It's always one two three several a bunch of guys who spoil it for everyone else...

Good job jack ass. Ruin your reputation and career for a stupid bicycle race. Go do something useful with your life.

Just say it's medicinal.

Like synthetic erythropoietin (rEPO), CERA was developed to as a treatment for the anemia that results from chronic kidney disease.

Oh FFS, this sport has no legitimacy anymore.

Dope...don't they know it's against the law to peddle that stuff?

if this keeps up there will be nobody left when they get to paris

re: #3 bosforus

Just say it's medicinal.

Cops try and come and steal my crops.

They should rename the whole race "The Tour de Dope"

re: #6 chicagodudewhotrades

if this keeps up there will be nobody left when they get to paris

Three kids on tricycles left to cross the line.

They shouldn't even bother with the race. Just piss test until you have a winner.

re: #11 Iron Fist

The way they are going , that seems possible

Let's level the playing field and require doping!

How do I feel about the dope problem?

I definitely feel we have too many dopes!

I'm tempted to join the race just so I can win by default when all the other riders are banned.

Red flagging the yellow jersey. These riders are destroying the sport. Nice.

So, how many cyclists are left?

I wonder if the Olympics will be similarly monitored. Not just the bikers, but every endurance sport.

Water Dancing (or whatever it is called) with 'roids?

I believe cheating in bicycle racing is blantant and rampant, and mostly tolerated, from what I've seen in Texas. At least in the smaller regional races I've witnessed. Looks like that is the norm pretty much everywhere. Its only cheating if you get caught.

re: #17 songbird

So, how many cyclists are left?

Just a couple.

Saunier Duval director Joxean Fernandez told reporters that it made no sense for the team to continue.

“It’s a decision from the team; we were not forced to pull out of the Tour de France,” Fernandez said. “He is our GC leader, so logically we can not start the day and act as if nothing has happened.”

That shows some class; I just wish everyone would stop doping.

Does this mean that Lance Armstrong's incredible record is tainted? Is it assumed that Lance also used something?

Here is a idea, kill anybody caught doping. That will remove the doping instantly. Then give the TDF a 'Death Race 2000' feel, and kill whichever rider comes in last on each stage. I'd watch that.

do I really need a sarc tag? my idea would be fun though.

re: #20 bosforus

Just a couple.

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

That hurt just watching.

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

OUCH!

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

Oh! that was painful!

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

Now I see how Natural Selection works!

re: #20 bosforus

Just a couple.

Wow, classic. I think I'll start using "off the bridge" instead of "off the bus" now.

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

That whole gravity thing is a B#$%h

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

Now that's a face plant. Ouch!

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

That guy had this to say during the after disaster interview.

re: #27 songbird

But was it more painful than getting whacked by (looks over shoulder) Mandy's clue by four?

/ducks

a new form of the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).

I guess smoking weed before the race is out-of-the-question...

re: #27 songbird

And sadly predictable.

re: #33 Bubblehead II

You're gonna find out soon if you don't watch it! (Bwahahahaha!)

re: #32 maddogg

That guy had this to say during the after disaster interview.

OMG, you guys are killing me.

re: #33 Bubblehead II

But was it more painful than getting whacked by (looks over shoulder) Mandy's clue by four?

/ducks

Mandy's a sharpshooter! Gotta watch out for her.

Then again, if you get whacked by her......you probably deserved it!

re: #36 joncelli

She went to buy new tires, so I should be safe for the time being.

Have they tested this rider yet?

re: #24 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Allow me to post this, the Greatest moment in Cycling

Who needs teeth anyway? ...or facial bone structure...

Oh, 'roids as in steroids. I thought we were talking bout hemorrhoids.
Cause that would make cycling painful.

Sad,going from hero to cheating POS.here's hoping all the cheaters get caught and exposed.

re: #38 songbird

True dat. Haven't gotten whacked by her yet.

OT: James Lileks says we're living in the Land of Inversion.

No, in the Land of Inversion, we’ve decided to do things that run completely counter to human nature – at least to the nature we perceive in our domestic opponents. Don’t give an inch to your domestic foes; they’ll read it as weakness! To everyone else, though, it’s olive branches strewn like ticker-tape at an astronaut parade. In Israel, for example, this horrible prisoner swap - child-killer exchanged for murdered soldiers. The fellow is welcomed home as a hero by Hezbollah and Lebanon’s Prime Minister and President, because in the Land of Inversion, heads of state clear their calendar when child-killers breathe the sweet air of freedom again. It’s all relative, really. One man’s child-killer is another man’s freedom fighter, and if you point out that the “another man” is a Jew-hating idiot fanatic who’d be proud to blow up the Holocaust Museum in DC and take out a busload of Iowa tourists, you’re ignoring the significant impact this exchange had on the Climate of Trust that will lead to peace. I mean, it’s not like the entire cabinet turned out to meet the guy. In the delicate calculations of the region, that counts for something.

