TDF 2006: Who to root for
Category: Sports (Pro/College/HS)...
Posted Friday, June 30, 2006 at 05:02 PM [GMT-6]

Update: I was almost finished with this epic post when I happened to click on a cycling news link, where I was shocked -- shocked, I tell you! -- to discover that the two odds-on favorites (and four of the top five in last year's race) to win this year's Tour de France have just been excluded from the lineup due to allegations of illegal performance-enhancing drug usage. Italy's Ivan Basso and Germany's Jan Ullrich were expected to duke it out for the yellow jersey and now, on the eve of the race, neither will even be on a bike. This blows the field wide open, and makes American Floyd Landis a strong possibility to succeed Lance Armstrong as the next American winner of the TDF. It also may push American Dave Zabriskie into an unexpected leadership role for his team. [See below for more info on these guys.]

But...what a black eye for the world of professional cycling.

The scintillating Beth, while admitting to not being a cycling fan, is at least willing to give the Tour de France a chance, and asks some good questions: ...can you tell me who I'm rooting for? Obviously the Americans but any particular rider?

Tour de France Overview

First, let's get an idea of the scope of this year's event, which is the 93rd in the Tour's history. There are 21 teams listed on the official website; each team has 12 riders, for a total of 252 participants. The 2,261 mile race will be run over the course of three weeks, and is comprised of 20 stages, the longest of which is 230 kilometers/143 miles (Stage 13, on July 15). The shortest is the first stage, known as the Prologue. It's a mere 7.1 km/4.4 miles. The Prologue is a "time trial," meaning that the cyclists are riding against the clock, one at a time, rather than competing head-to-head with one another as in the other stages.

Even though most of the action of the race takes place within the borders of France -- the race begins in Strasbourg and ends in Paris -- the cyclists will venture into the Netherlands, Belgium, and Catalonia (Spain) along the way. Along the way, the racers will pass before a crowd of spectators that will number in the millions, and which in places will be crowded in so tightly on the race course as to permit the clearance of the riders' handlebars by mere inches.

The Contenders

Conventional wisdom holds that this year's TDF is a two man race, with Italian Ivan Basso and German Jan Ullrich duking it out for the yellow jersey. Basso finished second to Armstrong last year, and Ullrich won the race in '97...and finished second to Lance more times than I can remember. Bicycling Magazine says that Ullrich has more issues than National Geographic, which is a colorful way of saying that he's his own worst enemy, and if he doesn't get off to a strong start, he could be a non-factor. Basso can climb like a mountain goat on meth, but he's not a great time trialer. Neither of them is The Total Package, ala Armstrong.

The dark horse, then, with at least a fighting chance is a Mennonite from Pennsylvania named Floyd Landis, who has some amazing physiological traits (like a VO₂ max that exceeds Armstrong's) but whose laid-back attitude makes him the Anti-Armstrong. And there's his best friend, Dave Zabriskie, a guy from Utah who won last year's prologue, wore the yellow jersey for several stages, and then lost it in a spectacular (and quite ungraceful) crash. Landis and Zabriskie ride for different teams, but they train and hang out together. Anyway, Landis is the leader for the Phonak team and as such he'll have a lot of help throughout the race. Zabriskie rides for Team CSC, which just happens to be Ivan Basso's team, which pretty much relegates Dave to the supporting cast.

Other Americans in the TDF include George Hincapie, the only rider who was on Lance's team for all seven wins and who is now the leader for the Discovery Channel team; Levi Leipheimer, who leads the Gerolsteiner team and has finished in the top 10 in the last four Tours; Bobby Julich, riding in support of Basso on Team CSC; Fred Rodriguez, an adept sprinter who will attempt to help teammate Robbie McEwen win the green jersey (for best sprinter); and a couple of other guys I know little or nothing about.

In summary, this is a long answer to a short question...if you feel the need to root for an American, Landis is your best bet, and Zabriskie might be a good underdog bet. But there's always something surprising in store in the Greatest Race on Earth.

Technorati tag: Tour de France