July 5, 2008
marks the 95th annual
Tour de France!
But first, lets talk a little bit about Team Discovery Channel.
Team Discovery Channel is famous, of course, for Lance Armstrong and his spectacular seven tour wins! Lance has since retired, and so has the sponsor; but our favorite team rides on, now as Team Astana.
Unfortunately, in light of all the blood doping issues with last year's tour, the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) has banned Team Astana from riding! This turn of events is completely outrageous, but with only three days left to the start of the race, the decision is very, very final.
So, before the 2008 tour, I would like to honor my two favorite riders (and, I might add, the favorites to win the tour that they have been unjustly banned from).
LEVI LEIPHEIMER
The Man of all Men
Levi Leipheimer dragged both Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador up mountains and across plains, in pouring rain and blistering heat. Both Armstrong and Contador owe a portion of their victories to Levi. It is greatly due to his effort and skill that Team USPS/Discovery Channel/Astana has come so far in the cycling world.
Oh yeah, he also kicked trash in the final '07 time trial, beating out everyone by more than 2 minutes! (Most time trial leaders are within seconds of eachother)
Levi stood in third place on the podium in '07.
If he had the chance to race this year, I believe he would take the yellow jersey.
ALBERTO CONTADOR
The Rookie of the Year
This Spainiard took the cycling world by storm last year. With Team Discovery Channel, Contador beat out many of the world's top riders in the '07 Tour de France, winning both the white and the yellow jersey.
And he is only getting stronger.
Boys, you deserve to ride.
Knock their balls of in '09.
Now, on to the 2008 tour...
Running from Saturday July 5 to Sunday July 27, the 95th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometers.
(Click on the map for more detailed info on each individaul stage)
Two words: Saddle Sore.
With Leipheimer, Contador, and all of Team Astana out of the picture, I have been forced to look into other potential winners.
My top choice:
Cadel Evans with Team Silence-Lotto
Team Silence-Lotto is based in Belgium. They have been riding the Tour ever since I have been following it, and they have always had a very strong team. The red and black spandex is pretty intimidating, I think. Not to mention the hats.
CADEL EVANS
Evans is a powerhouse of cycling energy. He is a mountain trails man, a city streets man, and an everything-in-between man. Last year he managed to beat out Levi Leipheimer, taking second place on the podium. Several credible sources have picked Evans as the favorite for the '08 tour. Still, Evans is gonna have a time trying to smash the other superstars, like Alejandro Valverde, Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov.
(Click on the link to "other superstars" for more info on the other contendors)
I guess, in closing, I would just like to say good luck to all the riders.
May the best man win!
marks the 95th annual
Tour de France!
But first, lets talk a little bit about Team Discovery Channel.
Team Discovery Channel is famous, of course, for Lance Armstrong and his spectacular seven tour wins! Lance has since retired, and so has the sponsor; but our favorite team rides on, now as Team Astana.
Unfortunately, in light of all the blood doping issues with last year's tour, the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) has banned Team Astana from riding! This turn of events is completely outrageous, but with only three days left to the start of the race, the decision is very, very final.
So, before the 2008 tour, I would like to honor my two favorite riders (and, I might add, the favorites to win the tour that they have been unjustly banned from).
LEVI LEIPHEIMER
The Man of all Men
Levi Leipheimer dragged both Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador up mountains and across plains, in pouring rain and blistering heat. Both Armstrong and Contador owe a portion of their victories to Levi. It is greatly due to his effort and skill that Team USPS/Discovery Channel/Astana has come so far in the cycling world.
Oh yeah, he also kicked trash in the final '07 time trial, beating out everyone by more than 2 minutes! (Most time trial leaders are within seconds of eachother)
Levi stood in third place on the podium in '07.
If he had the chance to race this year, I believe he would take the yellow jersey.
ALBERTO CONTADOR
The Rookie of the Year
This Spainiard took the cycling world by storm last year. With Team Discovery Channel, Contador beat out many of the world's top riders in the '07 Tour de France, winning both the white and the yellow jersey.
And he is only getting stronger.
Boys, you deserve to ride.
Knock their balls of in '09.
Now, on to the 2008 tour...
Running from Saturday July 5 to Sunday July 27, the 95th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometers.
(Click on the map for more detailed info on each individaul stage)
Two words: Saddle Sore.
With Leipheimer, Contador, and all of Team Astana out of the picture, I have been forced to look into other potential winners.
My top choice:
Cadel Evans with Team Silence-Lotto
Team Silence-Lotto is based in Belgium. They have been riding the Tour ever since I have been following it, and they have always had a very strong team. The red and black spandex is pretty intimidating, I think. Not to mention the hats.
CADEL EVANS
Evans is a powerhouse of cycling energy. He is a mountain trails man, a city streets man, and an everything-in-between man. Last year he managed to beat out Levi Leipheimer, taking second place on the podium. Several credible sources have picked Evans as the favorite for the '08 tour. Still, Evans is gonna have a time trying to smash the other superstars, like Alejandro Valverde, Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov.
(Click on the link to "other superstars" for more info on the other contendors)
I guess, in closing, I would just like to say good luck to all the riders.
May the best man win!
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