:: Mindrella's Life ::

:: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 ::

What the Hell . . .
 
I’ll admit it, I completely fell for all the Tour de France hoopla this year . . . hook, line and sinker.  Yes, I’ve followed it for the past 2-3 years, cheering Lance on to victory, watching all the drama unfold but I always watched it “if I had time” or “if there wasn’t anything else on.”  Not so this year.  I have been glued – and I mean glued – to my television every morning and every evening, not to mention trying to catch all “The Lance Chronicles” in between.  I’m such a sucker for any media-hyped event.  Sigh!  Although, like speed skating, my fascination with the Tour is another puzzler for my friends because frankly, unlike speed skating which I can do, I have never learned to ride a bike (I also don’t know how to swim but that’s another post) and, as some of you may already know, in my very first spin class I actually managed to fall OFF the stationary bike!  (Stationary = does not move at all.)  Yes, I know what you’re thinking – but like my lack of swimming skills, I’ll save that story for another post.
 
So on that note here are a couple of my reflections (such as they are but hey, this is MY blog).
 
First, my hat (or jersey) goes off to Thomas Voeckler.  He is one of my new heroes.  Fighting back through the Pyranees to hang on to the yellow jersey against all odds and the critics.  I know he surprised a lot of people, including me.  If the Tour had a category for Most Valuable Player – I think Mr. Voeckler should win. 

 

Not that I don’t think it looks good on Mr. Armstrong but I thought it looked good on this young man as well.  Of course, I will have to admit, I think he has got a pair the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen but I know that if I’m ever faced with a no-win situation, his struggle to keep that yellow jersey as long as he could is definitely going to be one of those “headlines” that flash through my mind.

If I admire Thomas for his heroics and stoicism in trying to keep the yellow jersey, I equally admire Tyler Hamilton for his perseverance in trying to stay in the race despite the emotional loss of his beloved Tugboat and that horrible crash at the end of Stage 6 which injured his back.  My heart just went out to him.  After struggling through a broken collarbone in last year’s race and coming in fourth, only to bow out completely because of a bruised back most would question his reasoning.  But I understand completely.  I’ve had numerous problems with my back and the pain affects everything you do from lifting your arm, to turning to see who’s in your blind spot while your driving etc.  I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision for him or his team to make.  You can read Tyler’s journal entry (along with a picture of what his back looked like after his fall – Ouch!) of why he decided to bow out of the Tour.  There’s also a very loving tribute to Tugboat that he had written as well.  I greatly admire this man and his courage.

As for Jan Ullrich - don't discredit this guy.  I know he's almost 8 minutes behind but I think he's still dangerous and could do some damage still.  He's an incredible athlete.  Can he beat Lance, I doubt it now, especially after his Pyranees stages but he's really good in the time trials and could at least grab a spot on the podium.
 
And as for the whole doping issue I can understand, somewhat, the idea of cracking down on a lot of these athletes who have admitted to using banned substances but I read reports today that there were fans along the road today during the time trial that were spitting on Lance and yelling doper!  Come on people!  Try and at least act like the civilized people we’re supposed to be.  I will agree that it’s ruining a lot of the atmosphere of the Tour. 
 
On another note, things with my computer, are worse than originally anticipated.  My hard drive now has to be wiped clean and everything reinstalled.  Oh well, still cheaper than buying a new computer – especially since I’m not being charged for any of this work.
 
Only 10 more days until I leave for vacation!

:: Melinda 5:46 PM [+]