I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently, I know. With the Ashes in full flow now I’ve been concentrating the blogging on the cricket and little else, so time to redress the balance and speak about other things.
Nice to see my WindyBricks colleagues wish me a happy birthday. Some of them harbour grudges that warp through time, others make unsubstantiated remarks about me, but let them be. The vast majority of the chaps and chap-esses there are top people, so there’s no need to be resentful or perpetuate the hate any longer. I can’t imagine what drives some of them.
I’ve been following the Tour de France, while sipping from my cafetiere of course, and so far it has been a bit of a phony war as the organisers effectively wasted two mountain stages by giving the cyclists long distances to the finish after them. Hence the iconic Col du Tourmalet climb, where I remember a great stage with LeMond, Delgado and Indurain (on the way to Luz Ardiden) in 1990, is just a footnote in this tour as the main men kept their powder dry for the Alps and the last-but-one day climb up Mont Ventoux. The buzz is, of course, around the Astana team containing the young champion Alberto Contador and the seven time winner Lance Armstrong (who, it will come to the surprise of no-one, I can’t abide). Contador laid down a marker on Andorra Arcalis by jumping from the pack and taking time out of the rest of the top runners, including Armstrong. There then followed a session of media rounds where Armstrong claimed he could have caught him but it wasn’t the right thing to do, and he’s clearly miffed that the “team leader” actually acted like one. Armstrong would surprise me intensely if he works at all for Contador from here on in. He’s got too competitive a streak, he’s too ruthless, he’s too savvy and he’s too egotistical to just come back to ride the tour “for his cancer charity.” Armstrong is there to win, and if Contador’s ambition has to be suppressed, so be it. After all, what better way to hamstring your greatest rival and the man you’ll fear most, by making him, in some way, worry about you in your own team? Contador showed some balls by making his early statement, and I am very much in his camp. He sacrificed defending his crown last year by joining Astana, and his team repays him by bringing in Armstrong to stuff things up. Contador must be seething.
Also in the tour, while Mark Cavendish is getting lots of plaudits for winning three stages, and he clearly is unstoppable in a fair sprint. However, quietly posting the best ride in the overall standings by a Brit since Robert Millar is Bradley Wiggins, who surprised everyone, and possibly himself, by keeping up with the big climbers on the Arcalis. In the coverage on ITV4, the pictures of him thumping the team van with sheer joy and pride at his performance was one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. This bloke, while not unknown, has three Olympic gold medals under his belt, and yet is hardly mentioned at all by anyone. Ask a person in a street to name a British Olympic pursuit champion, and they’ll probably name Chris Boardman. Wiggins has personality, ability and strength. The only conceivable reason he isn’t a megastar here is that we’ve become complacent about gold medals. Here’s hoping Wiggins continues his great form and gets his desired top 20 finish.
Other football, and what, precisely, are Manchester City doing? BBC Sport listed them this morning – Tevez, Robinho, Caicedo, Bellamy, Benjani, Bojinov, Roque Santa Cruz and Evans (yes, Evans) – and now Adebayor is taking a medical. Has someone told this mob you can probably play three of them, maximum, at one time, and knowing his attitude, Bellamy knows he will be one of them! This is ridiculous. Manchester City may have a very entertaining team, but their pursuit of John Terry makes the whole thing even more of a joke. I know it is funny watching Chelsea in the position of disbelieving host to a cash mad predator, but what is this all about. At a time when the economy is diving more emphatically than Greg Louganis, Manchester City are spending like sailors on shore leave. It is utterly classless, but then again, what does anyone expect with the Premier League these days?
It is a cracking weekend of sport, with the Tour de France heating up, the Lord’s test and the Open golf championship. Add to that Boston will be trying to keep their three game lead over the Yankees as they head off on a six game road trip after the All Star Break (and if Boston get to the World Series they’ll have home advantage after the American League won again last night). Lots to watch, see and do.
Hope this message finds my readers well and in positive spirits. Talking of spirits, I have not touched alcohol for 8 days and the intention is to make it to 31 (British Beer Festival). Here’s hoping I do it!
