As much as I'd love to see an American win the Tour, my feeling is that 2006 will be such a tainted year, that the winner will have an asterick next to their name. In my opinion the one man who can win and save the sport is Alejandro Valverde. Valverde, recently turned 26 and he has already amassed some nice wins. Many believe, that a run of Tour victories are in his future, so why not start now? He is the kind of fresh face the sport needs. He is a gifted climber and sprinter and an improving TT'er. If he wins this year and follows it up with a few more victories, it will make us forget about the awful events of 6/30/06. Cycling needs a new star....
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