In Simon Barne's book The Meaning of Sport he eloquently argues that the Olympics is the "Greatest Sporting Event in the World". True such a bringing together of nations, sexes and sports is incredible but on this occasion I think I may have to disagree with his assessment. For me the greatest sporting event is the Tour de France.
Every year I am entirely engrossed by the Tour mixture of spectacle and substance and have even had the pleasure of seeing 2 stages first hand. In 2005 I witnessed one of the most remarkable achievements in sporting history as Lance Armstrong rode to his 7th Tour victory after recovering from cancer. I was hooked. Ever since I have feverishly watched the tour each year, praying that another doping scandal won't erode the public respect for a body of phenomenal athletes
This years tour is the best for some time. Brit Mark Cavendish simply can't be beaten in the bunch sprint finishes that inevitably occur on flat stages where break away riders simply can't evade the might of the peleton. In terms of the general classification there is an almighty battle between Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, both of Team Astana, after the Texan made an unlikely return from retirement this year. Unknown Italian Rinaldo Nochentini holds the coveted yellow jersey currently although his stay looks to be temporary as the two favourites get ready to slug it out in the Alps.
Contador seems to be the favourite. He is perhaps the best climber currently in the world and his mercurial talents were highlighted when he accelerated away from the leaders in the last 2 kilometres of this years only mountain top finish to date. Despite this I would find it hard to bring myself to ever bet against Lance Armstrong to win in the Tour de France. He showed that his tactical acumen is still is a present as ever in the first week by sticking to the wheels of the Columbia HTC team when they forced a break on the run to a sprint finish in a challenging cross wind. Not only that but his climbing capacity seems undimmed as he rode with the leaders and looked comfortable on mammoth climbs like the Col d' Tourmalet. The Alps will be where the tour is won and lost but if Armstrong is actually as comfortable as he seems then I think he will win.
How romantic it would be to see Armstrong ride into Paris with the jersey on his shoulders. It would cement his place in cycling history as undoubtedly the greatest ever. Perhaps such a dramatic comeback would also cause something more important - the elevation of the Texan who fought cancer to his rightful place as the Greatest sportsman that ever lived.
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