Somehow I missed the drugs

[Mud]

This year's TDF is a transition year IMHO. There were no superstars, no great mountain duels such as Contador vs "The Chicken", and no team Time Trial which I liked (I know it has been a few years). Lance vs. Ulrich or Bassos or whomever.

I think it will take a couple of years to where the next great group of riders emerge who have not grown up on shortcuts. It is obvious that many enjoyed the tour but I saw no drama. What was better than Lance losing his team and battling the hordes on his own? Or Floyd's great ride after getting wasted on the climb.

I guess I am not a Cadel fan. He is what in baseball is a compiler. Really good stats, but no big wins and no reason to think he can deliver in a big spot. I realize he could have had a better team. Put him instead of Sastre on CSC and maybe he wins. But great ones can deliver on their own.

I guess I have to wait for Phinney's kid. :)

[DRZRM]

Am I the only one who noticed Carlos Sastre's attack on the Alpe d'Huez. Evens rode a hell of a race without great team support, but Sastre was on his own in the Alps, and rode a pretty sick TT to keep the yellow into Paris, even though Evens has always been able to take 90 seconds out of him in a TT that long. Seemed like plenty of drama to me.

[sc53]

I agree, plenty of drama for me, every stage had a new winner, only one leader actually had a team behind him, spectacular scenery, and all [hopefully] done au naturel. Good to see how good these guys are without the boosters.

[csm]

I just didn't have the interest that I've had in years past. not sure why. been busy at work, was in IA last week with limited access to media, etc.
maybe the Vuelta will engage me.

[1centaur]

Am I the only one who noticed Carlos Sastre's attack on the Alpe d'Huez.

I guess the trouble is that it was not the attack we were waiting for with baited breath, it was the response. Even Phil/Paul instantly said, "there goes Sastre, as we knew he would." Really, it was telegraphed to some extent days before. Take away surprise and you take away excitement. Then Sastre dangled ahead of the group by 20+ seconds for an awfully long time while we waited for some really killer move from the chasers, and it never came. Eventually, Evans started losing so much time he had to really push, but that just means his facial expression changed and he kept losing time. Again, not compelling for the fans. Meanwhile, the only person who could have made it exciting (and probably won) was Andy Schleck, who had to loaf around with the group. That left all the other riders waiting for Evans to do something, just like the fans were. That AG2R riders suddenly appeared in the pack screamed anti-climax - there would be no heroics that day. Sanchez's attack was more exciting than the previous 20 minutes combined. Sastre just kept pedaling away, so no interesting visuals there. Essentially, the fans got to look at a time gap and an inability/unwillingness to do anything about it (perhaps a calculation of TT ability which proved to be unfounded). For what has traditionally been one of the more exciting stages of the Tour, that's pretty disappointing.

Does not mean Sastre did not do a great ride (looking at historic times up the Alpe, it was a GREAT ride if you throw out dopers and suspected dopers), just that it was not exciting as visual entertainment.

[rockdude]

+1

This year's TDF is a transition year IMHO. There were no superstars, no great mountain duels such as Contador vs "The Chicken", and no team Time Trial which I liked (I know it has been a few years). Lance vs. Ulrich or Bassos or whomever.

I think it will take a couple of years to where the next great group of riders emerge who have not grown up on shortcuts. It is obvious that many enjoyed the tour but I saw no drama. What was better than Lance losing his team and battling the hordes on his own? Or Floyd's great ride after getting wasted on the climb.

I guess I am not a Cadel fan. He is what in baseball is a compiler. Really good stats, but no big wins and no reason to think he can deliver in a big spot. I realize he could have had a better team. Put him instead of Sastre on CSC and maybe he wins. But great ones can deliver on their own.

I guess I have to wait for Phinney's kid. :)

[medici]

This year's TDF is a transition year IMHO. There were no superstars, no great mountain duels such as Contador vs "The Chicken", and no team Time Trial which I liked (I know it has been a few years). Lance vs. Ulrich or Bassos or whomever.

I think it will take a couple of years to where the next great group of riders emerge who have not grown up on shortcuts. It is obvious that many enjoyed the tour but I saw no drama. What was better than Lance losing his team and battling the hordes on his own? Or Floyd's great ride after getting wasted on the climb.

I guess I am not a Cadel fan. He is what in baseball is a compiler. Really good stats, but no big wins and no reason to think he can deliver in a big spot. I realize he could have had a better team. Put him instead of Sastre on CSC and maybe he wins. But great ones can deliver on their own.

I guess I have to wait for Phinney's kid. :)

+2

Just got back from a week in the Sierra and watched the Alpe D'Huez
stage. Glad I was in the mountains last week. Very disappointing.

Carlos Sastre, great TdF champion? Don't think so. Ranks right up
there with Oscar Whatsizname. I had the feeling I was watching a
bunch of top 10 finishers duke it out.

[Samster]

Personally, I really enjoyed this year's tour. Maybe it was being there (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=48759&page=1&pp=15) that made it more fun for me, but I thought it was an exciting race.

With respect to "missing" drugs, I don't let performance enhancement aids, and their use/abuse, add or detract from my enjoyment of the sport overall. It's there. It's always been there. And it's certainly an issue. But I still love the sport.

[Samster]

Added Note:

Some found it "boring" when LA dominated with "scintillating attacks" that amassed him insurmountable time advantages rendering the following stages moot to the overall.

de gustibus non est disputandum applies.

[Karin Kirk]

I know I'll get massively flamed for this, but...
My favorite tours of late were the Lance years. I found watching the team work with utter precision and Lance's extraordinary focus and drive to be great entertainment. The Ulrich rivalry made it all the more fun. (except for Ulrich, of course)

I always enjoy the Tour and follow it closely, but I also think that this year was not super exciting. There were a few decisive moments, but the rest was predictable. The main point seemed to be to conserve time rather than to extract time from others, with l'alpe being the only exception. For me the most suspenseful and fun part was the finish of stage 1.

Ok, now flame on... I'm sitting in an ultra-modern federal building with bulletproof glass. I feel safe from here.

[happycampyer]

Hey, I'm with you. I have pretty much every WCP video (Tours, Giros, classics, you name it), and for me the 2003 Tour is the best stage race of the bunch. Watching Armstrong narrowly miss Joseba Biloki on stage 9 into Gap is one of the most amazing displays of bike handling skill IMO. If you get a chance, read "A Significant Other" by Matt Rendell. Great story.