Now the EC is over it's time for the Tour! W0000T!! The greatest event in the world.

So, what are you guys' thoughts so far? Armstrong is looking real good again, but i hope someone (noteably Ullrich) can give him trouble, makes it more exciting. I still don't think he will win 6, cos if Merckx, Anquetil and Hinault couldn't...but Armstrong does seem to have enormous focus.

I have mixed thoughts about how they dropped Mayo in the stage to Wasquehal...i don't think it's bad, but i'm not applauding for the move either.

And what about Boonen? I think he'll win a stage or two still, if he finally gets lucky. And if that damned McEwen stops being so good.

So..thoughts, predictions, who are you rooting for? i'd love Ullrich to win this one.

Yeah don't wanna see him win his 6th, so prolly i'll go for Ullrich, although i think Hamilton has a very good chance as well, looking at his result last year with a broken ehm .. 'sleutelbeen'.

Got a bit of a mixed feeling about Mayo as well, i understand that when heading to the 'kasseien' they couldn't just pull the handbreak, and after it when the peloton was broken, i can still see why they (US Postal mainly) would try to stay ahead since others like Heras were behind. But when those 2 groups got back together i feel they should have waited, the fact that they didn't shows that Armstrong fears Mayo. Well maybe it's feared now, although it can become very spectacular: imagine that Mayo goes (with some support, or after a bigger group with some teammates) on the first or second hill in a very heavy course, which i expect to happen btw. Armstrong can let him go and take the risk of Mayo taking several minutes back. Or he can have his team chase him, taking the risk of blowing them up and become isolated. I don't see him jump with mayo rightaway. And if he becomes isolated Hamilton for example can send Sevilla out, they need to attack anyway. Of course this only applies if Lance isn't the strongest.

Dunno about Boonen, he needs to be lucky yeah, he can beat McEwen in a race, although a sprint in the Tour is always something chaotic and stressy and maybe Boonen doesn't have the 'cool' yet. Petacchi is invisible, but if he manages to get over the Alps and Pyrenees, he might find his form, but maybe he's just burned up.

Btw Merckx says he could have won 6 if he wanted, he didn't win in 1973 but he won Giro and Vuelta that year if i'm not mistaken, heard him say that on Sporza earlier this week.

Bah, cycling is boring.
I really hope Armstrong wins this tour and the next twelve. That should teach those frogs who always accuse him from taking dope a lesson.

Lol, they're right tho. They all dope, but that doesn't take away the fun!

Cycling rocks, nay-sayer!

Yeah i think it`s a real shame that Vinokourov isn`t there, he`s a real attacker and would put the pressure on Armstrong in the mountains, allowing Ullrich to stay in Armstrong`s wheel.

Tour de BORRRRINGGGG. Serious, how can watching a bunch of guys ride bikes be fun? Maybe if they where punching and kicking each other and got to throw sticks and debris in the tires of there opponents.

Well this tour has a bunch of cyclists fall every day, so at least that's fun to watch.

That'd be cooler if they were going alot faster. Or if the road was covered with razors or something. Of course, we'd have to figure out how to keep the tires from popping.

How about every cyclist gets a handgun with one bullet? But it can't fire until their cycle is going 45 miles an hour. Yea...oh, the carnage! WOOOO! And the tires should have sharpened spikes on them.

I think I'd rather watch paint dry. You guys are way to into sports. Most sports suck. And who cares really. Are you gonna tell your grandchildren who won the Tour de France in 2004? They'd be bored out of their skull. Well whatever, just started getting on my nerves about all of the sports. Sports are only fun when you are doing them IMO.

We have the center of the cycling world here, cycling is inherited, so very low chance of boring grandchildren. I like both doing sports and watching it, cos the top sporters do it much better, faster and harder. I agree that there are more interesting things to do, but bleh. Like J said, i usually have the tv playing in the background and listen when it gets really cool.