FanNation - The Republic of Sport

We've passed the four-sevenths pole with the victory of Nicki Sorensen in Vittel. It's been a crazy race so far. A man named neither Lance nor Alberto, Carlos nor Cadel, but rather Rinaldo, is still riding along bedecked in yellow. At least one of my predicitons has proven true, as a blistering British bullet has barreled his way to four stage victories, clutching tight on the green jersey in the process and equalling Barry Hoban for the most stage wins in a career amongst his countrymen. A Basque rider climbed his way into the polka-dots of the King of the Mountains in the Pyrenees amongst his own compatriots, having the orange-clad fanatics dreaming of a title for their own. And a new relevation has emerged among a strong crop of young riders to snatch the white jersey from the pre-race favorite and defending champion of the youth classification. It sure has been a long, strange trip so far... and it only promises to get longer and stranger still. So before we even dip into the climbs of the Vosges as an hors d'oeuvres before the high mountain passes of the Alps, let's take a look at a couple of my favorite storylines of the Tour as of this point:

• Who will emerge to challenge Mark Cavendish? The Manx Missile has burst forward with yet another absurd performance, equalling last year's haul of four stage wins already. And, unlike last year when the Olympics were diverting his attention, Cavendish is determined this year to feel the rush of adrenaline which can only come with a spin on the Champs-Elysees. He will most likely be doing it in the green jersey of the best sprinter, as he is walking away with the spoils in this year's race so far. Aside from Thor Hushovd's breakaway victory, no other sprinter has come close to besting Cavendish in a battle royale, with his acceleration unparalleled amongst the pack. But there are some promising young riders emerging. It's a good thing, too, because the established generation hasn't exactly acquitted itself well in this year's race. Tom Boonen, the Paris-Roubaix winner who nearly missed the race for a second straight year due to the moralistic stance by race organizer ASO against his celebratory ingestion of cocaine, has proven woefully inept in the sprints this year. It is unfortunate that he has been unable to reach race fitness prior to the Tour, because Boonen at his best would at least put up a decent fight against the English dominator. While Hushovd and Oscar Freire have still proven resilient riders in a bunch, some young guns are emerging on the scene to take over the torch for the fading generation. In addition to the babyfaced Cavendish, Garmin-Slipstream's Tyler Farrar and Milram's Gerald Ciolek have proven game for a go to the finish. And the man who I most blundered in missing, the Spanish sprinter Jose Joaquin Rojas of Caisse d'Epargne, has quietly moved his way into third on the sprint classification. While he is a full ninety points away from Cavendish and eighty from second-placed Hushovd, Rojas will be a rider to watch for in the coming editions. These four speedsters look poised to carry on the tradition of Cipollini, Zabel and Petacchi.
• Another rider on whom I really missed the mark was Tony Martin, the 24-year-old German teammate of Mark Cavendish over at Columbia. Martin, who I admittedly failed to include in my Tour preview as a young contender this year, has proven that his performance at this year's Tour de Suisse was no fluke. There, the young man from Cottbus claimed the King of the Mountains jersey in a solo breakaway over the final climb of Stage 2. He would hold on to the jersey all the way to the finish in Bern, winning the penultimate stage and coming in second place in the overall behind Fabian Cancellara in the process. Before this race most every pundit, myself included, was talking up 2008 Tour white jersey Andy Schleck as a possible podium contender. But now it increasingly appears as the race goes on that it is Martin, not Schleck, who is the 24-year-old with the best shot of landing on the podium. As the Tour heads into the Alps, Martin has proven his form most recently in climbs of this nature, and at just a minute back on general classification could make some real noise if given the freedom to roam. He will be a fun rider to watch the rest of the way, as well as a contender for years to come.
• The French have found paths to success in their heritage event in a way not seen for years. While the peloton lacks a Bernard Hinault or even a Richard Virenque, it more than makes up for it with the sheer depth of talented French roders. Already, three separate riders have taken stage victories -- the most stage wins by the French in one race since the 2001 edition, when Laurent Jalabert took two stages and Christophe Moreau won the Dunkirk prologue. Thomas Voeckler has built upon his modest legend, having worn the yellow jersey for ten days after an audacious breakaway in the 2004 Tour, by winning his first Tour stage in Perpignan. Brice Feillu, the apparently-stronger younger brother of pre-race dark-horse white jersey candidate Romain Feillu, was first atop the summit finish at Andorre-Arcalis in the queen stage of this year's race. And longtime veteran and former French national champion Pierrick Fedrigo, taking advantage of a lackadaisical peloton and a stage which neutralized the importance of the legendary climbs of the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet, outkicked his breakaway companion Franco Pellizotti in a two-up sprint to emerge victorious in Tarbes. While the yellow jersey might still be out of grasp for this generation of French riders, there are other ways for French cyclists to bring joy to the hearts of their countrymen lining the roadsides all throughout July.
• Perhaps the most exciting news to date is the fact that we have yet to catch even the whiff of doping allegations on the wind during this year's race. For a race and a sport which has a long tradition of cheating in all its myriad forms, the absence of any doping violations is a positive sign that perhaps the many policies instituted to curb drug use are finally paying dividends. We know that the number of tests administered has not gone down, yet we have yet to experience the revelation which, by this point in the race last year, had happened twice. First it was Manuel Beltran, Lance Armstrong's trusty lieutenant from the U.S. Postal/Discovery Channel years, getting ejected from the race for EPO use. Then, in an even more shocking development, the World Anti-Doping Agency's ongoing work with Roche Pharmaceuticals to create tests to detect the next generation of recombitant EPO derivatives yielded a positive on an even bigger fish -- then current holder of the polka-dot King of the Mountains and the white best young rider jerseys and two-stage winner Riccardo Ricco. This year, the biggest doping news we have heard to date is WADA drumming up a call for a lifetime ban for already-disgraced Tyler Hamilton. When WADA has to go beating that dead horse yet again, you know they're craving for publicity at a time when they're usually being asked to shine.

Ultimately, this race has proven utterly fascinating in how it has played out so far. Clean, fast and revelatory, we've been able to watch the dominant rise of new stars, the inspiring determination of old faces, and a measure of success for the home team. And this goes without mentioning the fact that there's still nine more stages left for any or all of the competitions to explode upon themselves in a reshuffle once again. The Alps are upon us, Mont Ventoux will grace the penultimate day, and we still have a time trial yet to go. What more could a fan possibly ask for?!