Comments on: I Think I’ll Boycott The 2008 Tour de France http://coachlevi.com/racing/boycott-2008-tour-de-france-for-levi-leipheimer/ Training, nutrition, cycling, mountain biking, and racing advice for cyclists. Wed, 23 May 2012 15:09:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Levi http://coachlevi.com/racing/boycott-2008-tour-de-france-for-levi-leipheimer/#comment-15729 Levi Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:38:20 +0000 http://coachlevi.com/racing/boycott-2008-tour-de-france-for-levi-leipheimer/#comment-15729 Great points Brad. Maybe some teams will show up here in July for the <a href="http://www.tourdetoona.com/" rel="nofollow">Tour de Toona</a> which attracts some good competition already (Jittery Joe's, Slipstream, BMC, etc.) Great points Brad.

Maybe some teams will show up here in July for the Tour de Toona which attracts some good competition already (Jittery Joe’s, Slipstream, BMC, etc.)

]]> By: Bradly Fletchall http://coachlevi.com/racing/boycott-2008-tour-de-france-for-levi-leipheimer/#comment-15728 Bradly Fletchall Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:15:02 +0000 http://coachlevi.com/racing/boycott-2008-tour-de-france-for-levi-leipheimer/#comment-15728 Astana is getting the shaft this season. The new rules allowing race directors to pick and choose which teams they take is simply not working. The UCI needs to step up and fix this. In my mind the Tour de France is still the greatest bicycle race on the planet but with the the French labs scared reputation for accurate drug testing, race directors net inviting some of the best teams, and the increasing popularity of cycling in the US, it may not be long until no one really cares about The Tour. If they are not careful, they will eventually make themselves irrelevant. Just because they are currently the most prestigious is enough to keep them there. The only up side (only for a US based spectator)to all of this is the fact that we'll probably get to see some better riders at the US races (Go Tour of MO) because these guys aren't going to be focusing on France Astana is getting the shaft this season. The new rules allowing race directors to pick and choose which teams they take is simply not working. The UCI needs to step up and fix this.

In my mind the Tour de France is still the greatest bicycle race on the planet but with the the French labs scared reputation for accurate drug testing, race directors net inviting some of the best teams, and the increasing popularity of cycling in the US, it may not be long until no one really cares about The Tour.

If they are not careful, they will eventually make themselves irrelevant. Just because they are currently the most prestigious is enough to keep them there.

The only up side (only for a US based spectator)to all of this is the fact that we’ll probably get to see some better riders at the US races (Go Tour of MO) because these guys aren’t going to be focusing on France

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