HOLY CRAP (tour de france)

[purlewe]

So the tour has been insane. Seriously insane. The first few stages were duke 'em out fights.. the next few were grueling. The mountains were backbreaking.

Then it got a bit like a latin soap opera.

3 days ago: Vinokourov was pulled for blood doping. Then his entire team Astana is asked to leave. (Blood doping is when you inject yourself with "fresh" red blood cells that have more oxygen in them for a faster recovery time. Esp. helpful in the mountain stages where the air is thinner.)

2 days ago: The only french team, Cofidis, pulls from the race b'c their rider Moreni tested pos for testosterone.

Today: Rasmussen is pulled after wearing the yellow jersey for 10 days. His diary issues from June caused the kerfuffle. 8 days ago the Danish team pulled him from their National and Olympic teams after finding out that he was missing several days from testing and that he turned his diary in late (Cyclist's diary's give locations and whereabouts for every day so that doping is under check. Turning it in late means doping in the committee's eyes.) He continued to ride with Rabobank until today when testimony by another cyclist stated that they saw him in Italy when his diary stated he was in Mexico. Being where you diary didn't state equals doping. He was yanked and the Tour goes without the yellow jersey today. It will be decided after today's ride.

Levi goes up to 3rd then. Evans in 2nd. Contrador is technically in 1st. Discovery channel team is looking better than ever and the race now has 135 riders instead of the 189 it started with.

Comments

[dragonintherain.livejournal.com]

i had on the radio last night, and i heard that a major french newspaper is calling for the tour to be canceled.

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

One french newspaper wrote an obituary for the tour today. I don't blame them.

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

PS can you bring that skein of yarn today?

[dragonintherain.livejournal.com]

yep!
thanks for the reminder. :)

brain ran off and hasn't returned yet...

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

I have a cone of yarn I assume is yours I'll return tonite.

[dragonintherain.livejournal.com]

i didn't even notice.

[slockwoo.livejournal.com]

Elk and I now discussing not who is going to win, but who is going to get caught before vs after the last stage.

I'm still rooting for Levi though.


I just can't understand why someone would inject themselves with blood. gross.