And It Breaks My Heart
 

This is nice:
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...5064-1,00.html

Yeah, I think that article really did a great job of articulating how so many of us felt. I think it was on this forum somewhere, where in the days following the announcement of Floyd's positive test, a wise poster said,

"Remember what it felt like for those couple days?"

I wish I could remember who it was...

That is good. That day felt like being a kid and waking up on Christmas morning to a new sled, an erector set AND a new Red Rider bb gun.

It was a great treatment of the issue. I have yet to overcome the fact that the issue exists at all though.

But more than a bit of poetic license.

There were 4 rated climbs that day. Merckx did not attack until the last couple of hundred meters of the next to last climb, the Tourmalet. The two previous climbs Aspin and Peyresourde were both cat 2, but the most recent time either of these was included in the tour they were cat 1.

Also not quite the risk it might seem. The one rider who did hold eddys wheel to the top was VanDenBosche, Eddys teammate. Those who understand cycling will understand the insurance that provided.

But a very interesting way to present things. I think for the true fan it could have been fluffed up a bit and a foreglimpse of the surprise given (with perhaps even more buildup). The buildup being praise of the riders decending skills (Floyd made over a minute on the final decent, as did Eddy on the Tourmalet). Then the light slowly dawning when it starts to ask if he can hold his lead on hte flat into the finish. At that point the fan would start to ask what flat into the finish? No way there was enough flat. Then introduce Merckx.

But still an excellent piece.

Very well written. It got me all emotional. The whole experience was like a drug. You got really high, then you got really low, and now your jonesing for another fix, and you can't find the cure.

That was a great article. The worst part for me was giving my curious 7 year old updates during the Tour. 'Floyd won the stage!', 'Floyd had a bad day!', 'FLOYD WON!!!' and then the inevitable explanation about the accusations & cheating in sports, etc... Just heart-breaking. It would have been worse if my son wasn't already a baseball fan and heard the Barry Bonds saga.

Makes me think that people should just engage in sports, not follow them.

As a diehard sports fan I too am thinking this may be the case.

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

I too am a huge sports fan, but in my 41 years of life losses don't affect me as much. I have two daughters to make up for most of my sports disappointments, but this one hurt. As great as it was seeing Lance win the tour, it was expected that he would. Floyd made the tour fresh again and another American winning was glorious. But the feeling I had following his findings has definately jaded my beliefs in sports. I still watch and enjoy them just not with the same emotion.

Thanks for the article.

Im only 21 and just recently become truely interested in cycling. But I was just as wrapped up in floyds struggle this year as anyone else. The prospect of americans keeping the title without lance was just too huge an event not to get excited about. It was indeed crushing when the accusations came out, I am a HUGE landis fan.

I'm glad folks enjoyed the article.

I'm with the people who say it is probably a mistake to let your emotions get wrapped up in sports these days, if even it ever was a good idea. Even in my own sporting life I try not to get too high or the too low feeling will inevitably come. But OTOH the 'thrill of victory and the agony of defeat' are part of life, and without them there is a blandness that is also unfullfilling.