labs where I have worked under both EU and US regulations, results under these conditions are not accepted. With so many French upset that their countrymen are not winning and the breakdown of protocol, the possibility of tampering and/or results skewed by personal bias is a possibility.

I would love to see the entire set of samples sent to an independent lab for the same battery of tests for confirmation of the lab result. I am sure plenty of cheaters remain regardless, but I am very unhappy with the current guilty until proven innocent approach when the entire testing process is suspect. Hell, the leader was booted on suspicion of doping w/ no positive test, the say-so of one person who might have seen him in the wrong place, and when he missed an allowable number of tests per federation rules. What if the team was wrong? It may have been his only chance to win...ever (and I don't even like the guy).

David Millar to Slipstream; Iban Mayo Fails Rest Day EPO Test

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

David Millar has indicated he'll switch to the Slipstream team next year and that this team is likely to be in the TdF. If I recall correctly, this team made a splash in the Tour of California by announcing an extensive program of testing. The article includes some information on this, and it's a good intro to this team's ideals. Being a slow guy myself, I liked this...

Slipstream, says Millar, "differs from other teams in that the baseline is purely ethical. Doug Ellis wants a cycling team but he wants one that doesn't win at all costs. He feels he can only be proud of it if he has no doubts about it. He needs guarantees, even for a rider like me. He needs hard copy to prove I am clean."

Meanwhile, the same team, Saunier Duval, found out that Iban Mayo's A sample failed for EPO on a Rest Day 2 test, so he is off the team for now and for good if the B test confirms.

Spanish rider Mayo tests positive - CNN -

CNN	Spanish rider Mayo tests positive CNN - 18 minutes ago It is not the first time Mayo has been implicated in a doping story as last month he was suspected of having failed a test in the Giro d'Italia. ...

[Giro d'Italia & More]

Saunier Duval Suspend Mayo After Positive Test in Tour de France - The Epoch Times Ireland -

Metro Toronto

Saunier Duval Suspend Mayo After Positive Test in Tour de France
The Epoch Times Ireland, Ireland - 26 minutes ago
Spain's Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval/Spa) rides towards the finish line of the 19th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images) ...
Tour de France - Mayo positive for EPO Yahoo! Eurosport
Contador arrives home a hero Melbourne Herald Sun
Spanish rider Mayo tests positive CNN International
ABC News - RTE.ie
all 64 news articles

[Tour de France & More]

Millar changes gear to sign for anti-doping team Slipstream - Guardian Unlimited -

SI.com

Millar changes gear to sign for anti-doping team Slipstream
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 59 minutes ago
"We picked each others' brains and it became clear that we wanted to do the same thing, which is to create the first of the next generation of cycling teams ...
Contador the winner of an unsightly Tour Boston Globe
Doping scandals dim Contador's win Miami Herald
CHANGE OF ATTITUDE NEEDED TO BREAK THE DOPING CYCLE Sportinglife.com
The Herald - BBC Sport
all 31 news articles

[Cycling]

Vino Offers the Martha Stewart Defense

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

I think there was something along the lines of what you suggest going on, although perhaps less being scared of what would happen to them and their families, and more just knowing how much the government of Kazakhstan and many of the nation's largest businesses had invested in building that team as a vehicle for Vinokourov, along with a few other Kazakh cyclists including Andrey Kashechkin and Maxim Iglinsky.

Odd as it might sound, it's been seriously reported that the negative publicity for Kazakhstan coming from Borat and his movie had more than a little to do with the decision by the nation's Interior Ministry to sponsor the team. And also, sadly, they often talked about the epidemic levels of alcoholism and drug abuse among the nation's youth and how they wanted to promote a healthy lifestyle and success through fitness and hard work. Oopsies. Good intentions and the road to hell and all that...

I see in the latest ESPN report on the story that Vino had this to say:

"Given all the attention paid to doping offenses, you would have to be crazy to do what I have been accused of, and I am not crazy," Vinokourov said.

