Dude, I know. That’s the point. It didn’t happen during the TDF. As one poster stated, that’s the only time doping is known to people. Catchin’ on now?
No, “Dude,” you’re still not “catchin’ on.” Go do some research and find out that the majority of the OP athletes were not cyclists. How can you not think that cycling deserves more credibility points than other sports? The TdF seems to be about the only organization interested in curbing doping.
Troll.
Aint that the truth.
Why are you looking away while everyone else is correctly observing that the sport is crumbling without a star and without a bunch of guys who can’t cycle without drugs.
This thing is a joke now. The only rider in the last twenty years to make it interesting was Lance. Now you have a bunch of doped up jokers chasing something that doesn’t even matter anymore. It’s like winning the NBA championship without having to go through Jordan. It just doesn’t have the same value. On top of that, you have a bunch of second tier riders who have to get juiced up to even come close to Lance’s performance. What a waste. Call me when you have enough top quality riders to put a good race together.
Yeah, I long for the Lance era, when everyone was clean. Are we even following the same sport?
Without a star? psst…
I’ve got one word for you , " Contador".
Drugs or no drugs , he’s a star .
Btw , Do you really believe Lance was clean? ,cause I believe in the Easter Bunney.
For once I actually agree with you. Cycling is showing that it doesn’t matter who you are. We will try and catch you. And we will smear you so that even if you get off on a technicality - you will still suffer.
I have no idea if Lance was clean. I do know that he had star power, completely backed by a huge Nike sponsorship, a special technical team that pioneered so much of the technology that cycling has seen in the recent past. He was a mega star, on the level of Tiger Woods. You want to tell me about some guy named Cantador. Let me ask you…If Lance walked in to a star bucks in Oklahoma and Cantador walked into a starbucks in Oklahoma, which one would be noticed?
This is not to mention that during Lance’s time there wasn’t a doping scandal every single day of the Tour. This may mean they are making great efforts to clean up the sport. Perhaps they are better efforts than when Lance was around. I’m not arguing whether they are executing their policing policies well. I simply think that with a different scandal each day and a lack of world-wide legitimate star power, there is a perception among many that not only is the TDF a joke, but the sport is crumbling around itself. I just don’t think you can argue against that point.
The only rider in the last twenty years to make it interesting was Lance. This has got to be the most ignorant statement I’ve heard today on slowtwitch(which is saying a lot). Now you have a bunch of doped up jokers chasing something that doesn’t even matter anymore. It’s like winning the NBA championship without having to go through Jordan. It just doesn’t have the same value. On top of that, you have a bunch of second tier riders who have to get juiced up to even come close to Lance’s performance. Good thing we got to see those 7 tours when Lance and everyone else was clean.
By the way, you do know that there are far more cycling fans in other countries than there are here? There are plenty of cyclists that are stars around the world. Tom Boonen is a bigger star in Belgium than Lance ever was here. Same for several others. Try to expand your scope beyond the US, which is a very minor cycling country. And Jesus, give other people a chance to reach those same heights. How did Lance become a star? He won the TDF. If Contador wins, he’ll be a star.
Contador is much better looking than Lance and would get more looks at Starbucks I would think?
His acccelerations are also much better looking than Lance’s.
I used to think that we’d never see a climber like Marco P again, well he’s here, and he’s young and pretty.
I’m sure in the next couple of years he’ll gain that star power you are talking about,and that big Nike contract to boot.
I have no idea if Lance was clean. I do know that he had star power, completely backed by a huge Nike sponsorship, a special technical team that pioneered so much of the technology that cycling has seen in the recent past. He was a mega star, on the level of Tiger Woods. You want to tell me about some guy named Cantador. Let me ask you…If Lance walked in to a star bucks in Oklahoma and Cantador walked into a starbucks in Oklahoma, which one would be noticed?
This is not to mention that during Lance’s time there wasn’t a doping scandal every single day of the Tour. This may mean they are making great efforts to clean up the sport. Perhaps they are better efforts than when Lance was around. I’m not arguing whether they are executing their policing policies well. I simply think that with a different scandal each day and a lack of world-wide legitimate star power, there is a perception among many that not only is the TDF a joke, but the sport is crumbling around itself. I just don’t think you can argue against that point.
You are going to argue that some guy is a star because he is well known in Belgium??? I understand that the US is not everything, but it is when it comes to star power, commercialism, and money. You can’t argue that a guy has star power because he is well known in Belgium. Sheesh!
Psuam
I’m with you… I lost interest in the Tour to. I also I dont like baseball till the World Series and basketball till the Finals and they play football before the Superbowl…who knew.
If you only watch a sport one time a year and only care about the “Superstars” then you really aren’t a fan anyway. I may be young but I am old enough to realize that media has this great way of twisting “news” to fit there own agenda and do you think it would be in CBS or NBC’s best interested to make football or baseball look dirty when the ratings for the games on these channels in hugh. I think not. You are one fan cycling wont miss. So go back to watching your “clean” sports.
I love the sport of cycling and the sport is not the Tour, the Tour is apart of our sport. I will continue to love cycling through thick and thin.
Go Hard or Go Home
How deep do you want to dig?
How about changing that to Gerona after all both Contador and Armstrong have lived in Spain. Lance like Tiger transended their sports but to suggest that their is not stars in cycling is simply not true look at Bonnen, Deluca, Contador and Bettini. What you seem to mean by a star is an American one cycling heartlands are in europe not the US so you would expect the stars to mainly come from their.
Cycling is doing more than just about any sport out their and have demonstarted that they will go after the stars of the sport if they are breaking the rules, expect more riders to get caught that is a sign that the systems in place work not what happens in a lot of other sports simply covered up with token bans or ineffective testing if at all.
I watch it !
The same way I watch WWF 
You loyal cycling fans all make valid points. The trouble is, is that I am not a hard core, loyal cycling fan. But I represent most Americans anyway. And this is how most Americans are feeling about cycling. It was just starting to catch on here, b/c of Lance, Landis and what they were doing. Now, the sport is dropping out of favor like none other. That’s all I got.
what’s the tour?