The Cycliste Moderne, July 4, 2006

Before we get to the cycling stuff, it is important to keep things in perspective. Portugal is just two wins away from being World Cup Champions. Most importantly, the get Deco back for the match against France. Regardless of the outcome of Wednesday's match I guarantee there will be riots somewhere in Europe.

Doping Update

I wrote last week’s preview just as the full impact of Operacion Puerto was emerging. I can say that I am shocked and saddened by the result of that investigation. I don’t want to say everybody dopes, but it sure looks like everybody dopes. The most surprising information coming out of Spain is that the doctors at the center of the investigation had made upwards of $10 Million from helping athletes dope over the last 3-4 years. It also looks like systematic team wide doping was occurring at some of the Spanish teams.

The unfortunate victims are the riders not implicated in the scandal. Alexander Vinokourov lost his chance to race and potentially win the Tour with the dismissal of five of his teammates. With the removal of Ullrich, Basso and Mancebo before the race started, Vinokourov would have been the highest placed finisher from last year’s race. Meanwhile, sponsors like Wurth and Communidad Valenicana have pulled their sponsorship from the Spanish teams they supported.

Additionally, WADA chief Dick Pound is proclaiming that if he had a child he would not let them compete in cycling since you can only win if you are drugged. Pat McQuaid, the UCI leader, has already announced that Tyler Hamilton will be getting a life time ban and Basso and Ullrich will be getting four year bans if Operacion Puerto results in findings of doping. Tyler Hamilton’s attorney is already holding press conferences on the lack of due process afforded his client and pointing out that the information coming out now deals with the period of time for which Hamilton is currently serving a suspension.

FIFA gleefully announced, today, however that contrary to prior reports, no soccer players showed up in the Operacion Puerto dossier. However, two time French Open winner Rafael Nadal has already announced he will seek legal action against the newspapers that have implicated him in the doping scandal. I believe that Nadal probably does not dope since he only manages to win consistently on the slowest tennis surfaces and is generally incapable of matching the big serving speed players on hard and grass courts.

Tour Update

Anyway, the opening stages of the Tour have produced the carnage that is typically expected over the opening stages favoring the sprinters.

The Prologue

Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole became the first Norwegian cyclist ever to wear the maillot jaune. Having won the green points jersey last year, Hushovd’s time trialing ability is frequently forgotten. He is however a past under 23 world champion in the time trial. With an opening week of stages favoring the sprinters, Hushovd’s performance was obviously designed to get the yellow jersey and give him and his team the opportunity to defend it. George Hincapie and Dave Zabriskie put in stellar performances in the opening time trial to finish second and third, with Hincapie missing out on yellow by just .73 seconds. The biggest surprise was Floyd Landis’ late arrival at the start house due to a last second tire change. Landis would have certainly been in the top three but for that lost time.

Stage 1

Stage 1 marked the first Tour victory for Cofidis’ sprinter Jimmy Casper. The French managed to get the “when are they going to win a stage” monkey of their backs early this year. No doubt that the French press is noting that the early victory is because the Italians, Germans and Spanish dopers got sent home. Anyway, the carnage of the sprint finish of Stage 1 is best exemplified by this photo of Hushovd.

Both Hushovd and Tom Boonen were struck by objects held out into the course by fans. As a result, neither were in a position to really contest the sprint and Hushovd ended up in the hospital getting stitches to close the gash in his arm that was reported to have been caused by green jersey sponsor PMU’s green promotional cardboard hands. As a result of that, PMU and the Tour have announced that PMU’s hands would not be distributed within the last 2km of a stage. Hushovd finished the stage, however, he finished in 9th and lost the yellow jersey to George Hincapie who managed to steal two seconds in the final intermediate sprint of the day to take the lead and wear the yellow jersey.

Liquigas’ superstar Danilo Di Luca abandoned the race after the stage due to an ongoing illness. He was looking to have a strong Tour after a less than impressive Giro.

Stage 2

Robbie McEwen won the stage in Luxembourg, but most impressively, a bandaged and sore Hushovd managed to take third on the stage to reclaim the yellow jersey. Even more impressive was the fact that Hushovd pulled out of his pedal with 25m to go and still managed to have enough speed and power to pedal through with one leg to get the time bonus associated with third place. Although T-Mobile’s Matthias Kessler put in a late attack and almost stayed away, he was caught in the final 200 meters as it was a day for the sprinters. Of course, the requisite mid-pack crash in the closing kilometers capped the day and split up the peleton.

Stage 3

Stage 3 from Luxembourg, through Belgium and finishing in Valkenberg, Netherlands. The finish came 2km after the climb up the Cauberg where the Amstel Gold Race finishes. Although the finish was flat and straight, that last climb up the Cauberg was expected to break things up. T-Mobile’s Matthias Kessler again attacked late, this time halfway up the Cauberg and managed to hold on for the win.

The climb did shake up the overall as Hushovd was unable to stay in contact with the leaders and eve though Tom Boonen only managed a fourth place finish, Boonen pulled on the yellow jersey for tomorrow’s start in Huy, Belgium due to Hushovd’s group being unable to reconnect to the main chase group before the finish. Boonen is huge in Belgium and it really means a lot for a Belgian to be in yellow when the race goes through Belgium. On the podium to congratulate Boonen was former world champion Freddy Maertens who Mrs. Cycliste Moderne and I had the pleasure of meeting last November at the Belgian National Cycling Museum when Mrs. Cycliste Moderne walked into the museum and asked him where she could get some lunch and then as we walked out said to me "isn't he that one guy?"

This was a stage that I thought a rider like Spaniard Alejandro Valverde could win with a late attack in the hills of the Limburg region of the Netherlands. Valverde can sprint and climb. He has improved his time trialing ability and with the dismissals of Basso, Ullrich, Mancebo and the withdrawal of Vinokourov, Valverde would have been on my revised podium. Than ended, today, about 20km from the finish when he crashed and broke a collar bone. It always seems like the first week results in the elimination of a certain top 10 finisher due to a stupid mid-pack crash.

Additionally, Rabobank’s Erik Dekker and Davitamon Lotto’s Fred Rodriguez crashed about 50km from the end of the stage with both of them ending up with a trip to the hospital as well, Rodrigeuz with a broken collar bone as well and Dekker with a concusion. Both riders were important to supporting their team sprinters and for possible stage victories. The peleton just keeps shrinking.