John Wilcockson says this Tour has not been easy, and he should know, having covered 40 of them. Hell, anyone who’s ever raced a bike over any distance knows there can be no such thing as an “easy” Tour. Twenty-one stages covering 2,200 miles? Puh-leeze. That’s a job of work, is what that is.
But just because something is difficult doesn’t make it entertaining. If such were the case, ditch-digging, coal mining and bricklaying would be on TV instead of football, basketball and baseball. And while this Tour has had its obvious difficulties, it has been less than entertaining for those of us who like to follow the fight for the yellow jersey.
We’re two weeks into this Tour and the maillot jaune has yet to adorn the shoulders of anyone expected to have a chance of taking it home from the Champs-Èlysées. Just two men have worn it — Saxo Bank’s Fabian Cancellara and Ag2r’s Rinaldo Nocentini — and the only reason Nocentini has kept it for six days is that nobody wants to battle Astana for it.
Astana had four guys in the top 10 until Levi Leipheimer crashed out, and for them Nocentini is a rolling coat hanger, holding the jersey for them until they’re good and ready for it. It’s like an extended version of the coronation stage into Paris. The only thing missing is the obligatory shot of a grinning maillot jaune toasting himself with a glass of champagne.
No wonder Bernard Hinault is so cranky. This Tour isn’t about working men earning a living — it’s about a rich one awaiting his inheritance.
• Extra-Credit Friday Foolishness: Jefferson County, apparently eager to out-dummy the bike-hating feebs in Larimer County, has announced plans to seek statewide legislation that would let counties ban bicycles from county roads as they please, warns Bicycle Colorado. According to a story in the Columbine Courier, the county attorney will draft the proposed legislation, and then Jeffco will try to find some brain-damaged geek in the Statehouse to sponsor it in the 2010 session. You may send NastyGrams® to the Jeffco commissioners by clicking here.
Mad Blog Media 
Geez, it’s more exciting watching reruns of Joey Chesnut woofing down ‘dogs’ on the 4th.
Bernie is cranky? Well, HE oughta have weighed in when they dreamed up this pathetic excuse for a route! Maybe he did but was overcome by the parent company’s desire for bags of euros. How else could such a nonchallenging route be designed? One really can’t blame Astana, they’re racing smart (at least so far) and it’s looking like everyone coulda skipped the whole three weeks and simply done one day up Mt. Ventoux…or REALLY saved some euros and just given every entrant a VO2 max test in Paris and handed out the trophy to the guy with the highest reading who can pass the dope test! I hope their TV ratings reflect the bore-fest “Le Beeg Shew” has been so far.
so the right wing nuts got tired of raising mass murders and started looking for bicyclists.. Figures in a republican haven like jeff co. Assholes never change out in West Denver. out to dynamite eastbound 70 and east bound sixth avenue and let the morons rot out there. hey the tour is supposed to be boring for a few days to make us appreciate the good stuff.. When do we get the good stuff? soon I hope.
Sounds like you cyclists need lawyers, guns, and money.
I sent Patrick’s comments to Andy Clarke, Harry Brull, and Amanda Eichstaedt at the League of American Bicyclists.
Yep, even the frogs are getting in to the act according to the BBC. OFreire and JDean apparently hit by BBs from some nut case during today’s stage of the Big Bike Race in France During July. Oh my….the Euro trash are at it again.
Is that exciting enough for y’all?
Hockey season is only three months away…..I can’t wait! Now there’s excitement!!!!!
Hey, can anyone update me on what’s been going on in Larimer County lately? The last I heard the county sheriff was making up the laws as he sees fit to the point that he was called on the carpet by a state legislator (which made no difference at all). It’s surreal, like the guy watched a few too many John Wayne movies and decided to play the “Duke” (“Dick”) in real life. I’ve been considering moving to Ft. Collins to go to grad school, but then I remember the wanna-be Harry Callahan Sheriff and the wing nuts who support him and start having second thoughts.
Around here in Mesa County a Republican sheriff deciding to enforce his own “laws” and ignoring the real ones?….well, that’s just business as usual. No need to say anything about it in the papers.
There have been similar stirrings of anti-cyclist sentiment here in Cowland lately. Most notable, Madison suburb of Monona trying to clarify their famous “more wheelbolts get the right of way” policy. I tell ya, it’s like reading Seuss.