Thomas Voeckler. Leader of the Tour de France, after 10 stages “Thoughts on the Tour de France, so far”, you say? Okay. Team Sky are improving and Bradley Wiggins would’ve got into the Top Ten in GC It’s parochial and inherently biased towards the British riders - obviously - but a couple of days ago, I read Cycling Weekly’s article on Bradley’s chances at this year’s Tour. The change in him both physically and mentally, from last year, is evident. This, along with his early performance - both on the bike and in front of the camera - led me to believe he would’ve been a real contender once we’d hit the mountains. Obviously, it wasn’t to be and I think this was a real chance gone. Add to this the stage win by Edvald Boasson Hagen, and the 6 days spent in the white jersey by Geraint Thomas, and it was a pretty successful first week for Sky. The big challenge now, is what to do without Wiggins? Given the form he’s shown, I would’ve pushed Thomas into the GC race, but he’s now around 4 minutes down on Voeckler and will no doubt lose time in the mountains. Johnny Hoogerland might be my new favourite pro-cyclist Like Thomas Voeckler he’s felt like an ever-present in the breakaways this year. After the horrific incident on Stage 9, his receiving of the polka dot jersey and subsequent interview on the crash itself was heartwarming. I don’t have the same problem with Alexandr Vinokourov that everyone else seems to “Vino” tested positive for blood doping in 2007 and was subsequently banned for a period. His return to the support saw many fans up in arms, mainly because of his refusal to apologise for cheating. I may be naïve, but my fellow Scot David Millar has done almost the same thing. He may talk a good game, but he puts a lot of the blame on Cofidis - perhaps rightly so. The point is, if Millar isn’t widely rounded upon by fans and commentators alike, why is Vinokourov? A touch hypocritical, I feel. Juan Antonio “Norman Stanley” Flecha, has the best nickname of any pro-cyclist There’s really not much more to be said. It’s been said before, by people much more knowledgable than I, but Cadel Evans really does look odd on a bike Flammecast’s John Galloway has described him as looking like a “bag of washing” on a bike, and I can’t really argue with that. What I’ve noticed recently is that he’s always on his drops, regardless of whether he’s climbing an HC, or idly pedalling through the pre-race caravan. After hearing his concussion induced conversation with his teammates, I really like Chris Horner RadioShack take a fair amount of abuse around the internet; whether it be for the age of their riders, or their implicit connection with the sport’s dopage scene, they don’t have many friends outside of their native USA. I’ll admit to not knowing much about Horner himself, and to lumping him in with a group of folk who are inherently under suspicion for one reason or another, but I have real sympathy with him after seeing him at the end of Stage 8. Concussed, confused, bloodied and bruised, Horner crossed the line with little recollection of where he was or how he got there. His DS says he’s fine now, but Reuters say otherwise, claiming that he has no recollection of anything that’s happened since the Stage 2 time trial! Let’s hope that cyclism’s mention of Natasha Richardson’s concussion is the only time we’ll read that. Thor Hushovd is probably the nicest man in pro-cycling … and a hell of a cyclist, to boot. What other “sprinter” could’ve held onto the yellow jersey for so long? Fast becoming a Tour legend. Paul Kimmage is suspicious of Philippe Gilbert I’ll be honest, the thought never crossed my mind, but in a recent interview with Anthony Tan, he essentially suggest that there might be more to his form than meets the eye. 

Thomas Voeckler. Leader of the Tour de France, after 10 stages

“Thoughts on the Tour de France, so far”, you say? Okay.

Team Sky are improving and Bradley Wiggins would’ve got into the Top Ten in GC

It’s parochial and inherently biased towards the British riders - obviously - but a couple of days ago, I read Cycling Weekly’s article on Bradley’s chances at this year’s Tour. The change in him both physically and mentally, from last year, is evident. This, along with his early performance - both on the bike and in front of the camera - led me to believe he would’ve been a real contender once we’d hit the mountains. Obviously, it wasn’t to be and I think this was a real chance gone.

Add to this the stage win by Edvald Boasson Hagen, and the 6 days spent in the white jersey by Geraint Thomas, and it was a pretty successful first week for Sky. The big challenge now, is what to do without Wiggins? Given the form he’s shown, I would’ve pushed Thomas into the GC race, but he’s now around 4 minutes down on Voeckler and will no doubt lose time in the mountains.

Johnny Hoogerland might be my new favourite pro-cyclist

Like Thomas Voeckler he’s felt like an ever-present in the breakaways this year. After the horrific incident on Stage 9, his receiving of the polka dot jersey and subsequent interview on the crash itself was heartwarming.

I don’t have the same problem with Alexandr Vinokourov that everyone else seems to

“Vino” tested positive for blood doping in 2007 and was subsequently banned for a period. His return to the support saw many fans up in arms, mainly because of his refusal to apologise for cheating. I may be naïve, but my fellow Scot David Millar has done almost the same thing. He may talk a good game, but he puts a lot of the blame on Cofidis - perhaps rightly so. The point is, if Millar isn’t widely rounded upon by fans and commentators alike, why is Vinokourov? A touch hypocritical, I feel.

Juan Antonio “Norman Stanley” Flecha, has the best nickname of any pro-cyclist

There’s really not much more to be said.

It’s been said before, by people much more knowledgable than I, but Cadel Evans really does look odd on a bike

Flammecast’s John Galloway has described him as looking like a “bag of washing” on a bike, and I can’t really argue with that. What I’ve noticed recently is that he’s always on his drops, regardless of whether he’s climbing an HC, or idly pedalling through the pre-race caravan.

After hearing his concussion induced conversation with his teammates, I really like Chris Horner

RadioShack take a fair amount of abuse around the internet; whether it be for the age of their riders, or their implicit connection with the sport’s dopage scene, they don’t have many friends outside of their native USA. I’ll admit to not knowing much about Horner himself, and to lumping him in with a group of folk who are inherently under suspicion for one reason or another, but I have real sympathy with him after seeing him at the end of Stage 8. Concussed, confused, bloodied and bruised, Horner crossed the line with little recollection of where he was or how he got there. His DS says he’s fine now, but Reuters say otherwise, claiming that he has no recollection of anything that’s happened since the Stage 2 time trial!

Let’s hope that cyclism’s mention of Natasha Richardson’s concussion is the only time we’ll read that.

Thor Hushovd is probably the nicest man in pro-cycling

… and a hell of a cyclist, to boot. What other “sprinter” could’ve held onto the yellow jersey for so long? Fast becoming a Tour legend.

Paul Kimmage is suspicious of Philippe Gilbert

I’ll be honest, the thought never crossed my mind, but in a recent interview with Anthony Tan, he essentially suggest that there might be more to his form than meets the eye.