For cycling enthusiasts one of the greatest times of the year has ended, the Tour. Almost a month of great bicycle racing could be seen six days a week without having to track down a race online or through the tv guide. I most impressed with Team CSC and their determination and dominance throughout the whole tour. CSC member Carlos Sastre of Spain ended up winning the general race though the Schleck brothers, also of CSC, turned out at performances throughout the whole race.

I was extremely disappointed after it was revealed that the Spanish rider Riccardo Ricco was using a banned drug during his mountain win. How long will drug scandals plague professional bike racing? The media attention for the scandals is often larger than the actual coverage of the race, causing sponsors to drop the race in an attempt to separate themselves from the bad publicity.

Hopefully in the future, officials can make it clear to the participants that there will be a zero tolerance for drug testing and to not even bother showing up if any performance enhancers are being used. Now that the French have made it a crime to use performance drugs, racers should get the hint that drugs are not to be taken during the Tour de France. Maybe next year will offer a more ‘pure’ race with more focus on the actual racers than the drugs that just a handful are caught taking.