Basso wins the TdF? and other bike thoughts

[creekster]

Riis says he will. He claims that Basso has copied LA's style in the mountains and so hew will ride away from Ullrich. I find this very inetersting for a number of reasons.

First, the assumpotion that Ullrich is the man to beat. I am not so sure that is the case. Ullrich is a big name, but is he the guy to beat? He hasn't shown he is by any perfromance this year.

Second, Can Basso dominate the Tour dF like he did the Giro? A 9+ minute win in Italy is great, but did he spend himslef and can he now do it in France with a better (amrginally better, but still better) field?

Third, Basso copied LA's style? I guess thi sis possible, but I think it is more likely that Basso's own style was naturally more like LA's style. I find it hard to believe that he copied the style or that he decided to do so just so he could ride away from Ullrich. Moreover, even Though Ullrich pushes big gears and LA didn't and LA won doens't mean that is the reason why LA won. recall that when Ullrich was on he could hang ewith LA even on the toughest climbs. LA danced away but Der Kaiser would frequently get most of the time back, although this hasn't been true for the last three years, which then takes me back to point the first.

Random thoughts:

Is anyone else as annoyed by Riis' poosturing and arrogance as I am? For some reason this guy just rubs me the wrong way. He was lucky to win his tour and now prances around like he knows it all. I guess he might just be trying to build Basso's confidence, but I find him annoying.

Also, is there any concern that it would simply look bad for Basso to win the Tour just after winning the Giro and the last guy to do it is deceased convicted doper Pantani? Basso has always been clean, but a new scandal is about to break and after dominating the giro and if he then wins the Tour, that has got to look suspicious. Of course, some thought that the fact that LA never did the Giro was becasue he was cycling drugs and couldn't peak and still be clean in both July and May. I have no idea if this is truer, btw, just a seamy rumor.

Finally, and most sensational but also most meaningless, what is Gilberto Simoni's problem? He accuses Basso of offering to pay Simoni money? Basso who had a 5 or 6 minute lead at the time supposedly offers to pay Simoni to let Basso win? Simoni is on drugs, I think, but they are only enhancing his stupidity and ego, not his perfromance. The guy is a nut case.

p.s. Today was a beautiful day for a ride; having just risen from my sick bed (really bad and deep cold I picked up on an airplane) I took it easy and rode with wife and son on the triple. Sunny, temp in the 60s-70s, very light breeze, my son singing and ringing his bell at everyone/thing. Life can't get too much better.