This sounds more or less like the argument that Martha Stewart and her co-defendants offered in their insider-trading trial: that they were too smart to have done something so stupid.

It didn't fly then either.

Results Aren't Final Until the Drug Tests Come Back

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

Interesting stuff, Blake. I didn't see it mentioned in that article, but it seems relevant to point out that Vinokourov was also a member of the Liberty Seguros team, and that his Astana team was actually assembled from the remnants of Liberty Seguros in the wake of Operation Puerto. That was the reason why Vino couldn't race in the Tour in 2006: Too many of his teammates were banned because of their possible association with Dr. Fuentes while riding for Liberty Seguros.

Vino's B Sample also 'Non-Negative'

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

And Astana fired him of course. After all those hearts he won with his gruesome, stitched-up knees...

How did it come to this? Is it a case of 'Everybody else is doing it, so why can't I'? Are these guys terrified of what will happen to them in their homeland if they don't win the Tour de France? Has their particular homeland's government threatened their families if they fail? Are there so many politically powerful coaches, managers and event organizers, that these cyclists' heads are spinning in confusion at what or whom to believe? Aaarrgghh. Anyway, bon courage to the Tour de France, for continuing to leave no rider unturned. I am looking forward to a bonk-ridden and sluggish TdF next year.

Uneasy Wait for Test Results in Tour de France

In reply to David Millar: Say It Ain't So, Vino (Alexandre Vinokourov); plus Michael Rasmussen, Floyd, Lance:

I went searching for how long it might take before we would know about the drug tests for all stages of the Tour de France. This article, Contador shines but doping casts cloud over Paris, reminds us:

Landis's test result came through on the Thursday following the race - which is one reason why, yesterday, nobody was getting too carried away, or taking anything for granted. With the laboratories taking the weekend off, the last of the drugs tests results from this year's race are not likely until Friday, or even into the following week.

I remembered Contador was on the Liberty Seguros team that was banned in 2005, so I took up a search including that team name. I found this spooky article, which makes me very uneasy in my celebrations of the young man's feat. The team was implicated in the Operation Puerto mess, and personal notes in Dr. Fuentes' hand mention a person, AC, in vague terms but it is still pretty spooky and unsettling to me. Here's part of the article, Now the man they hoped would save the Tour faces a new inquiry into doping allegations:

...It describes what is alleged to be individual doping plans for Liberty Seguros riders in 2005,when Contador was a member of the team. For example, under the initials RH, understood to refer to the disgraced Spanish cyclist, Roberto Heras, numbers appear under the headings I-2, I-3 and TGN. The latter is claimed to be a reference to a banned growth hormone, while it is believed that I-2 and I-3 refer to banned insulin growth factor.

The initials of what appear to be all members of the Liberty Seguros team are listed, including one identified as 'AC'. The programme for AC is listed,in Spanish, as 'nothing or the same as JJ'. And JJ's plans for 2005 were to 'always have I-2'....

So I will wait until Friday to feel too good about any of these performances, and always wonder if they got under the radar somehow. But if they pass the TdF's tests, I'll be OK with that for now, and look to the future. It was a grand tour and very exciting to watch, even more where riders were reaching their limits than when they expanded them.

Maybe Helpful Proxy Info for Tour de France Viewing

In reply to Tour de France 2007 Streaming Video Free TV & Heart Rate Monitoring:

I haven't gotten into this myself since I get cable, but I just happened on some information about international proxy servers that might be useful at:

http://www.cyclelicio.us/2007/07/streaming-video-how-to-bypass-country.html

Streaming video: How to bypass country restrictions
By Fritz

Steephill.TV provides an excellent list of links to live streaming video of the Tour de France. Unfortunately, most of them have country restrictions due to their licensing agreements with the Tour organizer. There is a way to bypass these restrictions. I haven't done this in a long time, but here's the theory. If you get this to work, please comment with your experience or link to your own how to.

