New Man in Yellow...

So Andy Schleck was officially presented with the Yellow Jersey for his 2010 Tour de France victory. I have mixed opinions about it, and no matter how hard I try, I can't shake the hollowness of it all. And I don't think I am alone in thinking this.

You may recall that Alberto Contador's victory that year was overturned due to the detection of clenbuterol in his urine sample and Andy Schleck, who finished second, was declared the winner. Obviously, if your victor is determined to have won by illegal performance enhancing means, the overall victory should then fall to the next best placed racer. With two additional 2nd on g.c. finishes at the Tour, and one g.c. 2nd at the Giro, Andy has proven that he is a capable rider. So why can't I come to terms with this victory? I think ultimately it is because you never know how things would have progressed - you can not just erase the top placed racer and expect that the progress of a three week Tour would have played out the same way otherwise. Too many variables would have been altered over the course of the race, and the final outcome would not have been a given.


I hope Andy can win this year, maybe the next; it would go a long way toward justifying the 2010 decision. The court of public opinion can sometimes be harsh and unfair, but until he gets that win 2010, like 2006, is going to be another question mark in my books.