Athlete Deathmatch: Eddy Merckx vs. Tiger Woods

Greatest Athlete of All Time Matchup#2 on ProTrade

Despite the author referring to The Cannibal as Eddie, rather than Eddy, we give props for him laying out the palmares of both Merckx and Woods. Merckx's are much deeper.

No Surprise. Merckx takes it.

Chris Horner Watches the Tour, but only after training

Otherwise, he'd be too depressed to ride.

The ever-candid Horner not only told the San Diego Union-Tribune that politics are the only reason he's not at the tour, and that he expects Armstrong to win, even though Contador has the better form.

Armstrong looking seeking $20m for new team

So says Bloomberg News. What is most interesting is that, according to Bloomberg, he already almost had it and the potential sponsors backed out.

Contador Feud Speeds Armstrong Push for Cycle Team

Since Bruyneel, Astana's director, almost certainly won't put up with the return of Kazhak Alexandre Vinokourov, he's out anyways. And Contador might be forming his own team as well.

Stay tuned.

Eight-Year Suspension not enough for WADA

File this in the double-standard cycling lives in the fight against doping. Pro athletes in the Big Three US sports get a slap on the wrist and a little shame when they test positive. Bike racers lose everything. They're typically fired by their teams and lose any sponsorship deal they might have had. Tyler Hamilton, who already got busted for doping in 2004 and served a two-year suspension, got caught again. The US Anti-Doping Association, USADA, recommended an eight-year suspension. That would make Tyler 44 before he could race again. Now the World Anti-Doping Association, WADA, wants to make it a lifetime suspension. Some think it's about setting a precedent. Might be. Tyler blames his suspension on mental illness, specifically depression, that caused him to take a medication that he knew contained banned substances. But WADA probably wants to scare people straight. Eight years seems pretty long to me, but banning would keep people from participating in sport in any way for the rest of their lives--unless they want to go into unsanctioned sports like power lifting and pro wrestling.

Desert Stahlight Ridazz dig the Tour

Called one of the few regular group rides in Palm Springs, the ride leader is amped on the Tour. True, not much of a surprise that a cyclist is paying attention to the Tour, but the hippety-hop name and the thought that no one else is riding in the desert caught my attention.

Trek helps you get your Wow on

They've got a TdF lottery. You can do it by getting a card at a trek dealer or visiting their site. They say you can win Lance, Levi, or Alberto's actual TdF bike.

Seems like a good payout for easy work.

Astana Riders Slow to get (drug) tested

It will be interesting to see if this story has legs.

The Associated Press reports that: "French Sports minister Roselyne Bachelot confirmed Thursday that Astana team riders at the Tour de France stayed too long out of sight of an UCI inspector during a random doping test last week." The officials "didn't test the riders for nearly an hour." (after a random test visit)

Apparently, the UCI official had coffee with the Astana officials while they were waiting for the riders.