An Anniversary, Of Sorts

Today being Friday the 13th, a lot of superstitious people were probably doing all sorts of things to ward off bad luck. But being the 13th of July, it’s also one year since Floyd Landis first donned the yellow jersey in the 2006 edition of the Tour de France. And it’s also one year since the Floyd Landis Foundation was established.

Rumor had it that today could have been the day that the arbitration panel would release their decision as to whether they believe Landis doped on Stage 17 of last year’s Tour. But that did not come to pass, which is pretty much what I expected. At some point we’ll find out, but since no one seems to know if the hearings have been formally closed, no one really knows when the word will come.

I’d expect that both sides will call press conferences shortly after the announcement. The winning side will say that justice was clearly done, and the losing side will talk about the possibility of an appeal. I won’t hazard a guess as to which side will be which, however. It all depends on just how the arbitrators view the evidence presented and what they think it means.

Meanwhile, in today’s edition of the Tour, Bradley Wiggins rode off the front just a few moments into the race and stayed away until the closing 7 kilometers. Meaning, Wiggins was out there all alone for something like 190 kilometers, or about 120 miles. He didn’t have quite the strength necessary to pull off a stage win. And the peloton appeared content to be leave him out there in no man’s land, burning himself to a crisp, while they decided when and where they would take action to change the situation.

At almost any time, the pack (if they were so inclined) could have wound up the pace and caught him. But they didn’t. Knowing he wasn’t much of a threat to the general classification (or to the sprinters, either, after having been out there for so long), they toyed with him the way a cat sometimes toys with prey that it’s caught but hasn’t quite killed yet. Sitting less than 30 seconds behind Wiggins from about 11 or 12 kilometers to go, they waited until the 7 kilometer mark to finally reel him in.

Still, you’ve got to give the devil his due. Wiggins put in an heroically foolish effort, one which brought a lot of television exposure for his sponsors, and that kind of media exposure is priceless. But there’s a huge difference between a rider of Wiggins’ stature and that of one of the greats, like Eddy Merckx. Merckx could have actually pulled off the stage win. Wiggins isn’t capable of something like that. At least, not yet.

Perhaps he’ll develop into a better rider in the Grand Tours in the coming years. Or perhaps this was his one shining moment of glory. Time will tell.

From the moment Wiggins was caught, it was entirely the sprinters’ show. A slow-motion show at times, but their show, their one last big hurrah before heading for the Alps. As the finish approached, the pace picked up and things became more animated. And in the end, Tom Boonen finally claimed his first stage victory since 2005.

Starting tomorrow, things will get really interesting. Fabian Cancellara may finally surrender the maillot jaune. Who will take it? Who will suffer so badly in the mountains and fall out of contention? And who will surprise us all? As the Tour heads towards the Alps, the real shakeout of those who will be true Tour contenders is about to begin. There’s a chance that this year’s champion will emerge by the time the race heads into the Pyrenees a week from Sunday.

Stay tuned.