- Mar 15, 2009
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You know as I was reading the doping threads one thing struck me, these guys are doped up to the gills on stuff that actually works whilst in the good old days they rode further on loads of things that barely helped.. Isn't it about time the tour made the dopers work for their win! Surely we need to increase the difficulty of the race significantly.. So here are a few ideas.
This years prologue for example could be harded up, I mean EPO might make you ride faster, recover better but it doesn't make you brave.. So the Prologue should 10-15km down the fastest, most technical descent you can find! Doping might make you fly up hills, might make you fly on the flats but its not going to help when you are literally flying because you missed the turn! This stage would sort out the real (doped) men from the (doped) boys.
I've never quite understood the team time trial. 9 guy riding the same distance one guy does in another stage? Weak... The team time trial should be a full length stage.. thats right doping's not just for the leader anymore. 200KM, at least cat 1 climbs including a climbing finish. This stage will really show which team has the best 'program'. I know you're all picturing it already.
And of course the second time trial needs to be toughened.. Mount Ventoux provides a perfect course with 3 approaches, up from Bedoin down the NW side and rider around and back up from Sault. A good 3 hour time trial is what we need to test these doped up guys.
Of course there are many other stages that need to be stiffened up and one thing I think the TDF can take from other races (I'm thinking the tour of poland) here is multiple laps around some of the hallmark climbs. I can just see the excitement as the crest the tourmalet knowing they've got to do it another 4 times before the final climb! Thrilling!
This years prologue for example could be harded up, I mean EPO might make you ride faster, recover better but it doesn't make you brave.. So the Prologue should 10-15km down the fastest, most technical descent you can find! Doping might make you fly up hills, might make you fly on the flats but its not going to help when you are literally flying because you missed the turn! This stage would sort out the real (doped) men from the (doped) boys.
I've never quite understood the team time trial. 9 guy riding the same distance one guy does in another stage? Weak... The team time trial should be a full length stage.. thats right doping's not just for the leader anymore. 200KM, at least cat 1 climbs including a climbing finish. This stage will really show which team has the best 'program'. I know you're all picturing it already.
And of course the second time trial needs to be toughened.. Mount Ventoux provides a perfect course with 3 approaches, up from Bedoin down the NW side and rider around and back up from Sault. A good 3 hour time trial is what we need to test these doped up guys.
Of course there are many other stages that need to be stiffened up and one thing I think the TDF can take from other races (I'm thinking the tour of poland) here is multiple laps around some of the hallmark climbs. I can just see the excitement as the crest the tourmalet knowing they've got to do it another 4 times before the final climb! Thrilling!