Basso, Ullrich kicked out of Tour de France

Associated Press via FoxSports ^ | 6/30/06 | AP Staff

[Carling]

STRASBOURG, France (AP) - A doping scandal knocked Tour de France favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso out of the race Friday and threw the world's most glamorous cycling event into chaos.

The decision to bar Ullrich, Basso and others implicated in a doping probe in Spain also sent a strong signal that cheating, or even suspicions of cheating, will not be tolerated.

[Neville72]

It's notable that Discovery Team is NOT involved. It could be 1-2-3 USA finish. A 1-2-3 American finish AFTER Lance Armstron retired would cause millions of heads to explode all over France. MERDE!!

[Mr. Blonde]

You know I always wondered how Ullrich got off without any heat on him for doping when Armstrong was winning. He had already been caught doping and if it weren't Lance winning, Ullrich would have. Seem like he would have been the more likely candidate to be doping. And now that seems true.

[Edgar3]

George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zibriske, Chris Horner. All Americans and all great riders.

[Pukin Dog]

Yeah, Hincapie was on fire on that climb. I doubt without Lance that the team will have the same spirit to protect their leader and go all out up those hills. I wish George well, but the odds are way against him even now. I just read the Vino is out too, so none of my favorites will be riding.

[Puppage]

it's like a Who's Who of cycling, and all of them out. The race will surely be different this year

Boy, you're not kidding!

[Pukin Dog]

Thank you for giving me a reason to watch. I was about to go turn off my alarm clock for tomorrow.

[BaBaStooey]

Now that Basso and Ullrich are out of the Tour, there are at least three Americans with a real chance of winning this thing. USA viewers were more likely to watch an Italian and a German?

[Puppage]

There wont be any fast time trials, no real attacks in the mountains, nothing

Hey.....what's tonights lottery number?/sarc

[Neville72]

Who's covering the race this year. Is it the Outdoor Channel again. I like the two English guys that did it the last two years. Very knowlegable. Is Lance providing any commentary?

[Edgar3]

Ye, OLN will have live coverage of every stage. Paul Sherwinn, Phil Ligget and Bob Roll will do the commentary, with appearances from Lance.

[Cagey]

Who wants to watch the sprinters, who do nothing until 2km left to go?

Well, they really don't do anything serious until there's two hundred meters to go, not 2 KM's. They'd blow up like the Hindenburg if they started a move at 2 KM's.

[Edgar3]

George lives a few minutes from me on Paris Mountain, outside of Greenville, SC. Here's a picture of my son George with big George taken at George Hincapie Day after Le Tour last year:

My son will be 10 in december and will start competing in official bike races next spring.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The decision... also sent a strong signal that cheating, or even suspicions of cheating, will not be tolerated.

This leaves it wide open for one cyclist to be able to file a doping accusation against another in order to eliminate a competitor.

[Carling]

The decision... also sent a strong signal that cheating, or even suspicions of cheating, will not be tolerated.

It also means that the French take bicycling more seriously than they do global security.

[Edgar3]

LOL! Right on. The problem is that they get their butts kicked in cycling too.

[BarbM]

This American was more likely to watch a German with HUGE lungs. Man, he drove me crazy. I suspect that Ann Coulter has the same effect on some of you's men. There is nothing like watching a man with huge lungs climb up a mountain. I'm having vapors and I'm not from the south.

[Red6]

"even suspicions of cheating, will not be tolerated."

Equates to guilty until proven innocent. It puts the onus on the accused and is a fundamentally flawed approach.

[dfwgator]

Maybe Miguel Indurain can come out of retirment and win it.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It also means that the French take bicycling more seriously than they do global security.

Oui, oui!

[winner3000]

(The race will surely be different this year.)

The way things are going, maybe I have a shot at winning the Tour? LOL!