Tuesday, July 5th, 2005
#2 Lose the dope … and the race radios: Since the 1970s, the average speed of the race has crept steadily upward, from just over 20 miles per hour to just under 25. This is partly because the bikes are better and lighter, and partly because of, um, improved training methods. The fast pace means it’s now much harder for an individual or small group to break away from the field. And when riders do get away, the others hear all about it in their radio earpieces. The team directors consult their laptops and tell the chasers how fast to ride to catch the leaders before the finish—which is precisely what happens, nine times out of 10. So much for drama.
#3 Ban the French: Traditionally, French riders have made up much of the field, especially since the organizers generally give “wild card” spots to mediocre French teams. Their numbers are down a bit this year, but there are still gobs of them: 30 of 189 riders. The sad truth is that French cyclists just aren’t that good. The last one to win the race was Bernard Hinault, in 1985. Are the French bitter about this? Bien sûr. But they still won’t crack the top five this year, and they’re taking the spots of racers who might actually do something.
#4 Lance must lose: No matter how inspiring his back-from-cancer life story may be, or how impressive his winning streak, Armstrong’s long reign has sucked some of the life out of the race. If last year is any indication, the six-time champ will race defensively, like a hockey team killing a penalty. When he gets the leader’s yellow jersey—not “if”—his ruthless Discovery Channel-sponsored squad will simply take control of the race, and only the most determined and insane riders (like Kazakh bandit Alexandre Vinokourov) will dare to attack.
Armstrong has already announced that he’s retiring when the Tour ends. Here’s hoping he loses this one. Why? Because whoever knocks him off will have earned the title, not merely inherited it; a coup is more exciting than an election. Even if you admire Lance, like I do, it’s OK to cheer for his challengers: When he’s in trouble, the Tour really gets interesting. In 2003, Armstrong crashed twice, rode into a field, nearly passed out on a mountain climb, and lost a time trial. It was one of the best Tours ever. The telltale sign that he’s in difficulty is something his rivals and journalists call the “Dead Elvis Grin.” It looks about the way you’d think. If you see it, stay tuned.
In regards to these suggestions I would reply:
#1 Umm, yes and no. The climbs in France may not be as difficult as those found in other grand tours, but the mountain top finishes are by no means a field sprint. If the Tour organizers made all the climbs incredibly difficult it would turn the Tour into a freak race. That being said, some unpaved climbs in the Tour would be pretty epic and would add some excitement to the race.
#2 I’ll ignore the doping implication here because it’s a waste of time to talk about. In regards to the radios affecting the outcome of the race, riders were able to keep aware of the breakaway time gaps well before the use of radios. The Tour provides this information to the riders via a motorcycle race official and a chalkboard that tells the group what the time gap is to the leaders. The team directors like the radios and the riders feel like it a safer to ride with them as they can be told of any hazards in the road well before hand. I really don’t see this as a big issue.
#3 Ban the French? French riders just aren’t that good? The teams that are participating in the Tour de France for 2005 are the Pro Tour teams. The Pro Tour is made up of the best teams in the world. Some of these riders and teams are French. Granted that it is very unlikely that a French rider will make it onto the podium in Paris, but the French riders and the French teams in the Tour are they because they earned the right to be there. No Belgian rider has won the Tour de France since 1976 but only an idiot would call for the Tour to exclude Belgians.
#4 Agreed.
Lance has done everything right in the Tour de France so far. Only bad luck will prevent him from winning number 7.
