Content-type: matter-transport/sentient-life-form

Offended Italian salami - in any case, that's the impression Simoni gives me. Somehow it seems to be missing for him that his times are probably over.

Rolf wins his own farewell race - Goodbye Rolf!

Ullrich postpones season debut - that won't happen anymore. He probably won't be able to take his last chance at the Tour victory either.

Münsterland-Giro as a professional race

Wow, the Münsterland is getting its own professional race:

Münster is having a professional race again. At a press conference on Friday, the "Münsterland-Giro" was presented, which was immediately classified into the UCI category 1.1 and will take place on October 3rd.

Very nice. Groningen-Münster wasn't really a hit - the starting lists were rather poor. But if a race in the same category as Henninger Turm or Rund um Köln takes place, you actually have a chance to see some of the top riders.

Football Canvases and Websites

The Netreaper thinks I should drum up some support for Nordwalde so they can get a new WM screen to watch football. Okay, I'm not really sure why I should do that to the people of Nordwalde, but okay - I don't live there anymore.

What really excites me, however, is the great voting function, which asks for a Captcha before voting. Which only contains uppercase letters and numbers. Which are hard to distinguish because a particularly stupid font was chosen. And the kicker: you're not supposed to use capital letters. Is this a Captcha with a built-in intelligence test?

Well, never mind, if you want to drive the Nordwalde people crazy, just vote for the screen there, so hordes of crazy football fans can stand around and watch football. Best during the final, and best if Germany is out early and no one knows what to do there anymore.

Fighting Language

UCI's response to the Grand Tours' ranking idea of the three major tours:

"As the only actor in this reform who does not want to defend or promote its own economic interests, the UCI will never share such a superfluous and dangerous vision that harms the development of cycling," said an official statement. The introduction or amendment of the regulations is solely the responsibility of the international federation.

You can already see how the UCI troops are forming to infiltrate the offices of the three major tour organizations and arrest the ringleaders. After that, there will be a penal camp for recalcitrant tour organizers who do not want to submit to the UCI. Maybe they will also get support from 'Mad Eye' Serlet?

Boßdorf falls again

This time not because of the occasionally stupid cycling race commentary, but because of possible contacts with and activities for the Stasi.

Whether you make him the program director or fire him - please just make sure he is spared from us as a commentator in the next Tour de France (and bring Aldag on board for that, he can do it).

Zabel's Farewell from T-Mobile

Couldn't be better: winning Paris-Tours is certainly a pretty nice achievement. He is certainly not just old iron. And contrary to the comment in the Tagesschau, he has not been decommissioned - he has decommissioned T-Mobile. And he has recommended himself well for his Domina-Milka team once again.

Not a German Boxing World Champion Today

Brewster was indeed a little better than Luan Krasniqi in the 8th and 9th rounds. Heavyweight means that one second of not paying attention and the steam hammer comes. And he took two of them. Really exciting fight. In the first 7 rounds, everything was still open. Brewster really had to defend his world title.

Armstrong EPO-doped in first Tour victory?

Apparently there is evidence that Armstrong doped during his first Tour de France victory:

In six urine samples taken from Armstrong during the 1999 Tour de France, doping researchers found EPO in tests conducted for scientific purposes five years later. Dr. Jacques de Ceaurriz, the director of the laboratory that conducted these tests, confirmed on Tuesday a corresponding report in the Tuesday edition of the sports newspaper L'Equipe.

A pretty big deal, all of this. And it doesn't look like this time it's just unfounded allegations.

Is Aldag quitting?

Oh man: Rolf Aldag ends his 15-year career as a professional cyclist at the end of the season. It's not that simple. I liked the rumor version - where he leaves with Zabel to Domina Milka - better. Okay, I wish him a good retirement and maybe we'll get to see him commentating on bike races more often, because he can definitely do it more competently than the sleeping pills of the ARD and ZDF sports editorial teams, but somehow I will miss him as a rider.

Poor Jörg Jaksche - again

Oh man, another breakdown on the stage in the final climb and then someone snatching the stage victory from him again, even though he fought back after the breakdown. Somehow, it just isn't working out with a stage victory for him. Really a shame, because he's impressively fighting at these extremely steep mountain finishes.

Also impressive: Jan Ullrich lost 30 seconds to Levi Leipheimer. That's already a significantly better cushion for Leipheimer for the time trial. In the Tour, it was 2:50 over 55 kilometers - in this 33-kilometer race at the Deutschland Tour, this could potentially save Leipheimer's overall victory, which he was able to extend to a 1:29 lead today.

Now it will be shown in the time trial how strong Leipheimer is - he can actually do it, especially when he's in good form. And that seems to be the case at the moment. On the other hand, Jan Ullrich is an absolutely outstanding time trialist, so everything is definitely still up in the air.