(Lileks gives an LGF hat-tip, too)

Seems like a job for.....

I'm beginning to believe that Pro Wrestling is a cleaner sport than the TdF.

Roid Race.

re: #45 Occasional Reader

sounds conspicuously like "calling evil good and good evil"....
Where have I heard that before?

re: #47 mj

you may have a point there

re: #22 DebbieSym

Does this mean that Lance Armstrong's incredible record is tainted? Is it assumed that Lance also used something?

I don't assume that at all. He NEVER tested positive, and they tested him all the time. I sure hope I'm right. He certainly trained more than enough. That and his fierce desire to win . . .

re: #44 Bubblehead II

True dat. Haven't gotten whacked by her yet.

You havent been whacked till you've been whacked by Mandy. Its worth it.

Oh for the days of my youth - when I'd take a swig of Geritol before riding my bike.

re: #45 Occasional Reader

That whole sad spectacle was sickening.

re: #51 avspatti

lance was probably one of the most tested humans on the planet.

Wow. OT, but Spain is trying even harder to appease the kind former owners of al Andulus. This time by letting some of the Madrid bombers go:

Spain's Supreme Court has overturned the convictions of four people found guilty of involvement in the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

The four were among 21 people convicted last year over the attacks, which killed 191 people.

The court also upheld the acquittal of an Egyptian suspected of masterminding the attacks, because he had already been convicted of the offence in Italy.

Spain still can't appease enough. If we haddn't killed so many jihadis in Iraq, bet money they'd be in al Andulus blowing shit up and killing people. Spain has proven terrorism works there.

Oh snap. Just make it legal for them to all juice themselves till their gonads look are the size of Rasinettes. At least the stupid genes won't breed and a lot more pharmaceutical companies will sponsor the teams.

Doping should be mandatory.

The endorsement money made me do it.
That and them friggin' hills are steep as all get out.

This whole Tour thing has gotten out of control. I have been an avid cyclist since getting my first 10-speed ( a British Raleigh Reynolds 531 Alu Frame ) back when I was 16. Several decades and a few bikes later,I still get a thrill from it. I used to follow the Tour every year,glued to the news like a man obsessed. Last year I caught a few minutes of it on the Outdoor Netwoork. This year I have not tuned in for a second of coverage. Sad,but what with all the politics and doping and outright BS involved, I just can't bring myself to care anymore.

AARRGGHH!al bore on cnn"the future survival of the u s is at stake!we need new energy sources!"why don't you start by selling your energy sucking shopping mall of a mansion,stop jetting to and fro',oh and corral your speeding drug addict kid before he kills someone.until then sit the f down and shut the fuck up!

re: #52 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

ummmmm, aaahhhhh, nope, not going there.

It's the Dope Show.... starring Marilyn Manson...

re: #52 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

You havent been whacked till you've been whacked by Mandy. Its worth it.

I've had mine, mebbe more than once.

OT:

Saudi marriage official: Its ok to marry one year old but no sex until they are 9

Sick, Sick, Sick . . .

re: #65 Creeping Eruption

do these folks have no concept of adulthood?

Breaking: Video of Tour Cyclists Preparing For The Race

How about turning it into a motorcycle race? The riders can then take as much HGH, or Sudafed, or whatever, as they like, and the effect on the outcome of the race will be practically none.

re: #65 Creeping Eruption

OT:

Saudi marriage official: Its ok to marry one year old but no sex until they are 9

Sick, Sick, Sick . . .

well,,, at least they have SOME standard!

TOUR DE FARCE

I think they ought to make them ride the rest of the race without pants on a sandpaper saddle. If they stop, their bike is chucked off the side of a mountain and they walk home.

re: #56 Iron Fist

Spain still can't appease enough.

Apaciguar más? Sí se puede!

re: #66 chicagodudewhotrades

do these folks have no concept of adulthood?

Better question: Do these folks have any concept of humanity?

re: #72 Occasional Reader

Maybe they will get nice parting gifts, like a toaster or Rice a' Roni.

I would demand to be doped up in order to climb one of those mountains let alone complete the entire race. No condemning words here.

re: #65 Creeping Eruption

OT:

Saudi marriage official: Its ok to marry one year old but no sex until they are 9

Sick, Sick, Sick . . .

Ok, granted this is culturally different than what we are used to.
But, hey who are we to judge? Celebrate diversity , but do not be a racist and notice any differences.
Barry Hussein will get our heads srewed on right, or else.

re: #69 sattv4u2

well,,, at least they have SOME standard!

Less than it looks like because a lot of these imams follow the
Al Clintoni rule, which says that anything other than intercourse is not "sex."
Didn't the Ayatollah Khomeini himself say that fooling with an infant (wife?) is okay, as long as there is no physically harmful penetration?
(I vaguely recall it was he who said that, but I don't always remember these things so well.)

re: #72 Occasional Reader

Apaciguar más? Sí se puede!

O.K......I'm just ignorant enough of Spanish grammar to ask this.....

