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Le Tour Needs Another Le Champ
The 95th Tour de France rolls to a start Saturday without some big names including last years winner Alberto Contador. Young Alberto and his team (including American Levi Leipheimer) were not invited to Le Tour this year. Something about doping scandals and last year's Astana squad being infiltrated by cheaters I guess. Never mind that because the Tour has always been bigger than the controversies and the individual racers that come and go.
Contrary to George Vecsey's article in the New York Times (carried by the ABJ) there are still plenty of cycling's well known in this year's TDF. Try Cadel Evans (2nd in 2007), Damiano Cunego (2004 Giro winner) and Alejandro Valverde to name few. Leaving Team Astana out does leave a gap in the field but not one that can't be filled by riders like these and others not mentioned. Also the UCI had no problem with this year's Astana squad. Contrary to what Vecsey reports it was the Tour organizing body ASO and TDF president Christian Prudhomme that elected to banish Astana from the Tour. Anyhow the show must go on and go on it will.
What Le Tour needs is a champion not another single year winner. We are in the midst of an interim period where there are no repeat champions to rescue the race. Take the time period between 1995, the year Indurain won his fifth and final Tour and 1999 when Lance claimed his first title. Those intervening years were not dominated by any one rider or team. The races in the late 1990's had an assortment of characters (Pantani) and scandal (The Festina affair) that highlighted the need for a champion.
So here we are again in a time period of no clear cut dominant team or repeat winner and the Tour has been beset with problems. These problems are to sure shake out as the the sport clears its baffles of drugs and cheating. The tour has survived a lot of problems including two world wars. Could the winnner of the 2008 TDF be the next repeat winner and bring austerity back the Maillot Jaune? That would be great start.
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What Le Tour needs is a champion not another single year winner. We are in the midst of an interim period where there are no repeat champions to rescue the race. Take the time period between 1995, the year Indurain won his fifth and final Tour and 1999 when Lance claimed his first title. Those intervening years were not dominated by any one rider or team. The races in the late 1990's had an assortment of characters (Pantani) and scandal (The Festina affair) that highlighted the need for a champion.
So here we are again in a time period of no clear cut dominant team or repeat winner and the Tour has been beset with problems. These problems are to sure shake out as the the sport clears its baffles of drugs and cheating. The tour has survived a lot of problems including two world wars. Could the winnner of the 2008 TDF be the next repeat winner and bring austerity back the Maillot Jaune? That would be great start.
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