Anyone going to watch Le Tour

what an awful day.

'The Tour has had its best days of recent years; by identifying and swiftly removing the guilty riders and also the associated teams it has shown that it will not tolerate doping. It is worth washing the dirty linen in public to get the right final result'

or

'The Tour is in freefall. Doping is endemic, organised and systematic. Recent positive tests just scratch the surface. The cheats will just learn to cheat better. The sponsors will leave, and so will the TV companies and the fans.'

Discuss......

Bruce

I blame the French

It seems to me that the public that watch The Tour are cycling enthusiasts, and being cycling enthusiasts, they are health aware and the sort to eat fresh food and bring up their children to do sport and know what real food is. They are exactly the crowd that will not tolerate this at all. I expect that in future years the crowds simply will not come in the numbers that they have and it will take a very long time to repair the damage. You hear about drugs in football and no-one bats an eyelid because it goes with the territory, but cycling?
This will be big news.

quote:

I blame the French

Is that generally, or specifically!

There's more:

Rasmussen sacked and pulled from Tour.

FOR SALE:International cycling team. Sold as whole or will sell individual riders/sonniers/mechanics/pharmacutical products etc. No reasonable offer declined. Would suit Olympic athletes, Italian footbal players,swimmers....

any of those bikes on e-bay yet?

Joking apart, I do feel sorry for Wiggins.

quote:

Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Joking apart, I do feel sorry for Wiggins.

Why?

I suppose I feel a bit sorry for the teammates who get thrown out after somebody is caught but it does mean that increased pressure will be brought in future by the riders on their colleagues who are/or might be doping.

I also think that much of the doping in the past has been highly organised, with doctors and other team staff clearly involved. Whole teams should share responsibilit therefore.

Bruce

Bugger, I will have to put up with 20 minutes of hand wringing and analysis by Imlac and the wooly back rather than racing.

Why not just make the doping legal and see how fast they can all go! Just joking this kind of thing needs to be stamped on and hard.

Bradley gets my sympany for trying and getting shafted by a "team mate".

I do look forward to the chance for a first time rider to win. Is this a first?

Jono

If things carry on it will be won by the fat wheezy kid at the back.....

If things carry on it will be won by the fat wheezy kid at the back.....

That must a rider from GB!

i'd love to see the Devil climb to a win in the Pyrennes.

kudos to Rabobank - i only wish this could have been done sooner, before the climbs.

i haven't missed a minute of this years TdF and will continue to watch.

PACE