All Sport Report

I have never been a big fan of bicycling. Sure, it’s a great way to get exercise, but perhaps because I never had the opportunity to ride a bike minus one with training wheels (I have a muscle disease and am now in a wheelchair) I just never got the “cycling excitement”. Every time the Tour de France is held, I listen to the chattering going on around me (it is hard not to with so many Americans being accused of using illegal drugs each year), but I don’t really get the whole “Tour fascination”.

So, I get the point of the Tour. You ride through multiple parts of France, practically making your way across the entire country. This will take you up and down hills and mountains, along straight pathways, and through the country and city. July is time for the Tour, and by now, the bikers have already made their way to the ninth stage of the race.

The ninth stage through the Alps is also the last one to travel through the mountain range. The favored winner of the Tour de France, injured cyclist, Alexandre Vinokourov, didn’t do so well during this stage, falling as much as eight minutes behind the overall leader, Michael Rasmussen. Rasmussen is a Dane who has been the Tour’s best climber for the past two years. However, a surprising newcomer to the race, Juan Mauricio Soler, managed to take over and win this stage. The Columbian says it is “a dream” to win a stage, and in his very first Tour appearance no less!

The second place overall leader, Alejandro Valverde, gained on Rasmussen by finishing this stage in second place behind Soler. At this point, the Spaniard Valverde is being deemed the “greatest threat” that Rasmussen will face during the remaining stages of the race. Valverde had been eliminated from the Tour last year due to a crash, which led to a broken collarbone. That fate seems to have been passed on to Vinokourov this year. He was incredibly sore after his own crash last Thursday. That is why he took an anti-inflammatory to help him get through this last stage of the Alps.

So, all you cycling fans, what do you think of this year’s Tour? The Tour seems to be less controversial then Tours of the past few years, but it still could prove to be an exciting race. Feel free to share your thoughts by commenting on this article and let the other readers know who you think will win. Will it be Rasmussen, Valverde, or someone else? I guess only time will tell.

Tour de France, Alejandro Valverde, Michael Rasmussen, Cycling, Alexandre Vinokourov, Bike Race, Juan Mauricio Soler