Poor Jörg Jaksche

Also honest. Someone snatches the stage victory from him at the finish line. Sorry, but sometimes cycling is really unfair. Too bad - I would have given today's stage victory to Jörg Jaksche, he really kept attacking. Twice less looking back and maybe he would have won after all.

HEW Cyclassics 2005

A really nice race - it's always amazing how even a nearly quarter-hour lead isn't enough to bring home a victory in this race. It's also always amazing how the commentators every time say that the main field starts too late - by now they should know.

The Quickstep action was great - taking the victory and the podium positions away from the Fassa Bortolo guys after their sprint build-up is really super. Even if I would of course have preferred to see Zabel up front.

Crazy Vinokourov ...

... snatches the victory from the sprinter teams right in front of their noses in Paris. Nobody really expected that. First, he still gets two seconds of goodwill in the fight for the overall classification and the 5th place and then he simply doesn't want to fall in line and leave the field to the sprinters. Classy move, I love such surprises.

About unlucky people and favorites

Well, one thing was definitely clear today (aside from the fact that Armstrong still rides better than Ullrich, even in the time trial): Rasmussen is the unlucky one of the day. Two crashes, 5 breakdowns, and over 7 minutes caught up, that hurts. Fortunately, he arrived and he can console himself: today he will also be given a polka dot jersey.

The next Tour is already shaping up with the favorites: Ullrich and Basso right at the top of the list. Vinokourov certainly also a favorite, but definitely with a clear margin. It may be that at some point a new rider will come along - but these three are definitely in the running for the victory.

It will definitely be more interesting when Armstrong no longer starts - the favorites for next year are clearly much closer together and the battles should also become more exciting again. Ullrich and Vinokourov clearly the much stronger time trialists, Basso the much better climber - that will definitely be exciting.

Only one thing I still don't understand at the end of the Tour: why T-Mobile didn't take Zabel with them. Those idiots.

First stage victory for Gerolsteiner in the Tour

Wow. That was a stage - the top riders clearly showed where the performance level lies. Armstrong and Basso with the best legs, Ullrich very strong and thus also a clear statement to Klöden and Vinokourov, who the captain is. But definitely not strong enough for Armstrong. Whether Basso can crack Armstrong I don't know either - today his helpers were clearly missing, Sastre and Julich just lack that last bit of strength.

But the absolute stars are Gerolsteiner. On the one hand, of course, the still superb placement of Leipheimer, their captain. But the showstopper was Georg Totschnig with his stage win. The first in the Tour for Gerolsteiner ever and also the first stage win in the Tour for Totschnig. I haven't seen a rider and sports director be so happy about a victory in a long time like Totschnig and Holczer. Great performance, big congratulations to both of them for that.

By the way, Gerolsteiner's Typo3 server (yes, Gerolsteiner uses open source) just died - could that perhaps be due to the stage win and the many curious visitors?

Tour Exciting Despite Armstrong

Because a whole series of riders really impressed me with their performance. For example, today it's of course Vinokourov, but especially the performance of Jörg Jaksche - nobody in Armstrong's immediate surroundings expected that. Also, CSC's placement with three top riders right at the front - Basso, Sastre, and Julich - is great. But what's really nice is the good position of Botero and Moreau - both have definitely found their old form again. And Vinokourov's victory might compensate him for his weakness yesterday.

It's a bit of a shame that I only followed the stage with occasional glances at the ticker. But I'm here to work, so I don't want to complain too loudly.

Addendum: However, it does make me sad that Jens Voigt was taken out of the race for a 42-second time excess - in my opinion, the race management could have turned a blind eye there. On the other hand, he apparently had bronchitis, so it might not be so detrimental to his health if he doesn't continue. Whether he would have given up voluntarily is rather questionable given his attacking will.

Jens Voigt in Yellow

I love this. A truly strong stage winner with an outstanding performance. A technically perfect team time trial by Voigt and Moreau. The overall classification has been shaken up and the yellow jersey is with one of my favorite riders (the other one isn't allowed to participate this year). Hey, as far as I'm concerned, Jens Voigt can wear the color for a few more days.

T-Mobile is stupid

Honestly. It was only during the first stage with a bunch sprint that I really realized how stupid they are. Sure, Zabel didn't often win stages - but he was constantly at the front when it came to the bunch sprint. And that's how the sponsor was constantly shown at the front. At every sprint finish. Great for advertising. And now? Nothing.

As I said, they are rarely stupid.

Zabel not to Tour

Zabel must make way for Ullrich - say Kummer and Ludwig. If you ask me: stupid idea. Zabel would also be good as a lone fighter for some show. Well, let's hope for Vinokourov.

Vinokurov in form for the tour

At least that's how it looks after the current stage of the Dauphine at Mont Ventoux. Wow. Hopefully no accident for him before the Tour - the duel between him and Armstrong could be very exciting.

