BB FANS

Cycling is sick to the core atm, I didn't watch this years tour because most of the top riders got thrown out a few days before it started in a blood doping scandal.

Now this years winner from who was left comes up positive too!

I remember the Festina scandal a few years back but this is far worse as it goes across several teams.

You can't even cheer on the top brit either, he's just back from a 2 year ban for the same thing

I couldnt even be bothered to resurrect this thread tbh this year.

Gone are those carefree summers in france following it,eh?

Cycling's appeal has been spoilt by drugs, UCI regulations, and mass-commercialism. I've hardly been able to follow it since the good old days of the mid/late 1980s.

With all due respect for the performances of Indurain and Armstrong, the lack of serious competition has turned it into a dull event. Add to that the UCI's decision to enforce the wearing of helmets in the 1990s (making it difficult for spectators on the ground and on TV to recognise their heroes) it's going down the pan. If cyclists want to take the risk of head injury that's up to them, it'd be interesting to know how many injuries have actually been prevented.

The worst thing is cyclists (mainly US-based) centreing their entire season around the Tour de France, using all the other events as training. That's made the other races less exciting to follow. I couldn't even tell you who won this year's Giro/Paris-Roubaix.

No, actually, the worst thing in cycling is EuroTrashSport's coverage with its cheap, tacky graphics, bizarre way interviews are translated, and jazzed-up Euro-bop music. At least Channel 4 knew how to do a proper job (and ITV ain't bad though to be fair).

The problem with the Eurosport coverage is that most of the time the commentators are not even there, they're in a dungeon in Paris watching it on a monitor

Paris-Roubaix was always my favourite one day race but with all the scandals like you TF I didn't watch it.

It's a great sport though and eventually will bounce back, hopefully a lot cleaner

First ever start in London today.Am not going myself,but hopefully will have some pics sent back later.

I watched the prologue on tv, it was a good start and hopefully after last years fiasco we can have some proper racing.

Is it totally clean though? I doubt it

Bradley Wiggins managed a very respectable 4th place in the time trial.
I,however,have been showered with a load of promotional freebies from my kids who seem to have blagged enough puncture repair kits to open their own branch of Halfords

David Millar on a lone breakaway atm, with nearly 5 mins on the pack. Nice coverage for his sponsors

Bradley in the bunch.

Fine win from McKewan, we've got 2 brits in the top 5

Well, another tour and more doping scandals- will it ever end?

The only positives the sport can take are that it wasn't quite as bad as last year, they are catching people and best of all the young riders are shunning drugs.

Cycling still has a long way to go in restoring credibility.