[finnigan2]

I'm sorry, I just can't get into bicycling - especially in a race that goes on for days and days. Besides, the whole thing lost whatever competitive sports appeal it might have had the day that I learned that the winner wins because he is the front man for a team of anonymous blockers and pacers who conspire each day to keep him in front. It's like watching a marathon race in which the participants are allowed to have team mates who actively obstruct other runners and move in front of their chosen winner from time to time so he can get a bit of a break by "drafting" in their wake.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Armstrong recently described the Tour as a combination of a marathon, chess and NASCAR. It is very strategic in terms of setting up riders. But at the end of the day, they must perform at the right time. No where to hide in the individual time trials. No where to hide in the final stretches of the mountain stages. That is where Armstrong excels and where is consistently wins the Tours. This year he might have won it in Stage 1 when he destroyed the field (save Dave Zabriskie) by almost a minute in a mere 20 minute time trial. No "blockers" no "conspiring" just pure athletic dominance. The key moments in every tour are the one-on-one's and Lance is the best in the world when it comes to those moments.