There is bright hope for the sport of cycling!

My previous post was sad and depressing.  This post is all about hope for the future.

Within the last few years, an organization has emerged - National Interscholastic Cycling Association - which is introducing cycling as a sanctioned high school sport.  NICA is initially focused on mountain biking, but could expand to other formats as it grows.  Their goal is to be inclusive, so that boys and girls participate.  They find sponsors, so that even kids of modest means are provided with equipment and given the opportunity to ride.  They recognize winners, but they make it fun for riders of all ability levels.  The teams spend time learning fundamentals, conditioning, training on beautiful mountain trails, and finally competing against other schools.  They also teach the ethics of cycling, and they involve the kids in trail maintenance and related public service.  Some of the riders may pursue competitive careers, but the goal is for all of the kids to become life-long riders for the health and the fun of it.  See their website at: http://www.nationalmtb.org/

Last weekend, I was privileged to witness the final race of the inaugural season for the Utah affiliates of this amazing organization.  They had around 300 riders from dozens of high schools throughout the state.  There were races in eight different divisions (varsity, junior, sophomore, freshman; boys and girls in each).  The course was a challenging 5-mile winding loop through the gorgeous hills and forests of Soldier Hollow Olympic venue (from the 2002 Winter Olympics)!  The lower divisions rode 2 laps - 10 miles; the varsity riders did 4 laps - 20 miles.

Here are a few pictures.  Yes, the future of cycling looks very bright!

 Skyline High School team, posing for pre-race pictures

The start of the sophomore girls' division race.  Front row, left to right: 102: Ellen Dahl, Lone Peak; 103: Emma Barney, Lone Peak; 114: Malacie Jorgensen, Mountain View; 109: Rachel Wedge, Alta; 100: Kylie Osguthorpe, Ogden High (wearing leader's jersey, based on points from prior races).

The start of the freshman girls' race.  Front row, left to right: 704: Lizzie McIntyre, Pleasant Grove; 707: Kylee Shaffer, Alta; 705: Megan McMillan, Morgan.

This main staging area.  This photo gives an idea of the size of the event.

Another view of the staging area.

Action on the course.  Left: Tasha Heilweil, Skyline; right: Brenna Egan, Park City.

The varsity girls battling for the lead.   003: Tasha Heilweil, Skyline; 001: Brenna Egan, Park City (wearing leader's jersey); 005: Ellie Burton, Park City.  Brenna Egan went on to win this race, and claimed the top spot for the season in her division.

Malacie Jorgensen, a junior rider from Mountain View, winding through the course, eventually claiming second place in this race for her division.

Madison Griggs, a junior rider from Jordan High School.

Alexa Bertagnolli, a sophomore rider from Summit Academy, rounding one of the corners.

Sarah Cassell, a junior rider from Skyline High School, concentrating on the trail ahead.

Kylee Shaffer (my granddaughter), a freshman from Alta High School, speeding toward the finish.

Sierra Pogue, a freshman rider from Summit Academy racing up the final incline to the finish line, where she claimed the final podium spot (fifth place) in this race for her division.

Armstrong: Crash & Burn! Erased from memory!

The verdict is in.  UCI and the Tour de France have confirmed the judgment of USADA that Lance Armstrong is guilty, not only of using drugs and doping for himself, but also of being the ringleader of a massive team-wide drugs/doping conspiracy.  He is banned for life from cycling competitions, and stripped of most of his lifetime race results, including all seven of his Tour de France victories.  Pat McQuaid, the head of UCI is quoted as saying, "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.  He deserves to be forgotten."

In the past, I have refrained from taking a position.  Even now, I do not have any first-hand knowledge.  But, if I were on a jury, looking at the evidence that has been published, I would vote to convict.  I believe the evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty.

He has forfeited any claim upon my respect through (1) a long pattern of cheating, (2) the arrogance of his lying, and (3) especially his bullying and betrayal of his friends and those whom he should have been mentoring. 

I don't really have any tears for Mr. Armstrong.  But it broke my sports fan's heart to witness the downfall of Leipheimer, Hincapie, Zabriskie and others whom I respected and admired.  These latter riders have salvaged a measure of my respect by having the courage to finally speak out.  I have sympathy for them, and wish them well as they try to rebuild our trust in them and in the sport.  As for their fallen former leader, I feel a sense of disgust and betrayal similar to that experienced by a former mentor of mine:  My mentor was a U.S. federal judge, appointed by President Eisenhower (when Nixon was V.P.), and a staunch supporter of President Richard Nixon.  When the full details of Nixon's Watergate scandal emerged, and Nixon resigned in disgrace (under the threat of certain impeachment), the judge vowed that he "would never again utter that man's name!"

[No pictures.]