Giro is damn exciting

The stage today was great: at one point, Simoni - after help from DiLuca - had already virtually put on the pink jersey, but then lost it again in the descent and subsequent finish. All positions 1-6 of the general classification were represented in the leading groups and fought for points. Impressive were the quite colorful coalitions that formed and held for quite a long time. Salvodelli has a lead of just 28 seconds over Simoni and 45 seconds over Rujano, today's stage winner, after 3500 km of racing. Wow. It would be nice if the Tour also showed such active cycling once in a while instead of wild tactics.

Basso again! - takes the second stage win in a row at the Giro. Wow. This gives hope for the Tour.

Zabel wins Henninger Turm

Absolutely sovereign. Only in the photo with Scharping does he look somehow tortured.

"Auch Hondos B-Proben positiv " - well, that's that then

Was Danilo Hondo tested positive for doping?

"Outrage and lack of explanation" at Team Gerolsteiner, because Danilo Hondo tested positive for stimulants at the Murcia Round. Oh shit.

I hope that was a mistake or there is an explanation (medication or something similar). Otherwise, that would be pretty bad, especially for Team Gerolsteiner, which has gained quite a bit of sympathy - precisely because of its rather human appearances, it comes across much better than the T-Mobile team.

Around Cologne ...

... won David Kopp. Not Zabel. Not Hondo. On the contrary, Hondo completely miscalculated by focusing on Zabel and could only manage a training sprint in the main field. One might say that they forgot about cycling altogether due to all the tactics. Above all, Holzer's decision to bring Rene Haselbacher back to be prepared for a potential merger was probably just a shot in the dark - if you don't bring about the merger, you only lose a good sprinter in a chasing group.

Great for Wiesenhof to be able to field the winner in such a well-known race. And superb performance by David Kopp, who apparently had endless strength today.

Hondo came in second at Milan - San Remo. Wow. He seems to really want it this year.

Honestly? Just scrap the ProTour and its silly jersey again. It's just marketing hype and nobody will miss it.

Jens Voigt dominates at the Mediterranean tour - and demonstrates that we can probably count on great performances from him at the Tour again this year. A fantastic start to the season.

Pledge association names?

BVB pledges rights to club name - and I wonder who's more stupid: the football club that pledges its name, or the insurer who's dumb enough to accept something so pointless as collateral...

If it really comes to pass that Scharping runs as BDR president I can only quote the red rascals: folks, try to vote for goat

Round and Healthy: Jan Ullrich in Mallorca

Business as usual at Team Telekom T-Mobile. Wild rumors, silly ideas (Zabael not going to the Tour? What nonsense) and a too-fat Jan Ullrich. And the competition is laughing up their sleeves again ... Well, if Armstrong really doesn't ride the Tour, at least one of the other riders (Klöden or Basso?) has a chance.

Season Over for Zabel

Of course. He fights his way through every sprint forward, battles to the bitter end for his position - and where does he get injured? Climbing up a ladder.

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Erik Zabel is Vice World Champion in Road Racing

Not bad either. Sure, the world champion jersey would have looked good on him too, but finishing in his proven 2nd place at the world championship somehow fits him as well

Judith Arndt World Champion: "A Great Day"

Yes, let's congratulate them!

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Argentine Rebellin not allowed to start at World Cup

All the effort for nothing ...

At Radsport-News.com I found the original article.

Sports doctor Ferrari sentenced to suspended sentence

Does Armstrong now apologize to Simeoni for his terrible behavior towards him?

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Ullrich withdraws from world's TT

So then Peschel is finally allowed to take a turn.

You can find the original article at VeloNews: The Journal of Competitive Cycling.

T-Mobile with new management from 2006

Can only get better.

At Radsport-News.com I found the original article.

Big tours pull from ProTour

The End of the ProTour Before Its Beginning?

At VeloNews: The Journal of Competitive Cycling you can find the original article.

BDR President Sylvia Schenk steps down

Unfortunately, this doesn't solve the BDR's problems - there are other functionary blockheads there, things won't change much. Probably just a sacrificial lamb, the resignation.

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Fall Hamilton: Vuelta B Test Positive

Sounds somehow like a career end.

At Radsport-News.com I found the original article.

Hamilton Convicted of Blood Transfusion

Did he or didn't he? At Velonews it sounded quite different - nothing about a real conviction. And anyway: nothing is clear until after the B sample. And that's still pending. It would be a shame if it were true.

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Rebellin becomes Argentine: With new passport to the World Cup

That's quite a cool reaction. No ranting, no verbal outbursts - just switched citizenship and Italy's left empty-handed.

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Germany loses two gold medals - olympia.ARD.de

Regardless of whether this is now a gold medal for Germany or not, this rule-mongering and this whole song and dance, as well as the fact that something like a gold medal is decided in court really gets my goat. And yes, I would think the same way if it were about a gold medal for Pakistan or the USA or anyone else.

Here's the original article.

sport - 16.8.2004 - 29.5.2006