What has happened to the Tour De France?

Question

There are no big names left. Cadel Evans, though a great rider, would've never been considered as a favorite 5 years ago. He wouldn't have been considered a top 10 finisher.

Answer 1

You're viewing cycling through the lens of America-- all Armstrong.  Ask the Spaniards, Italians, Germans or French and they'll happily point to a ton of great riders in the tour this year.  There was an anomaly with Lance dominating for a number of years in a row, but I wouldn't expect that again (altho possibly Contador).

Answer 2

all the dopers are on 2 year suspensions, or retired. cycling, despite the negative press on the subject, is one of a handful of sports actually cracking down on dopers. h**l, baseball gives you a 15 game suspension for 1st offense. if you're a pitcher you miss 1 or 2 starts. bfd. a 2 year suspension is a bigger deal. you can't race while you're appealling (guilty until proven innocent), and the appeals take upwards of a year. for some guys, its a career ender. Leipheimer and Cantador signed with the wrong team. TdF is making a bold statement by keeping Astana (a team with a notoriously dope ridden past) of the Tour this year, despite their pledge to be dope free. They'd made a similar pledge last year, and Vinokourav got busted for testing positive.