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Happy Birthday!
Jun. 8th, 2008 06:30 amIt's Nick Rhodes' birthday. Wear some eyeliner in honour thereof!
Jun. 8th, 2008
Well, crap.
Jun. 8th, 2008 05:31 pmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/sports/othersports/07cycling.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin
If anything is going to kill the Tour, it'd be this.
If anything is going to kill the Tour, it'd be this.
Lemme 'splain.
Jun. 8th, 2008 07:10 pmhttp://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gjpz0rjUQYjkiq7DE3mIQrMYUZWA
American rider Levi Leipheimer wins Dauphine Libere prologue
3 hours ago
AVIGNON, France — Levi Leipheimer of the United States won the prologue of the Dauphine Libere cycling race on Sunday.
Leipheimer finished the 5.6 kilometre time trial in six minutes, 10.05 seconds, with Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd coming in second at 6:11.42. Spain's Alejandro Valverde was third in 6:16.29.
The eight-day French race is a traditional warmup for the Tour de France, but Leipheimer won't be participating in cycling's showcase event. His Astana team was banned from the Tour in February by race organizer ASO as punishment for doping problems in previous seasons. Leipheimer rode for the Discovery Channel team in the 2007 Tour, placing third, and did not join Astana until late last year.
ASO's decision also means that last year's Tour champion Alberto Contador, another Astana rider who is not racing in the Dauphine Libere, won't get to defend his title. Like Leipheimer, Contador rode for Discovery Channel last year.
Monday's Dauphine Libere stage takes riders on a 194-kilometre route from Avignon to the town of Privas. The race ends Sunday.
In other words, the Amaury Sports Organisation, the governing body of the Tour, have ejected Astana merely on suspicion of problems, not for anything that actually, provably happened. They then pulled the Tour from the official roster of International Cycling Union races, supposedly to overhaul doping guidelines. In return, the ICU has now threatened sanctions against any rider who dares to race in the Tour.
So today's ass-kicking win by the man who may be my favourite remaining rider, Levi Leipheimer, could be considered a slap in the face to ASO. His team, Astana, has not only him, but Alberto Contador, last year's Tour winner, along with several other top-flight cyclists. And the better they do outside the Tour, the worse it is for the Tour itself. Whoever wins this year, it'll be with the caveat that they won without the participation of some of the sport's top riders. Like winning in the PGA a year Tiger's not playing.
Perhaps I love cycling so much because I'm a Philadelphian. Sadly, we're just used to being beaten to death by the sports we love.
American rider Levi Leipheimer wins Dauphine Libere prologue
3 hours ago
AVIGNON, France — Levi Leipheimer of the United States won the prologue of the Dauphine Libere cycling race on Sunday.
Leipheimer finished the 5.6 kilometre time trial in six minutes, 10.05 seconds, with Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd coming in second at 6:11.42. Spain's Alejandro Valverde was third in 6:16.29.
The eight-day French race is a traditional warmup for the Tour de France, but Leipheimer won't be participating in cycling's showcase event. His Astana team was banned from the Tour in February by race organizer ASO as punishment for doping problems in previous seasons. Leipheimer rode for the Discovery Channel team in the 2007 Tour, placing third, and did not join Astana until late last year.
ASO's decision also means that last year's Tour champion Alberto Contador, another Astana rider who is not racing in the Dauphine Libere, won't get to defend his title. Like Leipheimer, Contador rode for Discovery Channel last year.
Monday's Dauphine Libere stage takes riders on a 194-kilometre route from Avignon to the town of Privas. The race ends Sunday.
In other words, the Amaury Sports Organisation, the governing body of the Tour, have ejected Astana merely on suspicion of problems, not for anything that actually, provably happened. They then pulled the Tour from the official roster of International Cycling Union races, supposedly to overhaul doping guidelines. In return, the ICU has now threatened sanctions against any rider who dares to race in the Tour.
So today's ass-kicking win by the man who may be my favourite remaining rider, Levi Leipheimer, could be considered a slap in the face to ASO. His team, Astana, has not only him, but Alberto Contador, last year's Tour winner, along with several other top-flight cyclists. And the better they do outside the Tour, the worse it is for the Tour itself. Whoever wins this year, it'll be with the caveat that they won without the participation of some of the sport's top riders. Like winning in the PGA a year Tiger's not playing.
Perhaps I love cycling so much because I'm a Philadelphian. Sadly, we're just used to being beaten to death by the sports we love.