Brilliant stage yesterday in the Tour de France- the Queen of Stages indeed- three massive climbs, two dangerous descents, and 6 capable, strong, relatively equal contenders.
Carlos Sastre is not my favorite this year, but I appreciate his efforts and his team- I love Team CSC they are disciplined and have risen to the occasion. Sastre was brilliant and no one could match his efforts up L'Alpe. The mountain is historic in the Tour, fans will always remember Lance's time trial and the manic fans (one of whom always ends up showing up half clothed). Sastre's effort is made more remarkable by the following Top 10 list I found at www.cyclingnews.com
Sastre's time would rank in 17th in the 'official' standings. The top 10 are:
1 Marco Pantani 37'35 (1997)
2 Lance Armstrong 37'36 (2004)
3 Marco Pantani 38'00 (1994)
4 Lance Armstrong 38'01 (2001)
5 Marco Pantani 38'04 (1995)
6 Jan Ullrich 38'23 (1997)
7 Floyd Landis 38'34 (2006)
8 Andreas Klöden 38'35 (2006)
9 Jan Ullrich 38'37 (2004)
10 Richard Virenque 39'02 (1997)
Most of these people have at one point or another been accused of doping, some certainly were doping on this particular climb, is it appropriate to continue to include their times on this list? Without the dopers, Sastre's time would be a top ten climb.
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