Another year and another scandal?
I have not had the opportunity to watch much of the Tour de France as compared to last year. Our cable package does not have OLN so the live coverage in the morning or the recap package in the evenings are lost. I have to rely on catching an hours worth at the gym in the morning or through web updates.
Suffice to say I have felt disconnected with the marquee race this year. From what I have seen I enjoyed.
There was a lot of stories to cover. I am not overly familiar with the riders, and the ones I had kept my eye on were mostly because of media attention.
With that said, Rasmussen, Boonen, Leipheimer and Mayo were the names I looked for during each stage.
Vinokourov become a noteworthy cyclist after crashing in stage five. The next stage he returned with bandages and started losing ground of the overall. After watching a short OLN bio on him I was interested and hoped he would finish the race and make his home country proud.
Unfortunately Vinokourov has been in the news for more than his accident. Just as was the case with Landis last year, a magnificient stage win has been followed by doping allegations.
Unlike last year, there appears to be a little more attention and Vinokourov and his team have dropped out of the race.
What used to be a respectable event has now become the target of accusations and scandals. Vinokourov is the not the only rider to have come under doping allegations and as the final stages of the race approach perhaps there will be more?
I find it difficult to be faithful to a sport where such blatant rule breaking takes place. After last year I had hoped the worst was over but now we are set for another year of accusations, appeals and a truth that is far from being known.