Armstrong gives up fight against USADA

On August 23, 2012 Lance Armstrong publicly gave up his fight against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and its accusations that he took banned substances throughout his career, and also that he was a key figure in his team's conspiracy to hide such doping.  He did not admit guilt, but withdrew his legal fight against USADA.  USADA swifty declared Armstrong banned for life from all competitions, and vacated his career prizes, including his 7 victories in the Tour de France. 

It is not yet known whether UCI will agree with the USADA sanctions.  The Tour de France is apparently waiting to see what UCI does before deciding whether to strip Armstrong of his titles.

It is not yet clear what, if any, sanctions will be given to Johan Bruyneel, who is also accused of participating with Armstrong in the conspiracy.

Stage 20 - Paris - Wrap-up of Tour de France

Mark Cavendish (Sky) has written the big story for today’s final stage of the 2012 Tour de France. He launched his sprint with 400 meters to go. Matt Goss (Orica GreenEdge) gave chase, but could never catch him. "Super Nova" Peter Sagan made a mad dash and nosed out Goss, but could not eclipse the "Manx Missile."

This was Cavendish’s 3^rd stage win for the 2012 Tour, his 4^th consecutive stage victory on the Champs Elysées in Paris, and his 23^rd stage triumph over 6 years at the TDF. This was a "down year" for him personally, compared to his 2011 Tour, because he sacrificed the defense of the green jersey in order to ride in support of Team Sky’s priority goal: Bradley Wiggins’ quest for the yellow jersey. The team hit its chief target, with Mark’s and Chris Froome’s successes being bonuses.

There is speculation that Cavendish could leave Team Sky next year for a team that would concentrate on helping him win the green jersey and more stages. However, he has two more years on a 3-year contract with Sky that pays him $3.75 million per year.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jul/22/tour-de-france-mark-cavendish?newsfeed=true 

At that level of base salary, and sharing prize money and glory with Wiggins for two more years, I would think twice about moving.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Summary of prizes:

GC winner–yellow jersey–Bradley Wiggins (Sky)
Sprint Points winner–green jersey–Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale)
Climber Points winner–polka-dot jersey–Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
Youth GC winner–white jersey–Tejay Van Garderen (BMC)
Team prize–RadioShack-Nissan-Trek.  (Sky lost this prize by less than 6 minutes.  All on stage 11.)
Super Combative prize–Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Lanterne Rouge (last place overall)–Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun)

Placement of American Riders:

5. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC)
13. Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan-Trek).  Bruyneel wanted to leave him off the roster!  Horner got the last laught there!
33. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma Quickstep)
38. George Hincapie (BMC), his 17^th Tour–most ever by anyone.
60. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp)
100. David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
151. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp), bravely fought through early injuries, almost ended as Lanterne Rouge.
Did Not Finish: Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp), injury Stage 6
Also DNF: Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp), injury Stage 7.  U.S.-based Garmin was snake-bit.

What’s next? The Olympic Games, starting in one week, feature 18 different bicycle events for men and women, with 500 cyclists competing. Great Britain will try to dominate the men’s road racing and sprinting events in the Olympics, as they did the Tour de France, with Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome and David Millar (Garmin-Sharp). All the big names from the Tour will be competing for their respective countries, and will do their best to prevent a British sweep of the two biggest races of the year.

The 2012 Tour de France is now in the books. Thank you to everyone who followed my blog. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

Here are some parting shots of Paris--not the usual perspectives. 

Au revoir, et à la procaine!

Night view of Paris from the Palais de Chaillot at the Trocadéro.

A different perspective of the Eiffel Tower.

One of several rose windows in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, with organ pipes in the foreground.

Gargoyles on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The famous Moulin Rouge night club.

A Place du Tertre mime, taking a break and talking to his wife.  Yes, even mimes have families.

Tombs of La Fontaine (author of fables) and Molière (author of comedic plays), among 100's of notables buried in Paris' famous Père Lachaise cemetery.

Stage 19 - Time Trial in Chartres: Sky Owns the Tour!

What little suspense remained has been swept away. Bradley Wiggins deserves the yellow jersey, and Team Sky owns the 2012 Tour de France.

Wiggins blistered the time trial stage in Chartres. (33.5 miles at an average speed over 31 miles per hour!) His Sky teammate Chris Froome came in second. Team Sky won the team prize for the day. All that remains is the champagne run into Paris tomorrow, and the question of whether Sky rider Mark Cavendish can win the final sprint to cap off the total domination by Team Sky.

Top American Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) almost moved into 4^th place, and added another 3 minutes to his margin of victory over Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) for the white jersey–best young rider.

The green (sprinters) and polka-dot (climbers) jersey competitions remain unchanged, and should remain so through the last stage to Paris. Only a catastrophic accident to Peter Sagan (Liquigas) or Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) could change those prizes.

