2009 Tour de France: Lots of questions at the halfway mark

CEBU, Philippines - Three days in the Pyrenees and all the Tour de France has shown us is that the race is a yawner, at least at the halfway mark. There is saying in bicycle racing that it’s not the route that makes the race hard, but how the cyclists race that makes the race hard. But the way two of 3 Pyrenean stages are designed, the race organizers helped.

Today’s stage had 70km of descent and flat roads after the summit of the 2000-ft plus Tourmalet and even if you have a 5 minute lead over the top, it is easy for the chase to whittle it down to a handful of seconds, like what happened to the lead of breakaway companions Franco Pelezotti and eventual stage winner Pierrick Fedrigo.

In the meantime, the trouble brewing between teammates Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador is making fans take sides. Unfortunately, what we read mostly are reports and comments from the US media and Lance fans and obviously, there is bias towards Lance. Now, if only my Spanish is understandable…

The contention is that Contador made a “rogue” attack on stage 7 after team orders said to ride defensively. But just like the story of the scorpion and the frog, Contador’s is a natural attacker.

But what bother’s me is why Armstrong is sitting pat and letting Contador do his thing. Just like Contador, Lance is a natural attacker when he used to rule the Tour but he’s not showing that today. Maybe because he respects the cycling tradition of not attacking a teammate who is ahead. But Contador attacked him when he had a 22” lead. Maybe because he’s conserving all of his strength for a final blitz in the final week and considering his age, his matchstick is shorter. Or maybe and hopefully it’s not true, that age and the four years out of competition, he’s lost his mojo.

Armstrong has not been truly tested so far because his team is obscenely strong. Remember that its easier to chase in numbers than go in a 4-man breakaway.

Tomorrow is a rest day and riders are clearly looking to it. But until there is an attack from Armstrong or Contador in the next stages, rumors and innuendoes will always follow the drama team, ASTANA.   (THE FREEMAN)