Not sure of my overall feelings on this. I was really looking forward to watching Lance Armstrong get back into it after a 4 year absence from the sport. Man it would have been awesome to watch him smoke people and to quiet the critics about doping, steroids, etc. Well…, it didn’t quite go like that.
The first week of the Tour were the most exciting for me to watch. Each day there was endless drama about who would be the leader for team Astana– Armstrong, Leipheimer, or Contador. And each day, you got to hear them all downplay it. Ironically, while all of this was going on, I really didn’t hear all that much about drugs, cheating, etc. So this year’s race did accomplish something.
In the end, it wasn’t the performance I was expecting. But perhaps it was much more. I have never seen Levi Leipheimer ride so well. It was too bad he had to leave it early due to an injury. At various points, I was really rooting for him.
It’s hard for me to get too excited about Alberto Contador. He’s not Lance. But despite how much I didn’t want him to win, he was nothing short of amazing on those climbs. I know what it feels like to get that “kick” as you’re going up a climb. For a guy my size, it doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it feels great. This guy just kept kicking and kicking and kicking. There was simply no stopping him.
Then there was Lance. I liked how he referred to himself as an old fart on the last real day of the race. At 38, he’s hardly old. But he certainly is at a disadvantage versus the younger Contador and contenders. Despite the fact that he didn’t win, Lance was still Lance. I don’t care what any critic says. The guy took 4 years off and began training earlier this year for the race. He still kicked butt. He still earned my respect. And after it’s all over, I’m still in awe of him.
For next year, it would be nice to see a little bit of a re-organization. It’s hard to watch such top contenders on the same team. I really didn’t like the drama that was created. I suppose it’s like watching baseball with a team full of stars. But I miss the old days where the team was organized to protect the leader. Next time, let’s have a definitive leader as opposed to waiting to see who emerges.
