Sports Blog

Again my fascination for the Tour de France keeps me watching the old clips of the greatness of Lance Armstrong. I posted 11 days ago on the greatest stage of Tour de France which Armstrong prevailed in a suspenseful and dramatic ascent to Luz Ardiden.

The video above was dubbed as “The Look!” which Lance Armstrong looked at his rival Jan Ullrich just as he pedalled for an attack in the mountain.

The whole day everybody noticed that Armstrong was at the back of Ullrich and his cohorts. Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin even calling that Armstrong had no energy and that he was always on the defensive.

At the right time Lance and his teammate Chuchu Rubiera launched a fast acceleration that Ullrich couldn’t match. Armstrong had won the mind game and the power game this day.

I like this video of Lance Armstrong. No wonder he won seven Tour de France.

All top cyclists have excellent physical attributes. Armstrong is no exception, although in one way, he may be unusual even for an elite athlete. He is near but not at the top aerobically, having a VO2 Max of 83.8 mL/kg/min — much higher than the average person (40-50) but (more…)

I have been thinking of something to write about Tour de France lately but I don’t know where to start. It would be great if I will begin with the greatest stage ever in the 21st century which etched in the minds of millions.

Stage 15, Bagneres-de-Bigorre - Luz-Ardiden. A gruelling stage where Lance Armstrong was only ahead with less than 30 seconds over Jan Ullrich and Alexander Vinykorov.

There were some tense moments when Ullrich distanced Armstrong on the penultimate climb, the Col du Tourmalet, which Armstrong tactically recover.

In the ascent to Luz Ardiden a spectator with the yellow purse knocked Armstrong down and took down Iban Mayo who was behind him. Ullrich had to swerve to avoid the crash.

Fuelled by adrenalin and with fire in his eyes, Lance Armstrong attacked again and distanced himself against Ulrich.
Eventually Armstrong won the stage that gave him 1 minute and 15 seconds going to the individual time trial which Ulrich dominates Armstrong in the first individual time trial that year.

Armstrong showed that he’s got what’s inside to win his fifth consecutive Tour.

Relive the past through the live video of this spectacular ascent to Luz Ardiden.

A leading German expert in the fight against doping claimed on Monday to have evidence indicating that Tour de France winner Alberto Contador had used drugs.

Twenty-four hours after the Spaniard donned the winner’s yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees, the expert, Werner Franke, described the 24-year-old’s victory as “the greatest swindle in sporting history”.

Franke bases his claim on documents he says are in his possession from the Spanish police’s Operation Puerto inquiry into Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor said to have masterminded doping programs for athletes

Alberto Contador won the doping-scarred Tour de France on Sunday, a new, young and unlikely winner for the three-week race shaken to its core by scandals.

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain, embraces his trophy as third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. looks on.The 24-year-old rider for the Discovery Channel team was the youngest champion since Jan Ullrich of Germany in 1997. He was the first Spaniard to stand on the winner’s podium since the last of Miguel Indurain’s five titles in 1995.

His margin of victory — just 23 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans of Australia — was the second-narrowest in the Tour’s 104-year history, even after 2,200 miles of racing through Britain, Belgium, Spain and France.

Nerve-wracking! Clouded by doping allegations and cheating, the Tour de France continues to rise as we’ve witnessed one of the best penultimate stage in the Tour’s history.

Alberto Contador of the Discovery Channel managed to stay in the overall with 22 seconds margin against Cadel Evans and 31 seconds separates him from the stage winner Levi Leipheimer. The slimmest margin from the first to the third in the history of the Tour de France.

Alberto Contador (112, Spain) attacks 5 times against current maillot jaune Michael Rasmussen (58, Denmark). 15th stage tour France 2007, col de Peyresourde (1st category), 23-07-2007. Comments by Carlos De Andrés (TVE) & Pedro Delgado (winner Tour 1988).

Alberto Contador takes part in tour for 2nd time and he’s the best young this year. His current general 2nd place confirms him as the brilliant future of cycling. Comparisons with Lance Armstrong are coming but it’s soon to talk about a guy is only 24 years old.

Two stages after, Rasmussen won at Aubisque but he was fired by his team (Rabobank) because of dark reasons related to the place he was training and maybe closer to doping activities. At the age of 33, he also avoided several anti-doping controls just before Le Tour started and was excluded from Denmark cycling team.

GOURETTE, France — One of it’s biggest stars is already gone, and now so is the leader of the Tour de France.

Michael Rasmussen was removed from the race by his Rabobank team after winning Wednesday’s stage, a day after Alexandre Vinokourov and his team withdrew when the star cyclist tested positive for a banned blood transfusion.

It is in the news that Rasmussen lied his whereabouts last June. He told his team that he was in training in Mexico yet the team Rabobank found out that he really was in Italy.

Doping again overshadowed racing at the Tour de France on Wednesday when an Italian rider was thrown out for failing a drug test, detained by police and had his hotel searched.

Cristian Moreni’s problems didn’t end with failing a doping test at the Tour de France.

Cristian Moreni’s positive test for testosterone prompted the withdrawal of his entire Cofidis team. Police were searching his hotel, and French TV showed police officers stationed on the premises.

Moreni’s case fueled the deep sense of crisis already hanging over the race and sport. It came one day after star rider Alexandre Vinokourov and his entire Astana team were sent home after he tested positive for a banned blood

I am quite saddened by the fact that my favorite sports are being shaken by scandals. 

Though I am not a Michael Vick fan, his indictment is always on the news. In my opinion it is cruelty for the Americans for a person to be indulged in dog fighting. It is not only dog fighting but those dogs are being killed also.

It was disclosed last Friday about the  allegations on Tim Donaghy, former NBA ref,  of putting his bet on the games, and games that he officiated. David Stern,  NBA’s commissioner spoke this morning that the case is isolated. I don’t believe on that. The FBI should investigate also on the 2006 NBA Finals.

Right after watching David Stern’s press conference, then blood transfusion scandal of Alexander Vinoukourov in the Tour de France. As I pointed out in my previous posts that he was the favorite to win. He won the stage 13th individual time trial convincingly. He was tested positive. His whole team,  Astana,  now abandons the  race.

I will still be watching these games especially the Tour de France which will end this weekend.