Impressions from Le Tour

It was the late Johnny Warren who wrote in his book with the rather un-politically-correct title of Sheila's, Wogs and Poofters, that part of the popularity of football (otherwise known as "soccer" to the great unwashed) stems from the unique nature of that particular sport. The fact that one team can totally dominate a game -- be the better side for all intents and purposes, yet still manage to finish on the wrong side of the score. This, according to Johnny Warren, offers not only an element of unpredictability, but also reflects many aspects of the life we all live. The best person doesn't always get the job (I know this from experience, having delivered some shocking interviews in the past), or the promotion for that matter.

The most recent stage of the Tour de France delivered an example of that today. For all intents and purposes, Cadel Evans was the best man on the day. He led the field over the biggest climb, and even when he was caught, he still drove the front of the breakaway to ensure they weren't caught -- yet he had nothing left to contest the final sprint for the stage. Mind you, he was rewarded with a leap to 7th in the overall classification, which he didn't seem to mind too much. His effort also inspired me to head out for a quick, hilly 45km on a night that Brian Bewry would have described as "yukky" (i.e. 14 degrees C, windy, rainy). For that I am eternally grateful. To get drenched by a downpour and continue riding regardless really is an extremely liberating feeling.

It was also nice to see George Hincapie win a stage the other day. This is a man who has constantly sacrificed his own ambitions of glory to assist Lance Armstrong, so it's nice to see him have a turn on the podium, if only for a day. Of course, so much has been said about Armstrong that there's probably not a lot I can add here. This guy just doesn't appear to have any weaknesses. Even when some of the other teams managed to "isolate" him on the climbs, he just took it upon himself to deal with the situation. It's all to easy to forget what he went through with Testicular cancer a few years ago.

Of course, the plan that my riding buddy and I had of simulating our own little TdF here never quite came to fruition this year. Maybe next year we can work it out.