Whoa! Thanks for the heads up!
I will be at a wedding and to record the first two days.

Thanks again, who you picking to win?
Crig

That will be an incredible sight to see.

Any sense that after Landis, Basso, Ulrich etc... and all the doping stories that the sponsorship or the fans are going to turn against the Tour. There just seems to a mentality that exists in the sport that it is okay to push the limits and find ways to get around the rules to gain advantage. My son was a big Tour fan (his fav was Ulrich), but after last year, I am not sure he is going to watch this year. Is worse in cycling, or as Lance is saying their monitoring regime is the toughest, so more get caught.

Personally I am picking Vinakourov (sp), he is a monster.

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The longest journey starts with a single step

I was in London the day of the start of the Tour but didn't make it to the start. It was fun just to be there and see all things set up for it. My family and I were busy sightseeing--three museums in one day sometimes.

I tried to signup to run a 10K on Sunday at Regent Park but it was full so I missed out. I had checked online so I didn't even go. I thought it would be fun to see how runs are done "over there". I happened to see a couple wearing tshirts from the run later that day and asked how it was and they said it was very hot. At least it wasn't raining.

Well this year's Tour looking like it is continuing the tradition of the Tour de Dopage. To sum up:

Floyd Landis isn't in it as he waits a decision of his case from last year's tour.
Michael Rasmussen is leading and is now favoured to win but given that he missed several tests pre-Tour there is a lot of suspicion.
Team Astana pulled out of the Tour de France after Alexandre Vinokourov, tested positive for a banned blood transfusion---after he made a Floyd like comeback from a crash to win two stages. His claim that the crash must have 'jumbled' his blood causing the results--just makes me roll my eyes.
And now there is news that another a cyclist failed a test for testosterone.
I think I am just scratching the surface, but what another disappointment. Throw Michael Vick and dog fighting, the NBA ref. and betting on basketball games, the continued discussion of Barry Bonds as he approaches Hank Aaron's home run record with a big * beside is name, and it has been very sad.

I am quickly losing people in sports to cheer for---except for Boomers of course. Tall, Pro, rungrl1, San Souci, hermosaboy, and the other Boomer speedsters: break it to me slowly: any performance enhancing substances?

Sorry, got to go take my Glucosamin.

.EDITED TO ADD: And now Rasmussen is kicked off the team and another team quits the tour...sorry the Tour de France is now the new WWE of sports. Hard not to think that the whole tour was and is dirty....and that would include Lance. It would be like saying everyone in professional wrestling uses steroids except for the champion..he just wins because he is a better wrestler.


http://This message has been edited by spankee (edited Jul-25-2007).

http://This message has been edited by spankee (edited Jul-25-2007).

Spankee, Tall's already admitted to PEP (Performance-Enhancing Poutine) with a chaser of maple syrup. Tsk, tsk, Tall.

Me? PIG (Performance-Improving Guinness). My not-so-sekrit pre-race bevvie.

i like that the network televising the tour de france runs those levitra ads during the commercial breaks ... & people wonder why even elite athletes think taking drugs is o.k. where to draw the line?