h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ulrich just won the Tour of Switzerland and Basso won the Italian Giro. Now it's all set for head to head in the Tour de France. Should make for a fascinating race. I think the Italian, with his new training regime and solid team support will just shade it. There could be some unsettling inter-team rivalry and a few negative vibes in the Ullrich camp. As for Armstrong, no chance in the New York Marathon.
LL

Glad you liked it LL, I think Ullrich may just have the edge slightly, there's a lot of pressure on Basso at home to 'Do A Pantani' and win the double maybe even be the first man to with all three big tours, Ullrich I think wants to go out with a bang and win the Tour.

I like your motto RG! Very positive.

Thanks,I learned the hard way

We have that in common then. I just picked up a great paperback at a street flea-market in town - Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (1973)- now I can't put it down. It's full of case studies! You'd enjoy it. Hunt it down RG.
LL

I'll have a look and I can recommend Cat by Freya North too, it's Chick Lit set during the Tour de France I read it at least 3 times a year (Usually coinciding with the Giro, the Tour and The Vuelta) my mum keeps threatening to read it but never does

Unfortunately as a Dylan Thomas fan I don't think I could get into Chick Lit .

Ah, ok, it's still worth a read just for the cycling

I've spectated at the Tour a couple of times - in the Alps south-east of Lake Annecey. A small boy with a rude father tried to grab a freebie out of my hand; it was a plastic something-or-other - he already had a big pile of the stuff, everything from bottles of water to big hands that you wave.

We're off to the Tour next year when stage 1 finishes in Cantebury

You'll enjoy that. Get a good place - perhaps on a hilltop (if there is one) early on and don't let anybody pinch your freebies! Make big elbows!

Will do, thanks for the advice

Hmm looks like we'll have to rename this thread Valverde v Vinokourov

Vinokourov won’t be there either, as the Astana-Wurth team have also withdrawn after five riders were named in the Spanish probe (not Vinokourov though).

And Thor Hushovd is back in Yellow tonight.

He seems to be doing a lot of whinging tho, he's blaming McEwen for bumping him and him losing his footing

He won't keep it, I wouldn't like to put money on who'll win but I'm leaning towards Hinchapie.

It looks like I'll have to do a bit of editing to this piece after Le Tour to include Operation Puerto and it's rammifications. I have to admit that my suspicions started arising when Ullrich quit the Giro with only 3 stages to go when the Liberty scandal broke, a few interviews and the like that I've seen seem to think he should distance himself from Rudy Pevenge, the name Svengali has been used a few times, one of those times was by David Harmon and David Duffield

Ok I should change this to Hincapie and Rodgers, there's no-one else left

Landis has the yellow but can he keep it to Paris?

It depends if he learned his lesson after he gave it away last time, I don't think Oscar Pierieo is going to give it up that easily neither is Dennis Menchov after yesterday

Tomorrow's a big day. Who has anything left? It's a very open race now that Landis is out the back door.

I watched it live, that Christy Anderson should learn to keep her mouth shut, she said Hincapie was going to win and he went to pieces, then she said Leipheimer was going to win and he lost time on the time trial then she said Landis was going to keep the yellow jersey all the way to Paris and five minutes later it looked like he was standing still. Casse d'Espane, T-Mobile and CSC must be paying her a fortune now to keep her opinions to herself.

My money is on Pererio or Kloden