Tour de france 2011

[Junkmale]

Not long now until the World's greatest free sporting event begins and the excitement is growing in Junkmale land.

So who is going to win this year?
Alberto Contador is in a totally different class than any other Professional Cyclist yet again this year and unless he has an accident i see no other winner.
The Schlek brothers will push him hard once again but neither are good enough individually to beat him.
British hopes will once again rest on the shoulders of Bradley Wiggins for the GC.
Mark Cavendish will win a few stages in the sprints but if Brad rides well he could finish in the top 10.
This years course is not as hard as previous years so we could see an unknown Spainyard or Italian make some waves.
I don't think there are any US riders capable of doing much in this years race.
Contador for the win......

[Chuck]

Well now that Lance isn't in it, maybe Contador has a chance... (lol)

I mean, things are looking pretty bad these days when you look at Mr. Armstrong. Is he going to have to give his medals back? Are they going to have to declare new winners for all the Tours that Lance "won"? Probably not, but the whole doping business puts a stain on all US riders, as well as the Tour de France in general. Undoubtedly, the Tour will go on, but you know who's really hurt the most by the scandal? Greg LeMond, who won the Tour three times (twice with 37 pieces of shotgun lead in him). He was America's bike hero until Lance came along, and he's the one who used to have all the endorsements and sponsorships. He's the one now wrapped up in a lot of different investigations and lawsuits, even some involving Contador. LeMond's the nice, honest, real-deal guy we've all chosen to forget about and leave in the dirt.

So I guess if you look at Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Lance Armstrong, the lesson for today is CHEAT, CHEAT, CHEAT! EVEN IF YOU GET CAUGHT, IT WON'T MATTER THAT MUCH!

Go, Team America.

[Junkmale]

Gotta disagree with you on this one Chuck.
I believe in Lance.
He is the most tested athlete in the world of sport ever and he has never tested positive.
The only people to accuse him are not what you would call 'clean' themselves.
Until the day when/if they find absolute 100% proof of his guilt i am prepared to believe he's innocent.
Drug abuse in Professional Cycling is a big problem there is no point in denying it.
But at the moment Lance is guilty of nothing and i really hope it stays that way.

[Chuck]

I don't disagree with you, Junky, in fact, I hope you're right... and "innocent until proven guilty" and all that. But Lance has been under serious investigation for several years by the FBI, the FDA, and the IRS*, and he's currently in front of a Federal Grand Jury in L.A. Like I said, I hope you're right, and they clear him of all suspicions -- for the greater glory of Cycling and the reputations of all the contests Lance won. I guess I was "guilty" myself there, guilty of convicting the guy before all the facts were in. I'm sorry. Things may not look good for him now, but he may still come out on top!

ps, I'm also quite sorry for ranting before, and using all caps.

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* that's "Federal Bureau of Investigation", "Food & Drug Administration", and "Internal Revenue Service" (the taxman) for Junky and all you other furriners out there.