The All Lance Network

The team time trial was yesterday in the 2005 Tour de France (TDF). I was looking forward to watching the coverage because the finish was rather exciting - for bike racing that is. I already knew the results but I still wanted to see what happend. My favorite cyclist is Jan Ullrich, who rides for the German team, T-Mobile. He won the tour in 1997 and has placed 2nd 5 times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003). Not too shabby. So, I'm not a big Lance fan. He's an amazing athelete and an amazingly strong person who's recovered and conquered cancer. I just don't *like* him.

The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) has been covering the Tour for the past several years. And every year it's the same thing, it's all Lance, all the time. Which is fine - they are broadcasting the race for the average joe fan and not the people who are really into bike racing. If it gets more people interested in the sport that's fabulous. However, last year I had to suffer through seeing Sheryl Crow almost every day - you know, Lance's girlfriend. Who knows about *this* much about bike racing. Fine, she's famous, she's dating Lance, it gives Al Trautwig and Bob Roll something to do besides provide mostly lame commentary about the race. I just don't need commentary about whether the mattress in the hotel was o.k. the previous night. This year it appears it will be more of the same. I told myself that I can live it with it, really.

But last night, I went into full blown rant mode. (A little background, since the TDF is all about Lance, Jan Ullrich must be the bad guy. Last year OLN described him as a 'lurking, menacing presence' in the peleton, always shadowing Lance. A bit of dramatic license, but it's not like Jan was the only one keeping tabs on Lance. EVERYONE keeps tabs on Lance. That's what happens.) So, last night, OLN called him 'incompetent.' I presume they are suggesting he's incompetent because he hasn't won the TDF since 1997. Since 1997 only 2 other people have won the TDF, Marco Pantani in 1998 and Lance Armstrong. Apparently, all of the other men who have tried to win this race aren't incompetent (Joseba Beloki, Roberto Heras, Levi Leipheimer, Tyler Hamilton, Alex Zulle, Ivan Basso, etc). I've never heard them say anything like that about the other challengers. Just Jan. I know my anger over this is irrational but seriously, incompetent? I think everyone can admit that Lance is the best cyclist in the world especially when it comes to the TDF. I also think most people could admit that Jan isn't incompetent; just a disappointment at times. It's obvious he has the talent to win, it's just that he always falls short. But I digress.

When I had finally calmed down about the whole Jan insult thing, I was then forced to see a split screen of the finish for Lance's team and Sheryl Crow. Sheryl Crow!!!! Why?!? I kid you not, this woman cannot watch her boyfriend race a bike without looking like she's about to cry. It bothers me to no end. I don't need to see her on screen during the finish of the race. I don't need the announcers telling me that Sheryl's nervously watching the finish of the race. I want to see the race. And to cap it off, David Zabriskie (who had been in the yellow jersey and ahead of Lance by 2 seconds) of the CSC team, crashed with about 1.5 k to the finish and his team lost the team time trial by 2 seconds. My evening, ruined.