An informative and fun interview with one of the great personalities of the TdF and cycling in Europe. It is an interview from a few years back, but fun to read even now. Did you know he is actually sponsored?

We didn’t see as much of him this year as in previous tours which is a shame. Don’t know if it was the French TV not covering him or OLN’s not airing the early portion of most stages.

In other news…
New entries might be a little light on this site for the next few days as I revamp this site and prepare another web site project to launch in August. Once I’m satified with them on the iMac the changes will show up here…

Five riders judged guilty, then cleared, but only after preventing them from riding the Tour and thereby taking an entire team (Astaná) out of the Tour. A team, I might add, that had good chances for the maillot jaune (Vinokourov), maillot vert (Vinokourov & Davis) and maillot blanc (Cantador). Wow!

In last year’s Tour, Astaná had riders in the top 7 of each jersey competition, and they were the 7th team in the team competition, barred from competing this year. Ok, hind sight is 20/20 and the Tour had to do what it could with information available at the time — I don’t blame them — but now we find out that the allegations from Operación Puerto are just that, allegations, some with no evidence, circumstancial or direct, to stand on. Does reacting strongly to this type of allegation hurt or help the sport?

While some of the sport’s authorities are at least paying lip service to waiting to see what retesting and B-sample tests reveal for Floyd, Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, has once again painted the sport with a very broad brush:

“When is this going to end? What is the UCI going to do about it?” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s always disappointing when you see something like this. If there is a positive test, what have you got? The guys who came second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth at last year’s event have been busted in the (Spanish investigation), and now the winner of this year’s event is busted in the race itself. … You build up and create a new hero, and he gets slapped down. It’s a serious blow.”
–Dick Pound as reported in Velonews

The only problem is he is blatantly wrong. He needs to get his facts straight. Yes, last year’s second place (Basso), thrid place (Ullrich) and fourth place (Mancebo) were implicated in Operación Puerto. They weren’t “busted” as the Spanish have no laws to “bust” them with. They may be “busted” later by their home sanctioning organizations and home nations, but not until the final results of the Operación Puerto investigation and rulings come out, if those results still implicate the riders. Even then each sanctioning organization and government would have to build it’s own case (probably after investigations) based on their own laws. Why am I hedging with if and may etc… because we have already seen five riders cleared of any wrong doing, and most of the evidence I have seen in the news (as untrustworthy a source as any) has been circumstancial.

Pound also said that the fifth (Vinokourov) and sixth (Leipheimer) placed riders were “busted”. Whoa, wait a minute, Dick…Vinokourov and Leipheimer were busted too? Their names never appeared on any list from Operación Puerto. Vinokourov was prevented from riding the tour because the “Astaná Five” were wrongly excluded from the Tour, and Astaná could not start because they had fewer than six starting riders as a result. As for Leipheimer, I know he wasn’t brilliant at the Tour, but he sure was there and did scrap his way back into a top 15 finish. He was never even mentioned in passing in the allegations surrounding Operación Puerto. Now Dick is putting Vino and Leipheimer in the same category as the riders implicated by Operación Puerto and then calling them categorically guilty of cheating and drug use when even Operación Puerto hasn’t done that and has been clearing some implicated riders of any wrong doing.

I’m sure Vino and Leipheimer are consulting with legal teams, as this type of careless allegation by a man in a position of authority can be very damaging to their team and individual sponsorships…which means their income and their honor. A dangerous and irresponsible man, that Dick.

Today, I was looking for some information for a good all-around, year-round commuting bike. I don’t want a mountain bike, but need something capable of some wider tires than I can get on my current road bike (700×23 is the widest that will squeeze between the chainstays). One bike that has come highly recommended by a couple of commuters in more inclement areas is the Trek Portland. I visited Trek and to look at the Portland and it does look in every respect like the year round bike I was looking for.

I love the though of the 52/39/30 triple crank set — not giving up top end, but gaining a 30 for hauling stuff and tired homeward trips up that hill. Bontrager makes durable wheels and the frame has room for at least 700×28 tires between the stays, which would make heavy rain and winter riding “doable”. The shifting and gears are mid range Shimano STI, but the stopping is from disc brakes. Oh yeah. That’s a big plus for me hauling anything, but especially precious cargo. The last trip with Johann’s add-a-tandem I had a big scare when I had to stop suddenly and both brake levers were feeling real mushy–pulled all the way back to the bars. They stopped us, and afterwards worked perfectly normal on a solo ride. Just weren’t made to stop all that added mass quickly. Disc brakes would be a big plus. Overall it looks like a good bike for commutes (with just some good panniers), general riding and attaching the add-a-tandem or a cargo trailer for family rides and shopping and errands. It only comes in one color, but then again that color is burnt orange…can’t complain about that. It really does look like Trek built a near perfect commuter bike for a roadie, now I understand why it comes so highly recommended.

While there I discovered a news blurb that Discovery Channel has signed Levi Leipheimer from Gerolsteiner for the 2007 season. Levi may not have had the tour he wanted, but other than the tour he had a good year with King of the Mountain and a stage win in the Tour of California, and the winner of the Dauphiné Libéré. Levi started riding with Saturn in ’98 then moved to USPostal for the 2000-2001 seasons before moving to Rabobank and finally Gerolsteiner. When he was with USPostal before he never got the chance to ride the Tour de France but brought home a podium finish at the 2001 Vuelta (which also brought him to the attention of Rabobank?) Should be interesting to watch the leadership roles develop next year. I would think though that Levi is pegged to be the leader now, but…

Edit: Yes I have heard the reports regarding Floyd Landis, and that it turns out that 5 members of Astaná-Würth were formally cleared (only after destroying their tour and Vinokourov’s chances, he must be really ticked now!). Considering it all I will continue to regard Floyd innocent until everything is settled.

