Alexandre Vinokourov, he was supposed to be the best of us. he was the odds on favorite to win the Tour De France. one of the truly strong men, in mind and body. he was well liked and respected by all in the peleton. after crashing in stage five and getting seriously injured, he received 30 - 40 stitches in his knees and elbow, he soldiered on. he lost huge chunks of time on stages he would have dominated in the past, obviously a shell of the man he was before injured, yet on he pressed refusing to quit. the crowd roared in approval as he staged a comeback in the time trial, and ran beside him yelling encouragement on the next mountain stage when he again faltered and dropped out of contention for good. having no hope of actually winning the tour, he did not quit like so many others, instead he attacked and looked for the individual stage victories. this courage and moxy made him a favorite of the fans, and they cheered him to victory in stage fifteen. he had such heart and courage that people flocked to him rather than the maillot jaune of the race leader. the prime minister of Kazakhstan personally came to visit him at the tour and tell him that they would sponsor his team for the next ten years. then today comes the tragic news that he has tested positive for a blood transfusion after his time trial win. i am heartbroken. he had it all, everyone already knew how good he was. he was more celebrated for this tour than any other rider in the field. the French fans showed up and cheered him as if he was one of their own, and this is the same man that said "french riders were always off the back because they were just lazy". they respected him when he was winning, but they loved him for the courage and fortitude he showed in defeat. he had nothing more to gain in this tour, and instead of going down as being the class of the field, another one of the great names in cycling is disgraced. maybe the sport i love really doesn't have any heroes. oh, and in case anyone reads this and wonders, he uses the same doctor that Lance Armstrong did. coincidence?!?!?
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
F#%&!! F?#&IN, F%&#ITY, F&%#, F#%K!!!
Alexandre Vinokourov, he was supposed to be the best of us. he was the odds on favorite to win the Tour De France. one of the truly strong men, in mind and body. he was well liked and respected by all in the peleton. after crashing in stage five and getting seriously injured, he received 30 - 40 stitches in his knees and elbow, he soldiered on. he lost huge chunks of time on stages he would have dominated in the past, obviously a shell of the man he was before injured, yet on he pressed refusing to quit. the crowd roared in approval as he staged a comeback in the time trial, and ran beside him yelling encouragement on the next mountain stage when he again faltered and dropped out of contention for good. having no hope of actually winning the tour, he did not quit like so many others, instead he attacked and looked for the individual stage victories. this courage and moxy made him a favorite of the fans, and they cheered him to victory in stage fifteen. he had such heart and courage that people flocked to him rather than the maillot jaune of the race leader. the prime minister of Kazakhstan personally came to visit him at the tour and tell him that they would sponsor his team for the next ten years. then today comes the tragic news that he has tested positive for a blood transfusion after his time trial win. i am heartbroken. he had it all, everyone already knew how good he was. he was more celebrated for this tour than any other rider in the field. the French fans showed up and cheered him as if he was one of their own, and this is the same man that said "french riders were always off the back because they were just lazy". they respected him when he was winning, but they loved him for the courage and fortitude he showed in defeat. he had nothing more to gain in this tour, and instead of going down as being the class of the field, another one of the great names in cycling is disgraced. maybe the sport i love really doesn't have any heroes. oh, and in case anyone reads this and wonders, he uses the same doctor that Lance Armstrong did. coincidence?!?!?
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