Here are scenes from today's stage of the Tour de France. The winner of today's stage, Thibaut Pinot of France, averaged 20.87 miles per hour for 68.6 miles. Chris Froome, the overall leader, lost time to Nairo Quintana, but still has a lead of 1:12 going into tomorrow's ceremonial stage into Paris. Barring accident or sickness or terrorist attack, Froome will win—for the second time in three years. I'm still suspicious about his team's performance. There were many climbs in which he had one, two, or even three teammates alongside him. This, as Lance Armstrong used to say, is "not normal." The Tour organizers and cycling authorities are so corrupt that they probably wouldn't throw Froome out of the Tour even if he tested positive. It would be too damaging to the Tour and to the sport of cycling. Perhaps a few years from now we will hear about a positive but undisclosed test during the 2015 Tour.
Cycling, Part 2
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