The post goes on to give suggestions for finding public proxy servers in other countries, gives instructions for configuring Firefox, IE, and Safari to use a web proxy, and suggests the Charon service to test the proxy and make sure that you appear to be coming from where you want to appear to be coming from. I don't have time to tinker with it this week, but thought that I'd pass the link along for anyone who's so inclined.

Tour de France 2007 and the Struggle to Watch via Internet

In reply to Tour de France 2007 Streaming Video Free TV & Heart Rate Monitoring:

Hi. Here's an update as of Monday afternoon. Over the weekend I had trouble using the Against Channel feed (it's not really the against channel, it has a v then an s then a dot). They've asked some folk to remove that feed link it seems. Sad.

As I write this I am listening to (and can look over to my laptop to see) yet another Stage 8 replay. I wonder why, with so many great Stages in the can (the digital one), why don't they replay all the stages back to back on rest day? I'm watching this, not on the feed, but on the TVU Player from tvunetworks.com. The replays have been working great.

I had trouble Sunday morning getting that same channel on the TVU player, so I'm guessing the masses must have been slamming the servers. It would work sometimes, but not so well. I knew there would be replays but I kept trying of course, boneheaded as I am.

However, there were two other channels the showed up on TVU that worked pretty well:

Danish Delight 51733: This was a bit grainy and the commentary was not English of course, but it was nice to have this.
Le Tour de France TV!: This was an English language broadcast but I think the provider missed a cable or something, so it was a silent movie in color.
Telecapri 10027: No TdF when I was there, but along with GolTV this has some nice soccer coverage. To the point, however, there was a documentary in Italian of some sort with lots of nice photos of the old days of cycling. What can I say? I was trying to get my velofix.
France24 10094: No I didn't understand them, either, but to get my francofix to go with my velofix, I had this news on awhile and asked eebee what they were saying. With some Café Bestelo espresso, it was nice for the atmosphere.

Happy hunting. Don't forget to look at:

http://cyclingfans.com: a great list of latest links for viewing and hearing;
http://www.steephill.tv/2007/tour-de-france/ lots of cool stuff including annotated photos that are super-sweet;
http://www.garnierstreamingmedia.com/asx/streamerswitch.asp?stream=27 good luck with this video streaming link...I never got it to work but some did.

Hope this helps and that you enjoy the Tour de France and get out there and skate or bike from the inspiration.

Skaters Make CBS Tour de France; May Be on Cable Tonight

In reply to Inline Skaters Get Great Tour de France TV Coverage and Comments:

Hi to all... The intrepid inline skaters that showed up in Tour de France coverage earlier this week also made it very briefly in the CBS one hour fluffy summary this weekend. It's a shame they had to include any bike racing in that coverage! It felt like I saw the common-taters 3 minutes for every 1 I saw cyclists cycling.

Also, one more chance at least may await for you to see these skaters getting their vid on as today's rest day means the Against Channel will be providing a recap of the tour so far at 8pm EDT. Check out my updated article on watching this online if you don't have access to a television (or one where they'll let you watch cycling, ha, as most sports bar TVs are already busy showing other sports, like Texas Hold'em Poker). Good luck finding these skaters. It's not much but it's the best exposure our sport has had in awhile in my view.

Free TV Strategies for Tour de France 2007

In reply to Tour de France 2007 Streaming Video Free TV & Heart Rate Monitoring:

Just a few extra comments here.

The mms link is the first one I try.
Then I try tvunetworks.com. I have been using the player for over a year and I trust it, and so does my anti-badthings software. Look for channels that may or may not be named like the one that carries it on television (which shall remain nameless here but it means against or some such).
Then I try the Serbian links.
Then I try the .nl link but the video seems blocked now. It was lame anyway.
Don't forget sportsnet.cc and cyclingfans.com

Good luck and happy viewing. I hope the advertisers get real and understand they're getting free impressions by offering a live feed in the USA as is available in other countries. Many sites in Europe are blocking USA visitors from seeing video, most likely because of exclusivity agreements. A proxy might work but I don't know of a fast one that's free. Anyone know a fast free proxy that would make us look French to the French feed? Most of the time I can get the live or replay in English so far using the above methods. Please let us know if it's working or if you have any more tips!

