Le Tour de France, 2010

First of all, kudos to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal for TdF coverage so far. Good AP front page piece on the front page of the sports section with a big color photo of a bloody Tyler Farrar clutching his shoulder and grimacing in pain.

(Pain is what cycling is all about. Riding is a battle against pain. But it is hoped that the pain will not come from injury.)

Why is AJ cycling coverage better this year? I think it is because there is a new sports editor in town. But it could be because of interest in Lance and the new Radio Shack team, plus the probably record number of American riders in the race.

So Frank Schleck is gone today. If we lose all the big names to mishap, who's going to watch le Tour? Challenge is one thing; decimation is another. It's like golf; you want to lay out a course that will challenge top players, but not humiliate all of them. Looks like the TdF officials choosing the route laid it on a bit thick this year.

...and of course Vandevelde is out, broken ribs.

Decimation means to remove every tenth man. That is sort of how it is going at the TdF. Half the riders have crashed, half wear some kind of bandage.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Cycling is a tough sport, as tough in its way as rugby, lacross, hockey, or American football. Not a sport for the sissified, despite the spandex uniforms.

Seeing riders looking like the walking wounded after a WWI battle may attract more interest in the sport.

Armstrong is only 2.5 minutes back. Not insurmountable. Not if the fellas ahead all crash.

Notice that Vinokourov stands in 8th. Always been a fan of Vino's, even after the blood transfusion scandal. Strong gutsy rider. And like so many in this year's tour, he is getting on in years. This might be the last tour for him too.

Two names in the top 20 are familiar from years long past. "Nicholas Roche," who must be the son of world champion Stephen Roche. And David Millar. Is this Millar the son of the guy who competed back in the 1980s?

How many TdF riders in this or any other year are the sons of former TdF riders? Only other I can think of is Axel Merckxx.

Any the grandsons or greatgrandsons of former riders?

Won't pretend that I am not disappointed for Armstrong to fade so early in the race. I nurtured hope that he would be there, breathing at Contador's back, in the final stages.

Also disappointing is the way Contador and the surviving Schleck appear to dominate so soon. Well, there are others in the race. If there is a crash or bonk, there are others waiting. Leipheimer, for example.