Viatcheslav Ekimov rode clear as the peloton parted for him approaching the first of 8 laps of the Champs-Elysées. Eki (also known as ‘Slava’, Russian for Glory) then led the peloton across the line and saluted the crowd for many years of support before retiring back to the peloton. The peloton gave the Eki this honor as the oldest rider of this years tour, for his amazing career and as a sign of the immense respect that the cyclists have for the “old man” of the peloton.

Viatcheslav later gave an informal video interview to a Eurosport correspondent:

Actually, I can say that today was my last Tour de France, so 15 participations…I wish to do more, but I think it’s pretty much done.

There was a lot of speculation that he would continue for one more Tour to tie Joop Zoetemelk’s record of 16 Tours, or even go through 2008 and set a new record as well as compete in the Bejing Olympics at 42 years old.

Today however Eki’s Tour participation career is complete, but what a career it has been. Since joining the Pro ranks in 1990 he has missed only two Tours — 1999 when his team Amica Chips was not invited to the Tour, and in 2005 when he was forced to miss the Tour after a horrendous accident while in training broke his sternum and a vertebrae. More than just participating in 15 tours, he has completed every one of them finishing as high as 18th (1995) and taking a stage win in 1991.

As a cyclist, Eki’s pro-cycling palmares is both long and impressive with some 60 victories including the GP Eddie Merkx, Tour DuPont, Tour of China, two Olympic Golds, one Olympic Silver and stages of most Tours, and a number of one day races. Somewhere I will eventually find a complete palmares including his world pursuit championships and amateur victories as well and all his top ten finishes. It’s quite a list.

The good news for fans of Discovery Channel Pro Cycling and Ekimov is that he will be assuming an assistant director position with the team starting with the 2007 season.

Wim Vansevenan brought up the rear of the peloton arriving in Paris 4 hours 2 minutes and 1 second slower than Floyd and claiming the lanterne rouge position. Wim took the laterne rouge position on stage 15 into L’Alpe d’Huez. While retaining the lanterne rouge he has continuously improved his position from 152nd to 139th as other riders dropped out of the race.

None of the jerseys changed, though it was close for the maillot blanc when Cunego flatted on the Champs-Elysees. The stage went to Thor Hushovd who adds the closing stage win to his opening stage win with a wonderful finish beating out maillot vert winner Robbie McEwen.

“It is an awesome final week and it will be like a dream if the result will hang in the balance going into the final time trial,”

Mr. Prudhomme, welcome to your dream come true…

Serguei Gonchar wraps up the tour winning both time trials and spending 3 days in yellow with a great ride today. Only Andreas Klöden could come within one minute of Gonchar’s finish at 41″ back. Klöden’s great ride, along with a 20th place ride by Carlos Sastre, allows Klöden to replace Sastre as the third place in the GC and take his place on the podium in Paris.

Of course the big story is the maillot jaune, which Floyd Landis wrapped up with a solid ride to third place for the stage at 1′ 11″ behind Gonchar. Oscar Pereiro was a real star today–not known as a strong time trialist, he rode with the yellow on his shoulders and finished in fourth place behind Landis. While it was probably a personal best time trial for Pereiro it was not enough to keep the maillot jaune as Landis beat him today by 1′ 29″ giving Landis the maillot jaune with a 59″ margin.

Tomorrow Floyd Landis will become the third American to win the Tour de France, joining Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong for a combined 11 victories in the past 20 years!

By conventional wisdom he was right. Theoretically none of the GC leaders would allow Landis to get free of their group. They would work together to keep him under control, especially knowing he is a skilled time trialist. Of course now, after an incredible stage over 5 categorized climbs into Morzine, we know they could not control Landis. Phonak set a blistering pace on the approach and early slopes of Col des Saisies and Landis launched his attack off the front which none of the contenders could hold. The contenders probably felt that Landis would not be able to hold such a pace and would either blow up or that they would catch him after the first or second climb as he lowered the pace and they slowly elevated theirs.

In Phil’s defense, it was an unprecedented attack and Floyd set a blistering pace for such a mountainous stage finishing 200.5km in 5h23’36″ — that’s an average speed of just over 37km/hour. Paul Sherwin will be helping eat the crow, as he also expressed that the GC would not allow Landis that kind of a breakaway.

Only Bobke felt Landis could do “the impossible” — Bobke, Landis and Team Phonak.

Floyd took a huge gamble and delivered an amazing ride to erase much of the losses of yesterday’s disastrous stage. Sastra is driving hard now to move into the maillot jaune, and Oscar Pereiro is descending like mad to keep himself in it. Landis might be back in Yellow at the end of the day, but Sastre and Pereiro are both fighting hard to have it as well. Right now it looks like Sastre has the edge, but no matter how it ends tonight, the separation of these three will be mere seconds.

Sastre is across at 5′ 42″ behind Landis, so he will remain in front of Landis for the GC, but only by about 18 seconds!

Pereiro is sprinting to save his positin in the maillot jaune, it will be close! He saved it by about 10 seconds!

With only seconds between the leaders, Floyd will be the favorite for the time trial but there will be a lot of motivation for the Sastre and Pereiro as well.

Amazing stage. If you missed the live broadcast you really must see the rebroadcasts some time today! Amazing!

Landis finished 5′ 42″ in front of Sastre, and 7′+ in front of Pereiro. For the overall 1st to third are separated by 30″ now. Landis erased an 8minute+ deficit and now is within striking distance to regain the maillot jaune and keep it to Paris!!

This one will go down in tour history as one of the great stages. Easily one of the greatest attacks in the past two decades I have been watching.