Team RadioShack-Nissan-Trek retains an insurmountable six-minute lead for the overall team prize, but Sky did cut 8 minutes off that margin today. Which raises the question of how RadioShack managed to win that prize. Looking back stage-by-stage, I discovered that RadioShack owns that prize solely from the results of stage 11, the mountain-top finish at La Toussuire in the Alps. Out of 19 stages, Sky beat RadioShack in six stages, while RadioShack beat Sky in five stages. Not counting stage 11, Sky would be leading RadioShack by 1'31" overall, instead of trailing by -6'02". It comes down to mountain-climbing depth. Sky’s first two riders in stage 11 (Froome & Wiggins) beat RadioShack’s first two riders (Schleck & Horner) by 4'24". But RadioShack’s third rider (Klöden) beat Sky’s third rider (Porte) to the top of that mountain by 11'57". RadioShack’s team score margin on that all-important stage was 7'33"–just enough to give them their final margin of 6'02" for the overall team prize. (There should be no margins in the team scores in tomorrow’s flat stage to Paris.)

To celebrate today's race against the clock, here is another antique French clock.  This sundial is on the château at Azay le Rideau in the Loire Valley, just south of Chartres, the site of today's time trial.

If you want a sundial of your own, you can buy it in this shop in Perpignan, on display during a midieval fair.

Stage 18 - Cavendish Storms Into Brive

Mark Cavendish (Sky) exploded past the final two escapees in the last 300 yards to claim his 22^nd stage win over a 6-year Tour de France Career. Yellow jersey Bradley Wiggins, in a role reversal, led Mark under the 1 Km banner. You can’t really say Wiggins Froomed him, since there was no sacrifice for Wiggins, but it was a nice symbolic gesture. It adds to the domination mystique of Team Sky.

Sprinters Matt Goss (Orica GreenEdge) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas) collected the next points, but they never threatened to match Cavendish’s winning burst. Sagan increased his strangle-hold on the green jersey by adding 20 points to his margin over André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol).

Tyler Farrar also contested the sprint and finished in 6^th place for the stage, with the same time as Cavendish. This nudged him up one more place away from the Lanterne Rouge in the overall standings. Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun) finished the stage almost 9 minutes back, and slipped below Jan Ghyselinck (Cofidis) to claim the red lantern "honor," by 45 seconds (after 87 hours of riding!).

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) energized the breakaway all day long, and won the most combative award. The other two escapees whose dreams of stage victory were snuffed-out by Cavendish only at the very last second were Nicholas Roche (AG2R) and Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank).

Team Sky won the team prize for the stage, but Team RadioShack was only 4 seconds behind, and maintains its 14-minute margin for that prize.

If you watched today’s race on television, you saw some beautiful scenery and picturesque villages or historic sites. Brive would be an ideal staging base for an extended vacation in France. In one direction are the volcanic mountains of Auvergne. In another, the pre-historic art cave of Lascaux. Medieval Sarlat lies to the southwest, and quaint Collonge la Rouge to the southeast. Amazing Rocamadour clings to the cliffs a half-hour south of Collonge la Rouge.  Enjoy the outdoor marché in Terrasson, west of Brive. Shop for a beautiful teapot at Limoges, an hour north of Brive. Or enjoy a scrumptious home-cooked meal in Brive itself if you are hosted by dear French friends as we were. We definitely have fond memories of our visits to Brive!

The outdoor marché in Terrasson (near Brive) features vendors on the bridge, in the town square, and along several central streets.  Very quaint.  Very French.

The midieval village of Sarlat (SW of Brive) provides a delightful walking stroll back in time.

While the ladies were shopping inside this road-side antique shop near Brive, . . .

I wandered around back, and discovered these barnyard animals calling at the backdoor, to remind the proprietors that it was lunchtime!

The rustic village of Collonge la Rouge (SE of Brive) draws its name from the red stone used in the construction of all the buildings.  Another pleasant walk through a by-gone era.  A perfect spot for a casual picnic with friends--a fresh baguette, some flavorful local cheese . . .   This is the way to see France!

Rocamadour (south of Brive) clings precariously to the cliff.  The Tour de France broadcast for Stage 18 featured several aerial views of this amazing little village.

Finally, when the day of sight-seeing (or biking) comes to a close, what could be better than a delicious French-style meal?  This one was hosted by our friends Valérie & Lahouari Allal in Brive.  Don't fill up on the first course or two!  They traditionally serve each item as a separate course.  You will have plenty of time to savour each one and to engage in lively conversation with your hosts.  In this way, you will discover the REAL France!

Stage 17 - No Surprises on Final Day in Pyrénées

If anyone wanted to challenge Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky for the yellow jersey, today was the day to do it. A few little attempts were made, but, in the end, it was Wiggins and Chris Froome who stamped their own exclamation point on the prize by attacking everyone else! The peleton has thrown in the yellow towel!