Mulberries Crucial to D-Day Success

In reply to 63rd Anniversary of D-Day:

Here's more from historic-uk.com, about those floating temporary docks. They were hollow concrete caissons, floated out on wooden rafts, then flooded so that they'd sink and stay put. The codename used for this type of dock was 'Mulberry'.

So after your FNS in Paris, shoot on over to the Normandy coast and check it out.

Feast of the Epiphones

In reply to Rollerblading in Gay Paris, Tennessee Williams, Golden Panthers, Electric Smile:

Not about Golden Panthers, but my current song obsession is The Hold Steady's "Stuck Between Stations," which is set in Minneapolis and includes the line, "He loved the Golden Gophers but he hated all the drawn-out winters."

It mostly pertains to the late poet John Berryman, definitely a contemporary of your guys like Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, and a professor at the U of Minnesota when he took his own life in 1972.

The song sounds something like Born to Run-era Springsteen, if he'd had Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of the Clash on guitars or perhaps Paul Westerberg and the late Bob Stinson of the Replacements. And it hits pretty much all of my buttons.

It starts out:

There are nights when I think that Sal Paradise was right
Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together

Sucking off each other at the demonstrations
Making sure their makeup's straight
Crushing one another with colossal expectations
Dependent, undisciplined, sleeping late

She was a really cool kisser and she wasn't all that strict of a Christian
She was a damn good dancer but she wasn't all that great of a girlfriend
He likes the warm feeling but he's tired of all the dehydration
Most nights are crystal clear but tonight it's like he's stuck between stations
On the radio

I can certainly relate to the "dependent, undisciplined, sleeping late" part these days.

Another great and quite pertinent pair of lines:

He said I surrounded myself with doctors and deep thinkers
But big heads and soft bodies make for lousy lovers

Re the song link, I recently discovered mp3 blog aggregator sites like elbo.ws and The Hype Machine. The free tracks available don't quite match the coverage of Napster in its original glory, but it wasn't hard to find plenty of new and interesting stuff to listen to. We'll see how long that lasts.

And your mention of an "epiphany" got me looking at webpages with old Epiphone electric guitars, which I've grown quite fond of lately. My first electric was a very low-end Gibson, made even less expensive because a fireman had been clumsy with it when the Moore Music store burned to the ground circa 1974. So it was quite literally a fire-sale bargain. Otherwise I almost certainly would have ended up with a 1970's Epiphone like one of these:

http://www.tymguitars.com.au/forsale_guitars_Epi_Crestwood.htm

http://www.tymguitars.com.au/forsale_guitars_Epiphone_Crestwood.htm

The earlier made-in-US models are more valued by collectors these days, but the Japanese-built ones were what a lot of my peers got. Some time later, I was kicking around with some friends in a practice studio and would up playing someone's Epiphone Crestwood and it was a great player, a total rock-and-roll machine. Seeing those pictures really brings back to me how good it felt and how easy it was to play.

And my memory is a bit fuzzy twenty-some years hence, but I think that guitar belonged to singer/songwriter Lynn Blakey, who used to run with the same crowd. The connection here is that "stuck between stations/on the radio" is pretty clearly a reference to the legendary Minneapolis song, "Left of the Dial," by the aforementioned Replacements, which was actually written about Lynn. I knew the song very well at the time, but hadn't yet learned that it was about someone I knew. It turned out that Lynn and Paul Westerberg had met on the road sometime eariler, while she was touring as an adjunct member of the Winston-Salem band Let's Active. (Lynn's based in the Triangle area these days, and is part of the excellent trio Tres Chicas.)

