Somehow, I can't get excited about it this year

Well, I think the title says it all. Somehow, I can't get excited about it this year. Usually, at this point in time in previous years, I would have memorized team rosters, stages, climbs, told everybody at work not to expect to see me before lunch for the next 3 weeks, etc.

This year ... not so much.

I know, we should expect an epic battle between Astana and the rest of the world, or whatever, but I just can't get excited. I don't want to see another blue train even if it's a lighter shade of blue. And I don't want to see all the old dope farts compete again: LA, Kloden, Basso, AC, Schleck, Boonen ... I just can't get myself to care. Maybe I'll watch some stages, maybe I can get into it again, but right now, it doesn't feel like it. Tomorrow, the ITT starts. I fully expect AC to win it and stay in yellow for 3 weeks. The only thing which might stop him is if his bags clot before he can use them.

I thought the Giro was interesting, and some of the spring races. This year's Tour de France looks like to become a sordid affair. Everyone jacked up to the max, and ready to top off when needed. The best responders will float to the top, and we already who that is. I just looked at a tape of 2007. What a piece of chicken**** that was. This year's going to be the same, except the two freak responders are on the same team and ASO+UCI will not allow for any more scandal. So, not even any drama from that direction.

Anyhoo, I don't want to be a killjoy for ya'll, so I stop my rambling now.

Cheers

Would you prefer last year's Tour, which was the lamest race ever. This is the most fired up I have ever been for a prologue, which is usually a crappy stage and a waste of a good day.

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Lance Armstrong’s Last Words, August 10, 2007 - “We're proud of our record. We won eight Tours, a Vuelta, a Giro and other races and not one positive test," Armstrong said. “I’m not sure if there are many other teams who can say that right now. Couple that with our ethical record, despite all the gossip and nonsense that goes on.”

Look to be honest I am in the same boat. I wanted to love this sport. I cant cope with it though. It is what it is I guess. Paying careful attention to who responded to Kohl and how they went about it has been demoralising.

No question in my mind the fight is over. 100% of the 2009 Tour de France field will dope at some point during the race. Not one rider will ride clean.

Kids start doping at 19 or 20 under the guidance of parents and coaches to reach the top and never stop until they retire.

There is doping in other sports for sure but not like this......not like this....

To be honest its because of people like you (uneducated, immoral, slightly mentally retarded) that the sport is where it is. People like you crying out for 'entertainment' that is beyond natural physical limits. Just so you can sit on your couch and punch your fist in the air and go 'yeah yeah destroy them'.

Instead of appreciating 10-12 of the worlds most elite cyclists riding together on the very edge and barely being able to break each other by more than a few metres you want guys destroying fields and riding like 'robots' and smashing the opposition.

People who cannot appreciate the small nuances of competition at the elite level dont deserve to comment.

Yup. Armstrong in the race makes it a farce. Does anyone really think he won't be doped to the eyballs just like he was before?

Aside from AC the rest of the contenders look like second raters. It reminds me of the 2004 Giro when the two contenders were on the same team, and the race pretty much sucked.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

I think last year's racing was very exciting. It had more and harder mountain stages for GC than this year. But we have Pharmstrong and Contadoper this year. I guess I am as excited as usual. Only the route could have been better...

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Why am I still a fan of dopers sport?

No question in my mind the fight is over. 100% of the 2009 Tour de France field will dope at some point during the race. Not one rider will ride clean.

I don't know about the 100 per cent or not. Last year we saw Ricardo Rico riding like he was on a motorcycle climbing those mountains and leaving everyone behind. He was soon found to be doping and drop kicked out. If everyone was doping last year he would not have gassed everyone like he did. I think the doping is dropping off. We all know if they are a step ahead of what is being tested for they will not get caught, but the result of being caught is pretty servere for them especially for someone like Armstrong. His contention about the past and not doping would be certified as a lie and all his career would be a farce. I don't see him chancing that at this point in a comeback year. What would the point be? If he could ride clean and be successful (and that does not necessarily mean winning the tour)his reputation would be enhanced.

I am excited as always about 3 weeks of racing everyday. If you love the sport of cycling then how could you not love the tour?

I agree I've been looking forward to the race, I also agree that not everyone is dopeing, I believe it is getting cleaned up

I once believed in the Easter Bunny.

I've always thought that Jeff's who spell their name Geoff were kind of weird.

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Lance Armstrong’s Last Words, August 10, 2007 - “We're proud of our record. We won eight Tours, a Vuelta, a Giro and other races and not one positive test," Armstrong said. “I’m not sure if there are many other teams who can say that right now. Couple that with our ethical record, despite all the gossip and nonsense that goes on.”

I always thought they spelled it that way because they were uneducated and slightly mentally retarded.

More evidence thinking is not your strong point.

So, I checked in at one point and saw Kloden in first place. The selfsame Kloden who was implicated in the Freiburg clinic report and I was thinking this must make everybody happy. The crowd which claims that without doping nothing goes, and the Discotana/Hogstrong fanboys (as long as they can repress the fact that he's a T-mobile guy. Oh well, whom am I kidding. The fanboys have mastered the art of repression).

Then I checked in again at the end and saw Cancellara getting a congratulatory hug from Mr. 60%, his DS for a 20s winning time gap. Wasn't Riis at one point persona non grata at the Tour de France?

Take away the TT specialists (although I don't know anymore what Cancellara is since last year's Tour de France mountain stages) and you have:

Contador
Kloden
Evans
Leipheimer

Yeah right.

Alt er ved det gamle på Riget - stort set

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Hey, Cobblestones.

I know how you feel. It seems as if TPTB are satisfied with the past few years of appearing to go after dopers, but now it's back to business as usual. I would love to watch and root for clean athletes. However, I seriously lost interest and became disheartened when only a few riders were targeted and varying levels of discipline enforced based on federation. For anyone observing the profession, with a clear and fair mind, it was frustratingly insulting. Hopefully, you'll get back into by stage 7 or so. At least it's in HD this year...

Klodifan,

Nice of you to say that.

You know, when I made my avatar on this forum, I was considering something similar as 'Klodifan'. I always thought that Kloden was a particularly stylish rider. I'm kind of glad I reconsidered (mostly because there already was a Klodifan). I chose a more neutral name because I feared that whichever rider I professed a particular interest in by my choice of a username, might at one point become discredited. I feel like as you might have felt when the Freiburg scandal broke. Except, for me it's not about any particular rider, it's about cycling in general.

Maybe I get into the spirit again. BroDeal wrote once an excellent post on the cycling news forum about how we all know what's going on, but in some schizophrenic way, we can still enjoy the actual racing. I'll try to dig it up. I haven't posted much the last 2 weeks neither here nor at cyclingnews. I read some of what is written over there, but they have now split the actual racing discussion section from the doping discussion section, which I think is a mistake. Anyway, maybe as you say, I might be back posting at one time. I'll go out for a spin now and watch the fireworks with my kids tonight.

Have a nice holiday weekend!