Ok lets take the doping suspicions aside - lets assume they all dope. Does Ras ever win another tour again if he manages to keep the yellow jersey this year.
I say no because he will now be a marked rider from the start and will never be given time as he was in the alps this year.
Ok lets take the doping suspicions aside - lets assume they all dope. Does Ras ever win another tour again if he manages to keep the yellow jersey this year.
I say no because he will now be a marked rider from the start and will never be given time as he was in the alps this year.
First, he is not a one hit wonder as he has already won the polka dot jersey twice and a world championship in mountain biking. Second, hate to break it to you, but if you’ve been watching, he wasn’t given time, he took it. There was nothing anyone could do about it as he dropped everyone that tried to stay with him on Stage 8, again today on Stage 16, and didn’t allow anyone to drop him on any other Stage.
If they flatten out the stages, add the TTT back, and have 200k of ITT, maybe…And I wouldn’t put it past the organizers either. They have a lot of leeway as to what the course is going to be. This year there was a lot of climbing, which of course suits the chicken. If there is real hate for him, look for some course changes next year…Certainly the French riders need something to change…
I think this tour would have been a lot closer right now if he wasn’t allowed to go on a KOM point collection tour in the Alps last week. I bet he would still be in yellow; however, his margin would not be quite what it is. I have a feeling Contador is going to be even stronger next year, and I believe Basso is back in the mix next year too. Wasn’t his suspension effective back to the '06 Giro? That would make him elegible for the '08 tour. Rasmussen will certainly be a main contender next year, if not the favorite; however, I think there is a chance he could be a “one tour wonder”.
If Basso comes back, he would definately be the favorite. I reserve my opinion on wheather Contador will have a better chance after Sat ITT. If he cannot get more than a minute on the chicken, then he will have a hard time with a guy that out climbs him… I can see Rabobank getting a couple more super domestics to help out too. Imagine if they had a Popo, or Horner to round out the team. It’s a little disturbing for the team though, it Boogard is really retiring. That guy has ridden out of his mind this year, and is responsible for a lot of the winning gap today… Maybe a big paycheck will keep him around for one more year, I hope so, I like that guy…
Probably not. It’s the same as Oscar Pereiro.
Perhaps. If his TT continues to improve then another could be in the cards.
There’s a good chance we’ll see a handful of one-time winners over the next few years as the fallout from doping scandals and the post-Lance/Indurain era settles. A new ‘patron’ will emerge eventually.
After Merckx, Hinualt eventually emerged. Fignon took the mantle while Hinault was injured, but LeMond was the next heir, but we know what happened there. The Indurain/Armstrong ‘stranglehold’ ruled from 1991-2005 (with only the Telekom & Pantani interruption)…
he was just kicked out of the Tour.
that would be a None tour wonder DOH!!!
So can we change the thread name to is Contador gonna be a one tour wonder (until he gets booted that is)…
maybe the WADA guys showed up in mexico thinking he was there for his little out of competition tests…but he was chillin with paulo bettini in italy.
can’t believe they waited that long
.