Distance: 20.95 miles
Time: 1:00:31
Average Watts: 173 watts
Normative Power: 175 watts
Average Heart Rate: 158 bpm
Total Work: 625 kJ
Average Speed: 20.7 mph

This is what happens when you jump on your stationary and turn on the 2010 Tour de France and don’t pay attention to your effort. I just started riding and kept turning the pedals as the hour ticked by. But one thing came out of the session — I got really excited about the 2011 Tour de France. HAs anyone else checked out the route yet? If you thought the course was the #1 story of the 2010 version, just wait until 2011. This course will be tough, tough, tough.

Now that Contador has been totally let off the hook cleared by the Spanish Cycling Federation, I think that there is going to be a huge showdown between Contador and Andy Schleck. I only hope that Frank Schleck can stay healthy — he was involved in three accidents in Stage 2 of Paris-Nice. Dude has been having some bad luck for about the last 10 months. If Frank can stay healthy, I think younger brother Andy can win the Tour de France.

For those of you who are casual cycling fans, Franco Pellizotti got a two year suspension this week for abnormalities with his Biological Passport. This program is genius if you ask me. Over time it establishes a baseline for each ride for specific biological indicators. If a rider’s measurements significantly increase, then there is a likelihood that the rider is doing something they shouldn’t. Pellizotti was a freakin’ rock star — he won the 2009 King of the Mountains competition in the Tour de France and podiumed at the Giro d’Italia that same year. Those results have been scratched.

Of course Pellizotti has publicly stated that he won’t return to cycling because it will be the same crap, different year because of the people running the show. I don’t disagree with his line of reasoning, but I do say good riddance. I like to see SOMEONE take a stance against the cyclists who use banned methods to improve their performance. I just wish the Spanish Cycling Federation would have followed the example of the Italian Olympic Committee who initially proposed the two year ban that was later upheld by the UCI.

Pellizoti is 34 years old, which makes him a little older than most in the peleton. He will more than likely disappear to wherever retiring cyclists go. Personally, I wish him luck in his future. I also look at his past with total disgust a critical eye. If he was one of the unlucky riders who got caught and everyone else is still doping, I hope the continued vigilance of governing bodies will continue to catch the cheaters.

I would also argue that Alberto Contador deserves the same treatment. If a guy is caught with drugs in his system, he needs to be suspended. I don’t care if he is one of the biggest names in the sport. Remember they drummed Floyd Landis out of the sport when he swore he was innocent only later to admit he was a douche was misleading us when he said he was “Positively False” (see how I did that with the name of his book? #winning). I don’t think Contador is misleading us to the same level Landis did, but I do think the test results speak for themselves.

Please someone do the right thing in the Contador case and come down on him. My vote is to sick Jeff Novitzky, the investigator tailing Lance Armstrong, on him. If there is any dirt out there on Alberto, Novitzky will find it. Calling him a pitbull is like calling Lance Armstrong a decent cyclist. Both men are rock stars.

Paris-Nice Stage 4

One of the most exciting things in cycling is to see a break-away succeed. Today a four man break-away did succeed through the mountains and super-star Thomas Voeckler took the stage win. He is also second in the GC (or General Classification or race for the Yellow Jersey) and I think has a better chance than most to win the Yellow Jersey. Enjoy this one.