TDF

If anyone wants to know what's going wrong with pro-cycling, the mess with the team inclusion for the Tour explains it. So the Tour is the blue ribbon event, the one that non-cycling fans have an interest in. And what happens, the UCI (cycling's governing body) and the ASO (who run the Tour) are both so pig-headed that selection for the Tour can be described thusly - "The precedent set in 2007 is that the Tour picks the teams, and the UCI whines about it." (care of Eurosport). It's ridiculous.

I <3 the Tour

Okay, so it's one of the big mountain days (they've gone over the Tourmale and they've got another Haut Categorie climb coming up) and so those team leaders who are aiming for the yellow jersey have started manouvring. CSC are probably the best organised. So, at the first big break away, Fabian Cancellara, who is a world champion in his own right, was sent up by his team to stay with them. The group split in two, with about 5 heading off up the road, containing non-contenders, and the second group which had a couple of half-decent riders. Cancellara is not a mountain man but he kept up with them, and drove them on, breaking two of the contenders further down the pack (who are mountain men, or at least can cope). On the ascent up the second big hill, Cancellara ran out of energy and got dropped so the other eight or so that were with him all congratulated him on a job well done as he went backwards. If whoever CSC's main man is, Sastre I suspect, does win the yellow jersey, it'll be partly thanks to today's ride from Cancellara.

And Jens Voight who is still going but um, his awesomeness, is expected. Yeah, you read that right, people are confused when Jens is less than awesome. Jens for CSC team leader.