“It is a time of uncertainty.”
It sounds like the beginning of a fantasy novel. But that’s how my brother described this year’s edition of the Tour de France.
It’s a rough time for the world’s greatest bike race.
The tour is an event that thrives on continuity and longevity. It only takes place once a year, and no other bike race is covered like the Tour de France.
As a result, the tour is most successful when little changes from year to year. Lance Armstrong won the tour seven years in a row, and only raced for two different teams during that time. Every year the same teams turn out the same riders with the same rivalries.
Or at least, that’s how it used to be. This year, everything happened too fast.
There are five new teams this year. Two other teams have very different names, and another two teams combined forces.
So many riders changed teams since the 2010 tour, we’re now on Stage 10 and I’m still trying to figure out where everyone went. And with an event that has 198 athletes, it’s important to know where people are.
The sport’s most popular and successful rider ever is now gone for good, and Lance Armstrong’s anticipated American successor, Floyd Landis, is a black mark on the sport after testing positive for steroids.
Even worse, Armstrong’s attempted return last year only stole the spotlight from the real competitors and turned the whole tour into a media circus. All anyone talked about was the rift on team Astana between Armstrong and eventual champion Alberto Contador.
The tight battle between Contador and Andy Schleck for the yellow jersey took a back seat, right up until Schelck fell on a tough stage. Instead of waiting for his opponent to get up, like Armstrong did for rival Jan Ullrich years before, Contador actually sped up, instantly earning the hatred of cycling fans everywhere.
And this year Contador is booed wherever he goes, especially after testing positive for steroids after the 2010 race and then mysteriously being cleared in time for this year’s edition.
The other big draw in the tour is the competition for the green jersey, which is given to the sprinter that racks up the most points during the numerous mini sprints throughout the tour.
However, even this competition has lost its luster this year. Mark Cavendish, who hails from Great Britain, is easily the best sprinter in the field. However, he has no real desire to claim the jersey; he just wants stage wins.
So let’s recap: the greatest rider ever is now gone, the leading contender for the yellow jersey is a universally hated figure who tested positive, and I have no idea which riders are on what team. How can things be worse?
So far, there has been about an accident a day, which means other fan favorites like Alex Vinokourov, David Zabriskie, Bradley Wiggins, Tom Boonen and Andreas Kloeden have all gone down due to crashes.
But I will keep watching it, just like I have for as long as I can remember. Like I said before, the tour is built on continuity and longevity, and if fans stop watching because of one off year, they ruin that. So, as a cycling fan, I ask you to root against Contador, feel for those riders who crashed out, watch the dominating genius that is Mark Cavendish and hope that someone steps up and blows us away on the mountain stages.
It only happens once a year. Let’s give this 2011 Tour de France a chance.
Reach the columnist at egrasser@asu.edu