Why does "Si se puede!" mean "Yes we can"? Wouldn't it be "Si podemos?

Seems like "Si se puede" might be closer to "Yes it can"?

/probably too literal?

I have a totally different take on this!
STEP 1
I think they should televise the dopings, and encourage the riders to take as many things as ofetn as possible.

STEP 2
During the race, each doped rider should have those probes hooked up to all parts of their bodies so we can actually see their arteries harden, their hearts explode and their testicles shrink as the drugs course thru their bodies

STEP 3
First to contract a horrible disease is awarded a yellow jersey to be draped over his coffin.

re: #78 eschew_obfuscation

O.K......I'm just ignorant enough of Spanish grammar to ask this.....

Why does "Si se puede!" mean "Yes we can"? Wouldn't it be "Si podemos?

Seems like "Si se puede" might be closer to "Yes it can"?

/probably too literal?

When Spanish uses WE it's more literal than our usage.....not to mention our usage of YOU (meaning ONE, ANYONE.) They instinctive way to put something that it not literally, specifically personal in Spanish is by usually the impersonal reflexive/passive.

But you are right that "Si podemos" is gramatically quite correct and could be used.
IOW, you answered your own question correctly.
Which makes you WRONG when you say you are an ignorant doofus about Spanish ! :)

re: #80 wolfie

Ouch. That answer was supposed to be in English! Too many errors to go back and correct! PIMF :( Lo siento.

re: #78 eschew_obfuscation

O.K......I'm just ignorant enough of Spanish grammar to ask this.....

Why does "Si se puede!" mean "Yes we can"? Wouldn't it be "Si podemos?

Seems like "Si se puede" might be closer to "Yes it can"?

/probably too literal?

I believe "Si se puede" is closer to "it can be done.

I say again, outfit the bikes and riders like the chariots in Ben-Hur, and let them have at each other. I'll even watch then.

Caramba/Wolfie:

Thanks, that helps.....

Kinda like "Se habla Espanol" loosely translates to "Spanish is spoken"?

Back on topic:

Why do these guys think they can get away with using EPO? It's relatively easy to detect, fercryinoutloud.

Has someone been hawking a bogus masking agent?

It really is a shame watching the way cycling is evolving.

re: #86 Ntropy

It really is a shame watching the way cycling is evolving.

Actually, I think we're seeing the end results of 20 years of professional sports evolution.

re: #87 Spiny Norman

I blame Al Davis: "Just win, baby."

This race hasn't been the same since Lance Armstrong told them to go f' themselves.

I actually think it is getting better. They really should show the rider being led away in handcuffs. I heard that Ricco was booed heavily by the race fans. More of this and maybe it will be better.

1- Anyone notice that French men never get caught doping?

2 - Ever notice that the dopers are always caught right after a stage win?

Back when the labs didn't know how to test for EPO - they caught Lance with "EPO" in his old frozen "B" samples. Yeah -this is a lab I trust. Doping is cheating and cheaters should be banned - but the lab system should be open to scrutiny.

I'm surprised the French labs haven't caught the "Team High Road" (Team Columbia) .

re: #91 FrogMarch

Im not. Team Columbia and Garmin Chipotle have gone out of their way to clean up their own act. Internal testing means that the coaches take action before the TdF labs do. Doping doesn't hurt the player, it decimates the team reputation and often bankrupts them immediately. Saunier Duval pulled their whole team out of the tour because of the result of their main rider. The team that has the number 1 and 2 riders from last year (Contador and Leipheimer) was not allowed in the tour because of doping in that team the year before, even though the only thing that is the same this year is the name.

Some may see that riders getting caught is killing the sport. I say quite the opposite. They are getting caught, being disgraced, killing their teams cashflow, and that is how we clean up a sport where doping was almost universal not long back.

I would be much more worried about the tour if we had no positives and the annoucers were saying "see, the doping thing is behind us now."

Ricco was on the rail from stage one. Never mind that he already had a special medical card noting his abnormally high "normal" hematocrit levels as normal, it's simply that his whole tour performance stunk to high heaven of illegal doping.

He shouldn't ever ride again in a pro or amateur sanctioned race, in my most ungrateful opinion.

re: #92 Dainn

I agree with much of what you say, however I still have a problem with the French labs. My saying I'm surprised the French labs haven't caught the "Team High Road" - was sarcastic. I am glad Columbia and Garmin Chipotle are partaking in all of their dope testing.

Everything needs to be clean - the riders and the drug testing.

re: #90 lagtime

I actually think it is getting better. They really should show the rider being led away in handcuffs. I heard that Ricco was booed heavily by the race fans. More of this and maybe it will be better.

They did - here's the vid:

Oh, forgot this... Ricco wasn't caught for EPO - He has caught for CERA (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator):
[Link: www.popsci.com...]

Give me back my favorite sport you a##holes!

I enjoyed watching Ricco this year until he was exposed as the coward and fraud that he is. Keep up the good if painful work, cycling.