Rest Day thoughts:
Cervelo got the publicity for changing jerseys but nobody mentioned before the Tour that Ag2r was going to unveil some new kit. I think design deserves a grade of B. It's simple, not over-the-top and they get bonus points for the black shorts. A solid effort.
With the lack of summit finishes, ASO is banking on keeping the race tight until the end of the race. Ideally, all the way to Mt Ventoux. I hope their plan works because the virtual elimination of Pyrenees, by placing the finishes so far from the last climb, has produced some very boring racing. I have never been so bored by mountain stages before. At least the breakaways stayed away from the chasing peloton. If not, these stages would have been devoid of entertainment and intrigue.
Good to see the French teams get some glory this year. BBox has matched their typical season-long victory total with two stage wins and Ag2r is getting a good long stay in yellow. Good to see.
The cheerleading and adoration of Armstrong by both media and general public becomes tedious. It is understandable, however. The media does because his name sells. The general public does it because, the only cycling news they (and much of the media) ever follow is during July. Armstrong has dominated July for much of the past decade so naturally they think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. That's okay. Maybe they will dig a little deeper and discover that there is more to the sport than just Armstrong and the Tour de France.
More tedious than cheerleaders are the haters of Armstrong. Good Lord, they are insufferable. In their world, Armstrong is a scheming, vengeful, hateful, egomaniacal cheater. Every single move by the man is criticized. When I read their comments, I am reminded of a piece written by Lloyd Shearer several years ago entitled A Guide to a Happy Life. Two of his "guides" would apply to these people.
- Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.
- Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.
The funny thing is that 99.9% of these critics have never once met the man. Armstrong may well have all of those traits to some degree. I dare say, that we all have some of those traits. Armstrong is a cyclist. Let it be. Sit back and enjoy the show. Nothing about his life affects you in any way except, perhaps, for the money he has raised as part of his Livestrong campaign.
With the lack of summit finishes, ASO is banking on keeping the race tight until the end of the race. Ideally, all the way to Mt Ventoux. I hope their plan works because the virtual elimination of Pyrenees, by placing the finishes so far from the last climb, has produced some very boring racing. I have never been so bored by mountain stages before. At least the breakaways stayed away from the chasing peloton. If not, these stages would have been devoid of entertainment and intrigue.
Good to see the French teams get some glory this year. BBox has matched their typical season-long victory total with two stage wins and Ag2r is getting a good long stay in yellow. Good to see.
The cheerleading and adoration of Armstrong by both media and general public becomes tedious. It is understandable, however. The media does because his name sells. The general public does it because, the only cycling news they (and much of the media) ever follow is during July. Armstrong has dominated July for much of the past decade so naturally they think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. That's okay. Maybe they will dig a little deeper and discover that there is more to the sport than just Armstrong and the Tour de France.
More tedious than cheerleaders are the haters of Armstrong. Good Lord, they are insufferable. In their world, Armstrong is a scheming, vengeful, hateful, egomaniacal cheater. Every single move by the man is criticized. When I read their comments, I am reminded of a piece written by Lloyd Shearer several years ago entitled A Guide to a Happy Life. Two of his "guides" would apply to these people.
- Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.
- Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.
The funny thing is that 99.9% of these critics have never once met the man. Armstrong may well have all of those traits to some degree. I dare say, that we all have some of those traits. Armstrong is a cyclist. Let it be. Sit back and enjoy the show. Nothing about his life affects you in any way except, perhaps, for the money he has raised as part of his Livestrong campaign.
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