Unrelated to any of that, but my first guitar of any sort was a nylon-string Harmony, a moderately crappy little plywood box. But it's been good to me and I still have it. Here's a Harmony that's way cooler than mine, and I mention this mostly because I love the advice found in "Suggestions for the care and use of... Your Harmony Guitar" on that page, which might be pretty good advice for all of us:

For Best Results and Greatest Enjoyment, Play A Little Each Day.
Proficiency in playing comes from earnest practice. You will be delighted with your accomplishments if you practice just a few minutes each day. Don't be discouraged if at first you feel you are not making progress - it's just a matter of keeping at it.

And also not all that related, but interesting to me at least: It appears that most of those limited-edition First Act GarageMaster guitars that were given away with new Volkswagen cars last fall, and promoted in TV commercials with John Mayer, Slash, and Nigel Tufnel, are winding up on eBay. They remind me a bit of those old solid-body Epiphones and I might have to get one.

Another interesting coincidence: I started writing this reply yesterday (which started out much, much longer and even weirder than this heavily-trimmed version) and then I just saw The Hold Steady playing "Stuck Between Stations" on Letterman's show tonight, not much more than an hour ago. And Epiphone gear was everywhere. And I guess bandleader Craig Finn really likes his new guitar:

I have this new guitar, an Epiphone Casino. I've never had a hollow body before and I've had to modify it a little bit because it was doing weird things when I would let go of it, but it's brand new, and it's my favorite thing ever.

I might be drifting into A Beautiful Mind territory at this point (without the benefit of John Nash's quasar-bright genius, unfortunately) but I'm seeing a really odd number of strange connections--such as your new post mentioning Paul Marchese, when I've just put down a paper related to my graduate research by one Anthony Marchese, also from the Empire State area, who name-checks both The Replacements and (Greensboro native) Ben Folds on his personal page. Maybe I should go and get some sleep or something.

Landis and His Team

In reply to TdF Blog: Carmichael and Armstrong Might Know a Thing or Two:

I agree with your comment about the Phonak team, Blake. I saw them all there on the ride into Paris and wondered where they'd been the whole race. Perdiguero crashed out in the last week and Robbie Hunter was eliminated on time in the final ITT. But Floyd had six other teammates with him and other than Axel Merckx, who did a fantastic job coaxing him to the finish of la Toussuire and might have saved his tour, they had been mostly invisible.

I know they had work to do fetching bottles and snacks and protecting Floyd in the peloton on the flat stretches, but every team does that. When it came to the mountain stages, there're didn't seem to be any climber who could go with him the way that Postal/Disco always did for Lance. (Notably Floyd did lots of that in '03/'04.) Last year, that would have been Pereiro's job.

It was interesting after one stage (Alpe d'Huez I think) when Landis make the remark about his team showing that they were stronger than some people wanted to think. But he himself had given up the yellow jersey because he didn't want his team to have to defend it. I suppose that's what he had to say, but that seemed a bit like typical locker-room "nobody believed in us but we believed in ourselves" talk.

But it all worked out in the end.

Good observation about the French and Spanish teams and young talent too. I looked at the white jersey results and saw that 4 of 9 of the Française des Jeux riders were in that category. That's a pretty young team.

Vino:

July 6

On Tuesday, the Kazakhstan sponsors of the soon-to-be Astana cycling team have bought the remaining shares of former team manager Manolo Saiz. Present at the deal was Tony Rominger, who is rumoured to become the new manager of the squad. Former pro Alexander Shefer has been named as a directeur sportif for the team.

July 21

Former T-Mobile manager Walter Godefroot is set to return to cycling by managing Alexandre Vinokourov's Astana team, according to yet to be published information from Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. Following the chaos that led to the team not taking part in the Tour de France, and the subsequent transition to an all-Kazakhstani sponsorship, top rider Vinokourov saw that there was a need for an experienced manager. He turned to Godefroot, who retired from T-Mobile last year and has always had a good relationship with Vino. Godefroot will take care of the managerial issues, including the renewal of the team's ProTour licence. Astana should take part in the HEW Cyclassics race in Hamburg, Germany, on July 30.

