2005 Tour de France: The post-Lance era

I know that there are 6 days of racing yet I can't help but ponder on who the possible contenders will be in 2006. The yellow jersey for this year is virtually all sewed up and all the closest rivals conceding the title to Lance Armstrong.

It must be a very bitter pill to swallow for T-Mobile to have failed for the last 6 (or 7?) years to beat Armstrong considering that they had the talent, the team and the money to do challenge the cancer survivor from Austin, Texas. T-Mobile probably can't wait for the Armstrong era to end so that they can show the world what they're made of. But I think that any of the current riders who will win in the future will have a tag as "he-who-won-since-Lance-retired".

Here are my favorites:

1. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) At 25 yo, he's still at least 2 years before great things are expected of him. But he has been winning races two years ago so I wouldn't be surprised if he wins it all next year. All he needs is a change in team since his team; Iles Baleares isn't strong enough to support him. I wouldn't be surprised if Discovery Channel will pry him out from I.B. But in fairness to the I.B. management, they are the same group that won 6 tours, 5 with Migule Indurain ('91-'95) and one with Pedro Delgado ('87).

2. Ivan Basso (Italy) This rider is still going up. Last year, he lost second spot because of poor time trialling but what a turnaround this year when he won an ITT in the Giro d'Italia. This Saturday's 55km ITT will tell us if he can perform on a bigger stage and make it to the top.

3. Alexander Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) Rumored to leave T-Mobile for Discovery next year, this aggressive Kazakh has to prove that he can be consistent in a 3-week race. His constant attacks are very entertaining but tactically, it left him floundering the next day. If he can improve Johan Bruyneel can help him with his tactics and patience, then he can be a force to reckon with.

4. Damiano Cunego (Italy) This 22 yo Italian surprised everyone last year when he won the Giro last year over teammate and favorite Gilberto Simoni. Although he just wasn't there at the Giro this year because of mononucleosis, he is expected to make a run at the tour in a year or two especially with a vacuum to fill.

5. Yaroslav Popovych (Russia) A 25-year-old who was pried away by Discovery from Ernesto Colnago, Popo is expected to fill the large shoes of Lance. Since he turned pro, he was brought up slowly with a program that was tailored for him to ride and win the Tour in the future.

Hopefullly. Levi Leipheimmer, Floyd Landis, Andrey Kaseckin, Vladimir Karpets, Iban Mayo and Paco Mancebo. Hope one from this group can win in the next few years.

Thumbs down. Jan Ullrich's tour ambition is over. Even though he's at his best in this third week as he says, he can't respond to Ivan Bassos attacks. Roberto Heras, a flop the last two years, has been demoted to ride the Giro next year. Joseba Beloki, is still searching the form that he had in 01, 02 and 03.