A few random, arguable statements for the Musette today...
These are some of the cruelest days of Cycling, those last transition phases before the Alps. IMHO the counterclockwise route which puts the Pyrenees first virtually guarantees a third-week climax to the race. Which means the first two weeks are largely prologue. Which means, at the end of that pre-Alps phase... I really, really can't wait any longer. Will Thursday, Friday and Saturday see some good racing? Sure, why not, the entire rest of the Tour has been surprisingly entertaining. But the waiting for Sunday still sucks, even worse than the day before Flanders.
More nonsense on the flip.
My nose doesn't detect a doped peloton. I have no evidence whatsoever for this, but the racing hasn't looked very machine-like. Evans has been mostly contained, if consistent; same for Menchov and Sastre. Valverde, Cunego, Sanchez, Zubeldia -- all proved their non-doped status by falling out the back Monday. Ricco says he paid the price for his Sunday attack by racing defensively (and precariously) Monday... and this was an attack on a cat-2 climb. Kirchen, VandeVelde, etc... the stars have all shown vulnerabilities. The only guys who looked super-human Monday were Cancellara and Voigt, and while we can rest assured that those two definitely aren't human, it has nothing to do with banned substances.
Cool piece at CN showing how things wouldn't be much different had the Tour retained the old time-bonus system. Me likes. What's wrong with using actual times? Bonuses are a solution in search of a problem.
I could say something about the UCI-ASO bloodbath, but I'm in too good a mood after our feisty 18-month-old finally relented and started walking this morning. I knew he could, but he seemed to refuse, especially if he got any indication that we wanted him to. Sure enough, I caught him hidden in a corner of the yard... walking.