For those who don't follow this really closely, the new Astana team was formerly Liberty Seguros/Wurth, and before that it was the powerhouse ONCE team. US Postal/Discovery director Johan Bruyneel rode for ONCE for about half of his career.

I thought this was also interesting regarding T-Mobile:

July 25

Were Ullrich, Oscar Sevilla and Rudy Pevenage the only ones to be shown the door? The German rumour mill is working overtime, outlining a palace coup in which the riders are banding together to boot out team manager (and owner) Olaf Ludwig as well as sport-technical director Mario Kummer.
The Tagesspiegel reports that after the suspensions of Ullrich, Sevilla and Pevenage were announced on the Friday before the Tour, "the seven remaining riders withdrew for a joint training ride and to discuss whether they even wanted to ride the Tour. Afterwards, Matthias Kessler, apparently the new strong man on the team, told Olaf Ludwig that the team had decided to ride the Tour, and how it would ride the Tour. 'We want to be in it and we want to win it,' said Kessler. And this was why Ludwig was downgraded to the role of a helper to the team, which pretty much led itself."

TDF 2006 Phonak Follies If Landis Rode Beyond His Team

In reply to TdF Blog: Carmichael and Armstrong Might Know a Thing or Two:

Regarding that last paragraph, I think Phonak probably didn't have the budget for domestiques that Armstrong's teams did, particularly later on. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that neither CSC nor Phonak had the horses to take their riders up consistently without blowing it for the day or having a lot of resignations in the process. Perhaps this is not entirely fair to CSC, as they seemed to me second best teamish to T-Mobile (TMO).

For Phonak I felt the weakness was fairly clear, in that, give as they might, it would be mostly early on that they could help, except for Axel. I'm not an expert but this is how it seems. From my very limited viewing capabilities, via internet only and usually the last half or third of a stage, it looks like to me that Klöden and the other fuchsia lot had a real team later into the day, just ahead of CSC. I haven't looked at team stats as I write, so this could be bunko. But really if Landis or Pereiro or Sastre take it, they'll mostly have ridden the hard parts alone, and T-Mobile is tough but I don't think they have anyone close enough now to win.

One nice thing is the French, or some of them, have done well, and the Spaniards seem to really be building a nice future. Again I haven't studied the stats, but I sure have been inspired by much, and disappointed by very little, once the tour got under way.

It's interesting how little we've heard from or about those who were banned. And I wonder where Vino is these days, and if he'll get mixed up with the others on his team. I certainly hope the TdF can get back to a day where we can feel that whatever they accomplish, it was done withing rules that are clearly defined and easily enforced. Well that's another dream I guess. But the tour had a better year by not allowing monster performances that would be in question than going the way of some sports, cooking the record books forever for short-term gain.

Tour de France 2006 Live Video Live Audio in English

In reply to Tour de France 2006:

As many know I'm not participating in Cable TV so I can afford the Cable Internet, which is more important to me and RSN. This means the sporting events can be a challenge, but I'm really enjoying a combination of things right now to follow the 2006 Tour de France.

I get my video feed by watching Radio Television Luxembourg:

http://www.rtl.lu/tele/livestream/index.rtl?live=high#cf

If you have trouble connecting (if you join the coverage late in the race this could be the case), You can try Serbian television (this may interfere with, or mix with, audio from Eurosport.com below, and the video quality is not as good as RTL):

http://www.rts.co.yu/rts2uzivo.ram#cf

Simultaneously, I'm able to listen to English-language audio from Eurosport.com, who offers several languages in fact, and a nice array of other sports at times as well:

http://www.eurosport.com/eurosport/mc_vid20993.shtml

For text, I'm liking Eurosport.com and cyclingnews.com:

http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/2006/livefullpage_mtc129669.shtml

http://live.cyclingnews.com/?id=latest

These links won't be right for every stage, but you'll probably be able to find them by going to the home page. Hope this helps someone at home or work to be able to enjoy the tour!