Many of you probably are unaware that I am such a cycling fan, but my friend, John Fojtek--who is a pretty kick-A rider himself, got me addicted to watching the Tour de France back in 2002 and I've been entranced by it ever since. Talk about athletism. I tivo the stage every day (since it is on at 4 or 5 in the morning) and then spend 2 or 3 hours glued to the TV. While it has been unfortunate and disappointing to see that so many of the riders in the past few years have reverted to using various doping methods to get ahead, (including last year's winner Floyd Landis), my love for the sport has been kept alive by those who ride with only sheer will and determination. 
Cyclist, and my personal hero, Alexandre Vinokourov (a pre-race favorite to win the Tour de France this year) has had some ups and downs through the race so far. His brutal fall during the 5th stage had him pretty beat up. Cut knees and elbows don't bode well for pedaling a bike 100 miles a day! He was dropped to 81st place in the race. But he got stitched up and came back out the next day, and the next, and the next, and after almost throwing in the towel after a serious day in the Alps, he started to look like himself again. Then on Stage 13--the Individual Time Trial--he came out like "a man possessed" and beat the entire field by over 2 minutes! Only to fall behind race leader, Michael Rassmussen, by over 25 minutes in stage 14 which officially took him out of contention for a podium finish. So, you can imagine the thrill when he came out yesterday and won stage 15 in the Pyrenees--a wicked mountain stage.
(Alexandre after taking a spill--check out the bloody knee and elbow. His pants were so ripped up that you could get a sneak peak of his muscular gluteous maximus!)
It was a total rollercoaster ride of disappointment and elation over the few days. Needless to say, my heart was crushed today when John called with the sad news....Vino had tested positive for blood doping. And his team (who was a contender to win the team race) was asked to leave the Tour. It is a sad day for the Tour de France and for cyclists (and cycling fans) everywhere.
2 comments:
I like watching the Tour too Maris, but sadly as it is...I have come up with the opinion that they all blood dope. I guess it's just the ones that are real sneaky about it that don't get caught.
Maris, to be a true cycling nut, you have to be pretty religious about shaving your legs...is this going to be possible for you. Wait, am I projecting my personal hygiene onto you? I can't remember whether you are a shaver, I just know ugly pretty girls are the best.
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