Cobbles Only, Weveglem, What Do You Mean It's Legal?

I’m sorry, folks, but the Tour of Pais Vasco really isn’t cutting it for me. Some dude named “Cobo”? When are all these big guns gonna throw down? Valverde? Sammy Sanchez? Where you at? Ok, yeah, you could say that Tricki Beltran is a pretty big name – a big name domestique. I see these results, and they might as well be Circuit de la Sarthe, but minus all the French guys.

What? You think I should pay it more mind because it’s a ProTour race? Not to alarm you, but that doesn’t seem to mean much anymore. See these guys? They’re a ProTour team. They paid the exorbitant UCI fees. But did you see them in Paris-Nice? Nope. Are they gonna be a Daupine? Ha. And you’re not going to see them in Fleche Wallone or LBL, either. Citing fear of legal action (yeah, and all the folks at Betty Ford are really suffering from “exhaustion”), ASO has refused to invite Unibet to its two biggest one-day events.

This refusal, combined with the fact that Unibet has already raced in Belgium without drawing punishment would indicate that, even at 40% tax rates, Western European courts apparently can’t afford judges and lawyers that understand stare decisis.
That’s bad news for Jan Ullrich, I suppose, as years of legislation against cyclists has established that if one fights long and vainly enough, one cannot be legally punished. It’d be a shame if Ulle had to be the first to take the fall, but then again, someone has to be.

But enough legal bickering. From now on the only chatter should be chain against chainstay and cuspid against cuspid as we tear over the cobbles of Flanders. Previews galore, a recap of Wevelgem from local boy and controversial 2005 winner Nico Mattan, and Tom Boonen being a bit reticent with the media for the first time since…well, ever. My pick? I like the way these guys have been working, especially after last weekend, so lets go with this handsome fellow to take it in a typical Wevelgem 30-up sprint.