Tour Sans Lance

Every year, come July, the Tour de France would begin, and everyone would expect that Lance Armstrong would win it again. He had, after all, won the Tour every year since 1999, making his total seven tours in row.

The best anyone had done up to that point was five tours. Jacques Anquetil won five. Eddie Merckx won five. Bernard Hinault won five. Miguel Indurain of Spain won five in a row. It seems obvious, from history, that if you are great, you can win for a while.

The tour is a strange race. Each team picks a nominal leader. The rest of the team serves as support. No one wins the Tour by themselves. The team's purpose is to cut wind resistance, so that leader does not expend as much effort. The effect is so substantial that riding by yourself is not even considered.

The race is run over about three weeks. Each leg is on the order of 60-70 miles, assuming it's not a mountain stage. There are flat stages where speed matters. There are mountain stages where power matters. There are individual time trials where bikers race independently of one another. There is one team time trial where the team bikes together as a group.

Although the yellow jersey is the most important (it's the person with the least amount of total time), there are other jerseys. There is a green jersey for the cyclist that collects the most points. You get the most points for crossing the line first. There is a polka dot jersey which is called "King of the Mountains" which rewards points for making it to the top of various mountain climbs. The white jersey is like the yellow jersey for under 25.

The person wearing the yellow jersey is the one most care about, and he doesn't even have to bother with the other colors, and often doesn't. Indeed, you can win a tour without winning any of the stages, as long as you do well on most of the important stages.

The tour is bizarre. Your team can follow you in tiny European cars. They can talk to you over wireless communication. Indeed, a few years ago, during a wet day in a time trial where Jan Ullrich had a chance to take the lead, he slipped. The time it cost him meant Armstrong could ride a more conservative race, rather than attempt to keep up.

The last stage, which is the ride into Paris, is usually a formality. The leader at that point is not challenged, and is allowed to complete.

This year, Lance was not involved, though he is still battling allegations that he took performance enhancing drugs. It was thought that Jan Ullrich or Ivan Basso, both capable of winning the tour, would contend. However, controversy struck at the beginning when a large number of cyclists were accused of doping, i.e., taking performance enhancing drugs. Although Lance had never been caught, the cycling community still takes this seriously. Many cyclists were effectively disqualified.

The current favorite is Floyd Landis, a Mennonite, who had once biked with Armstrong. It's been revealed that he needs hip surgery when he finishes. His hip is grinding bone on bone, so it's been rather painful for him to bike. He's held the lead for two stages, but plans to pick his time to try to get the lead.

The classic Armstrong strategy was to win the mountain stages and the time trials, both which he excelled at. He didn't do so well on flat stages, but knew that those who did well on flat stages often do horribly on the mountains. At times, Armstrong would spend over a week far behind, trying to avoid accidents that invariably occur when there's a crowd, and making sure he stayed with his leading contenders.

Most people competing seem to believe Landis can take control at any point, and that he is currently picking and choosing the time. Landis knows that this is his best opportunity, with many of the biggest contenders already disqualified.

The question is this: with this race apparently wide open (Landis aside) will people watch without a name leader? At least, Landis is American, so that may give people some reason to watch.