Final Tour Stages, Cadel Evans Deserved Champion

Well its nearly all over, the 2011 Tour de France has I think many will agree, been the best for years and certainly the best I've ever seen.  So did you see it?  I've been watching it, reading about it and just am in awe of the guys that were battling out.  I'm not going to bore you with details of the last three days of racing, I'm sure you can do that by looking at the race reports on various websites.

What I will say is this.  Cadel Evans is a very deserving Champion.  He rode like I've never seen him before.  In previous years hes always lacked that spirit of attacking.  He always seemed to just follow the wheel of other riders.  This year he wheeled in the attacks around him, almost riding single handily to close the gap on Andy Schleck.  His weak BMC did little to help him the mountains, the schleck brothers really had the upper hand and yet they could not put the time in on Evans that would be needed coming into todays Time Trial.

And what a Time Trial.  I've never seen Evans ride one so well he only just missed out on not winning the stage.  He was rock steady on the bike when seated and aggressive out of the saddle.  He reminded me a bit of how Lance Armstrong used to ride his time trials.  The Schlecks were both rocking there shoulders from side to side and never looked as comfortable.

A true tour champion these days has to be a good climber and time trial ride and for Andy Schleck to be in Yellow at the end he needs to work on his time Trial.  He have no doubt he will win one day, and I for one will be happy to see that as he made the race so exciting to watch.

Cadel Evans may not have won any stages but he is a deserving Champion and watching him on the podium after todays race, nearly holding back the tears it was obvious what this has meant to him.  A big, big dream finally realised.  Well done Cadel!

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Last Days of the Tour

Well I'm excited.  Yep this years tour has got me interested. Finally!  I've got to confess I'm not a huge fan of watching the tour hour after hour.  I know some of you could quite happily sit and watch five hours of the stage from the comfort of your sofa, but I can think of better things to do with those hours.  I'm more than happy to watch the last hour of the race when all the action happens.  Does that make me a cycling heathen?  I tend to watch more of the stage as it hits the mountains, where the climbs really make a difference to the race leaders, and the descents test bike handling skills to the max.

However, things look set to be a real battle over the last two stages of the Alpes.  Today's finish is the highest of the tour.  Its a summit finish but there are two big climbs before this so the guys legs are going to be really tested.  I'm hoping for a good race, so I'm tuning in early to catch all the action.  Think the summit of the last climb is covered in deep snow so its going to be a very interesting scene!

So who do you want to win?  I really want to see Thomas Voeckler win but even he is not confident of his climbing up these big hills and with only a minute over the GC contenders its not going to be enough.  I've gone off the Schlecks after they have winged endlessly about the dangerous descents.  Nobody likes a moaning champion and they seem to have lost credibility.  I don't want Contador to win, purely because if he is found guilty from last years fiasco then really he shouldn't be in this race at all, and a win of this tour would just be messy.  Ivan Basso is a dark horse in this race and capable of winning.  I used to be a fan, but after being caught taking drugs I'm probably I can trust him.  I don't maybe I feel he let me down. So that leaves Cadel Evans.  I know hes not many people favourite racer.  Hes not often aggressive in tour races so is a bit boring to watch but I've followed his career from when he was demolishing the field on the mountain bike world cup courses.  I think an ex-mountain biker winning the tour would be excellent.  So that's it.  Cadel Evans for me.  What about you?

So if you get the opportunity to watch todays and tomorrows stages all I have to say is.....enjoy!

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Reflecting on the Tour

Well after two weeks in the Tour de France we still have a French man in yellow.  Normally I'd be disappointed by this lead, not seeing my favourites like Andy or Frank Schleck in yellow, or a the faint hope that Cadel Evans after years of trying final wins it.  However, with Thomas Voeckler I find myself cheering the plucky French man on.  It would be good for the tour if he won, its about time the French won it again. I remember a few years again watching him in the yellow suffering like hell on the climbs just to hold onto that jersey.  He was embraced by his country after that for showing such character and pure bloody will.  It's good to see he still fights the same way, but with better form in the mountains he may be a hard man to beat.

But the tour is full of great and hard men. On stage 14 Jens Voigt, led his team at an amazing pace up the climb of the Tormelet, one of the toughest climbs of the tour. He pushed pain barriers seen to have said 'shut up legs' as he powered on up. Isn't he nearly 40? There is hope for us all!

Thor Hushovd was clocked at doing 112kph on one of the descents. On a bike. In Lycra. Hard as nails!

Here is a picture of Laurens ten Dam who crashed at high speed on Saturdays stage Plateau de Beille. He was described by his Rabobank team as being as 'hard as rock' 

Whatever, people may say about the tour, (drugs being its curse), it still amazes me the character, skill and fitness that is required to ride this race.

Long live the Tour.

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