So maybe someone (other than Dario Frigo) was doping at this year’s TdF? Samples taken from a Stage 5 rider (both leader Armstrong and stage winner McEwen were non-randomly tested that day) reveal traces of norpseudoephedrine, which, though nearly identical to the psuedophedrine in Sudafed is for some reason illegal. WADA commented that is was unlikely the result will be considered a real doping offense, and given the generally foul attitude of the aptly-named WADA chief Dick Pound, this probably means it was found in concentrations less than the 5µg/ml allowed.

Interesting. A fully organic gummy candy. Seems counterintuitive. Also, it’s marketed as an energy food for workouts. Let’s see how they stand up against other products on the market.

Cost: 2. Retail is 3 dollars a pouch. A 12-pouch box of non-organic gummy candy is 6 bucks. That does not compare favorably.

Portability: 4. Pouch is larger than most energy foods, but is very easy to compact and doesn’t seem bulky in a jersey pocket. Plus, if opened correctly, it’s essentially resealable (compared to an energy bar or goo container).

Vino to Liberty Seguros! So my 2006 speculative Top 5 is wrong already (but not nearly as wrong as Knut thinks). Meanwhile, World TT champion Mick Rogers and 2004 Tour of Germany winner Patrik “Stinky” Sinkewitz have chosen to throw away the next two years of their careers in the T-Mobile vacuum. I have two words for you boys: Santiago Botero.

What’s the word in cycling these days? Nada mucho. Everyone’s tired after three Red Bull-fueled weeks of mayhem and no one outside the Walloon region of Belgium wants to race or even think about racing.

Just to remind everyone that the ProTour is waaaaaaay more important than the Tour de France, the UCI released updated ProTour rankings today. Danilo D of Liquigas retains his lead, with Lance Armstrong a long distant second. Vino rounds out the Top 3, though, and could give chase, if his teammates don’t chase him down.

1) American Cycling is on the rise (but not necessarily on the up-and-up – see #2). Three Americans in the top 10, two in yellow, three with stage wins, a few near misses from Chris Horner, Discovery Channel with three stage wins and it’s second grand tour win of the year. And just imagine if Tyler hadn’t been busted…

Vino, the sports most eligible free-agent next season, gets every team manager from here to Giancarlo Ferretti even hornier to have him on the roster for next season with an astounding last lap break ‘n fake, chasing Bradley McGee, feigning exhaustion, and then blasting past the Aussie for the win. Every team manager that is, except Johan Bruyneel, who respects Vino’s abilities, but doesn’t think he can win the Tour de France. Might the revered strategist be eating his words next July? I can hardly wait to see.

People in Aspen look at me funny. A lot. Like when I don’t know where Highlands is. No matter how many times I tell them: I don’t live here in the winter, and I have no desire to live here in the winter. 30 bucks is too much for a lift ticket. You think I am going to pay 80?. “Oh, well it’s way higher in Vail” they say, not realizing that I don’t care. Anyway…lots of weird looks at registration (upon finally reaching Highlands) when I say I’ve never ridden to Maroon Bells before. I figure it can’t be that extreme if the freaking transit bus goes there.

Ah, it’s so good to be back racing in The Valley. The unbelievably slow starts, the sketchy riding, the incredibly thin air…truly, la dolche vita. This week’s race went down not on roads, but on the Woody Creek Race track, which was purchased a few years back by the private and exclusive Aspen Auto Racing Club or something like that. Thus, as the track was intended for motorcars, I was expecting not to need to use my brakes. As it turns out, the very last corner before the finish line (see map here – finish line is directly opposite “existing finish line” on map; proposed sections do not exist.) was over 180 degrees, and, with the massive tailwind on the straightaway before it, most definitely needed brakes.

Hincapie winning on a mountaintop? Now Guerrini taking it on the flat? This has been an odd tour to say the least. I’m changing my picks for the next two days to Robbie McEwen in the TT and Lance Armstrong on the Champs Elysees. Yesterday’s stage was equally wierd, with CSC cranking up the heat on what should have been a routine, slow, late-Tour, breakaway-won stage with no GC impact. The most pain inflicted should have been on the American viewer as they watched (at 8 in the morning) a pair of jiggling French buttcheeks belonging to a steaker on the final climb. Instead, Rassmussen and others lost a fair amount of time. Cadel Evens, on the other hand, looked pretty nasty sitting in with the big boys. Maybe he’s one to watch next year?

Paolo Savodelli can come and drink on my yacht anytime. The guy is about as cool and savvy as they come. If he had a little more raw power, he’d be unstoppable in the non-cobbled, hilly classics. (Amstel, Lombardi, Fleche, Liege etc). He did totally muff a corner on that final descent, though, letting and embarassingly outclassed Sebastien Hinault gap him. It was great, too, to have Hinault’s HR over the last few K, so that he looked like less of a whimp when he just sat up with 500m to go. And props to Kurt-Asle Arvesen for the “screw you guys” attack at 1.2k. If he’d gone at 1.1, he would have won it.