I’m not usually one to hope for a quick end to a Grand Tour, but this year’s Tour couldn’t end fast enough as far as I’m concerned. Thankfully, it also ended without more scandals (although some arseholes certainly wanted to create the appearance of such, with their stupid rumors about Mauricio Soler testing positive for something - thank goodness they were just lame rumors) and with a beaming Alberto Contador on the top step of the podium, finally able to enjoy that yellow jersey he wore. Can’t wait to see what this kid does next year…

Cadel Evans always looks like he’s got a furrowed brow, but he didn’t even smile on the podium today. What gives, Cadel? Getting 2nd is a huge accomplishment, even if it’s not necessarily the step you wanted to be on. Would it have killed you to look a little happy? By contrast, Levi Leipheimer looked content - not thrilled, as he’d have loved to have been higher on the podium, but content - with his placement. He also looked and sounded genuinely happy for his teammate on the top step. I’m beginning to like Levi more and more. I still think he’s too much of a whiny git sometimes, but perhaps he’s learning that annoys people. Let’s hope.

I was also pleased to see that the Discovery team, unlike in years past during the Lance era, did not deck the entire team out in something yellow. Conta was covered in the color, from his team kit to his sunglasses to his bike, but none of the other team members wore a spot of yellow except the yellow armband that’s always there (for LiveStrong). I thought it was a classy move, given the weirdness of this Tour, to show that while they’re happy with the victory they’re not going all out to show it off.

And with today’s win on the Champs Elysees, Daniele Bennati cements his place among the top sprinters in the sport - his stage win earlier this week was great, but from a four-man breakaway group where he alone was a sprinter, it might not have made his name strike fear into the likes of Thor Hushovd or Erik Zabel. After today, however, he must certainly be counted among the favorites in any bunch sprint.

And in other cycling news…

• Not surprisingly, Vino’s B-Sample tested positive. Even more not surprisingly, he continues to deny that he’s doped. I seem to recall reading that it’s the same lab who tested his results that Floyd Landis has been fighting with for the last year, though I doubt very much Landis would welcome this kind of ally.
• Andreas Kloeden wonders whether he should just quit cycling entirely, which, if he’s clean, would be a real shame. He’s a thrill to watch.
• Among the forgotten victims of one teammate’s boneheaded doping is Cofidis’ Bradley Wiggins - CyclingNews has a nice piece about him here. Personally, I don’t understand why entire teams were asked to leave following one positive test result. Why Astana and Cofidis had to leave entirely is confusing to me, and, I think, extremely unfair to the riders (like Wiggins) who were caught up in the mess. If there was something more going on, something team-wide or more prevalent than just one rider, that should have been made clear. As it stands now, I’m still not sure what the rationale was for asking entire teams to leave.

So, I think we all end another Tour de France with a sigh of relief, and, for some, the heavy burden now of saving this sport we all so dearly love.

photo by Graham Watson