A large escape group formed early. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) tried to join that escape, but Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) convinced him it was a bad idea, so he drifted back to the peleton. If Nibali had stayed in the breakaway, the Sky riders would have chased down the whole group. That is why Valverde asked Nibali to retreat. In the middle of the stage, Nibali’s team Liquigas was leading the peleton with a fast pace, hoping to catch the first breakaway and either drop Wiggins and his Sky riders, or set up Nibali for an attack of his own. But they only succeeded in using up their own reserves of strength. They caught most of the original escape group, but not all of them, and Sky had no trouble matching their pace.

Late in the race, Liquigas and even Nibali faded. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) put in a couple of short-lived attacks, and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) tried one as well. The effect was to drop most of the contenders (including Nibali and Cadel Evans (BMC)), but Wiggins and Froome reeled in every attack.

On the last climb of the day, Valverde was the sole survivor of the original breakaway, but his lead had dropped to less than one minute. Froome could have caught him and won the stage, but he loyally stayed to shepherd Wiggins home, settling for 2^nd and 3^rd place, and allowing Valverde to capture the stage with a mere 19-second margin. All the other GC contenders lost time, and many of the top places were re-arranged. The word "Froome" will now become a verb, meaning to sacrifice one’s own glory for the glory of the team's designated leader.

Pinot made a valiant effort to keep up with the Sky leaders, and finished in 4^th place for the day. He regained 32 seconds of the 2 minutes he had lost the previous day to Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) in the contest for the white jersey (youth).  But Tejay, by staying close to the yellow jersey instead of Frooming for Cadel Evans, moved up to 5^th place overall, and still holds the white jersey by more than 3 minutes.

Thomas Voeckler (Europecar) and Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) started the day just 4 points apart in the contest for the climbers’ polka-dot jersey. They both joined the early breakaway, and they battled for the climbing points on the first four mountains. Voeckler out-sprinted Kessiakoff at the top each time, and increased his climbing points lead by 7 points. His total margin is now 11 points. There are not that many climbing points left to be earned in the remaining stages before Paris, so Voeckler has won that battle.

With Froome and Wiggins placing 2^nd and 3^rd in the stage, Team Sky easily won the team prize for the day. But Chris Horner, Andréas Klöden and Maxime Monfort brought Team RadioShack home in a close second place, preserving still a 14-minute lead for the overall team prize. Horner has certainly vindicated the decision, over the objection of coach Johan Bruyneel, to include him on the roster,  And where is Bruyneel?

One last news flash:  American Tyler Farrar (RadioShack) has relinquished his Lanterne Rouge!  That dubious honor is now claimed by Jan Ghyselinck (Cofidis) whose three-week total time after more than 82 total hours of riding is 1 minute 21 seconds slower than Farrar's.  But I'm curious how it was calculated.  After stage 15 Farrar was listed on the TDF website as the red lantern, with Ghyselinck 4 places above and 9'13" faster than Farrar.  For stage 16, the TDF website does not show a stage time for Ghyselinck, nor list him in the overall time list.  In stage 17, Farrar and Ghyselinck had the same time, but now Ghyselinck is shown as the red lantern, one place below and 1'21" slower than Farrar.  Something must have happened to Ghyselinck in stage 16.  He might have finished outside the time limit.  There is a rule that allows late finishers to continue if their delay is for unusual circumstances, but they can also be given time penalties.  If any readers know what happened to Ghyselinck in stage 16, and how he lost 10 minutes to Farrar, please post the answer in the comments.  In any event, it is going to be another nail-biter to see who wins the Lantern Rouge "prize" in Paris.

Mystery solved:  The French journal L'Avenir explained that Ghyselinck was struggling at the very back of the race to reach the finish line, and was being delayed by the traffic jam of fans coming down from the mountain.  He was only able to make it through the crowds when a motorcycle escorted him through by clearing a path.  In the end, he arrived at the finish line 4 seconds later than the time delay cut-off--more than 10 minutes later than Farrar.  He could have been dismissed from the race, but the jury exercised their discretion and allowed him to continue.  In another French article, he was quoted as saying that a policeman directed him to make a wrong turn, which cost him 20 seconds.  One of the race commissioners witnessed this debacle, and apparently pursuaded the other jurors to allow him to continue.  No penalty, but he did lose 10 minutes to Farrar.  See the articles in French at: http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20120719_004 and http://www.rtbf.be/sport/cyclisme/tourdefrance/detail_jan-ghyselinck-hors-delai-repeche?id=7807073

Aaron, Nan and Matt at the top of the Col du Tourmalet, saying "Good-bye" to the Pyrénées, as the Tour heads north towards Paris.

One last parting look back at the Pyrénées, as we head towards the outskirts of Toulouse for the start of Stage 18, which will take us to Brive-la-Gaillarde.  Almost half-way to Paris.