THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Today’s TourChats are sponsored by Pedal Chic

Only women-specific cycling & athletic boutique in the Southeast
Follow Pedal Chic on Facebook and Twitter

You can ask questions via webcam or text. Your webcam won’t become active unless you choose to ask a question via video. Using your webcam is optional – you can “deny” access and particpate by text only. Click “join event” again if it doesn’t bring up the chat. Unfortunately no iPad or mobile devices unless you have Flash. You may want to try the Skyfire browser.

THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Join Neil and JoE Silva for a rest day video live chat. We are trying out Vokle Beta for tonight’s video live chat. You can ask questions via webcam or text. However, you need Flash and pop-ups to participate, so unfortunately no iPad, no Chrome.

When do we draw the line on when a gladiator of the road is picked back up and returned to the arena? As you know the Tour’s first week has been one of unexpected injuries that have knocked some potential general classification contenders out of the running. But the one incident that has become a lightening rod of controversy is Chris Horner’s horrific crash in Stage 7.

In an accident that stopped the peloton on the narrow French road like water in a kinked hose, RadioShack’s Horner crashed off to the side of the road and landed in a ditch. Team director Johan Bruyneel responded to his downed rider and gave this description.

“When I got there, he was lying in a ditch and was very shaken. It was obvious he’d hit very hard. He finished the stage and I think basically he’s OK physically, but we’re taking him to the hospital to have a scan. He doesn’t really know where he is right now or what happened. We’ll see what the results are but I fear the worst.”

If you had not seen the stage and only read Bruyneel’s first hand account of Horner lying in a ditch you still begin to wonder why the RadioShack rider was allowed to ride in a state of confusion. Horner was given his bike and his instinct to continue racing kicked in. The race doctor pulled along side Horner and monitored him the entire way. He finished the stage – confused, bruised, broken, and bleeding. It was the video of Horner after the stage, totally confused and asking what happened, that leaves cycling fans stunned and wondering why he was not pulled from the race.

The internet lit up regarding Horner’s ride to the finish. Studies have shown that having an elevated heart rate after a concussion can further the damage to the brain. Additionally, there’s that voice of common sense saying a guy that’s confused should not be controlling a vehicle that rolls on two skinny wheels. People lashed out at Bruyneel’s decision to let Horner remount and carry on. People also pointed fingers at the Tour race doctor who was attending to him as they rolled along.

JoE Silva, cycling columnist for NBC Sports said, “Doesn’t anyone remember what happened to actress Natasha Richardson after she fell off her skis and seemed to be okay?” Richardson fell while taking skiing lessons. She refused medical assistance and after complaining of a headache was taken to the hospital. She died two days later due to a epidural hematoma from the blunt impact to the head.

In response to the criticism Bruyneel fired off a curt reply via Twitter.

“To all my haters: why don’t you comment on facts instead of on rumors? Or even better: don’t comment at all!” He followed up later stating that Horner was in the hospital and was doing better.

However, Reuters is reporting that Horner’s last memory is of stage 2’s team time trial. I guess Bruyneel has a different standard of what’s considered “okay.”

So who is to blame for letting Horner continue to race? Bruyneel is the first to the scene of Horner’s crash and by his own words said he found him confused and bleeding – why hand him a bike? I don’t expect Bruyneel to be able to make a medical evaluation, but common sense should come into play. If he was as confused as Bruyneel himself stated, Horner shouldn’t have continued to ride. The other person to blame is the Tour doctor. They both let him continue while he was a danger to himself and others. It’s common practice for doctors to make an evaluation of the rider following a crash. So why would these two different people, who have the authority to pull him from the race, let him continue?

Team directors are not riders’ friends. A rider is an asset that needs to keep running until it just can’t continue. If you had seen this happen to your child or loved one would you have given him their bike back with a push back into the peloton? Of course you wouldn’t. Why? Because you care about them as a person and not as a paid asset. The Tour doctor knows how important it is to keep riders in the race, but the doctor should have looked further than the remaining 25 kilometers of the stage and pulled the plug. It borders on incompetence gambling with Horner’s life like that.

I’m sure Bruyneel cares about Horner the person, but his perspective of the rider as a much needed member of the team appears to come first. Even if he is also looking out for a rider’s personal goal of staying in the Tour, a director needs to be more detached and not let the pressures of the Tour cloud their judgement. Remember when Lance Armstrong crashed out of the Tour of California in 2010? His injuries were no way as severe, but just as gruesome looking. Like Horner, Armstrong was bloodied and bruised about the face. As it was just the Tour of California, Armstrong abandoned to recover for his run at the Tour de France. When you’re racing the Tour a rider is pushed to their utmost limit. However, that doesn’t make it right to enable them to continue.

Bruyneel isn’t the only one who continued to push his solider out of the trench and into battle. Tom Boonen crashed hard in stage 5 and finished the stage. The next day he completed another stage. Finally he quit during stage 7. After Boonen abandoned he revealed that he had thrown up in the night, couldn’t tolerate colors or sound and had a huge headache.

“That’s cycling,” said Boonen with a sigh. “If you can put on your racing number you can race.” is how CyclingNews.com reported it.

QuickStep director Wilfried Peeters is the one who allowed Boonen to continue in what is another case of staggering incompetence. You have a rider who is clearly suffering from a concussion and you don’t make the executive decision to pull him from the race? But for Peeters, Boonen’s 2011 season hasn’t lived up to expectations. He wants his pound of flesh from the sprinter, probably hoping he would recover and can win a stage to redeem the QuickStep squad’s Tour. They don’t have a GC contender and Boonen was their one solid chance for a stage victory. As with all professional athletes it’s about what have you done for the team/owner lately. If not much, well suck it up and get back out there! Cycling, football, baseball, hockey, you name the sport – they all have their own stories of athletes being treated like meat.

It was good to hear that Garmin-Cervelo’s Dr. Prentice Steffen has a protocol in place for dealing with a rider who might be suffering from a concussion.

In an interview with CyclingNews.com he says, “I came up with it based on research and the Zurich conference on head injuries in sport.”

The assessment is a step by step questionnaire that the rider must answer. Staff have been trained in this and it is team policy to pull the rider from the race if they show signs of impairment.

In a season that has seen the tragic death of one rider and the continuing rehabilitation of another, head injuries should be the foremost thought in a team director’s mind. However, winning or at least still having the foot soldiers in place to continue the fight seems to be more important. Here’s to Chris Horner and the other injured riders making a full recovery.

We’re knee deep in the Tour de France and as expected the first week is revealing cracks in some teams’ armor. Defending champion* Alberto Contador, through a run of bad luck and/or bad karma, is already 1:30 minutes behind his main rival Andy Schleck of Leopard-Trek. The Spaniard isn’t the only one behind the eight-ball. Ivan Basso, Italy’s Golden Boy, is also 1:03 minutes behind race leader Thor Hushovd. His form has been suspect since his lackluster result in the Criterium Dauphine, finishing in 26th place. For those keeping score at home, Bradley Wiggins won the overall, with Cadel Evans in second.

While a few of the top favorites are already scratching their heads wondering how and why they ended up in this predicament at least they didn’t have the kind of crash that dark-horse favorite Jani Brajkovic suffered. He crashed out in stage 4 with a concussion and a broken collarbone. It’s always terrible to see a contender, or anyone for that matter, end their race in an ambulance.

The flat stages are almost behind us and we are finally looking at the first real indicator of who are the true contenders in this year’s Tour de France. Andy Schleck is still nicely positioned on the general classification. For Contador the upcoming mountains are now a place where he needs to grab back time. He cannot wait for the final week to pounce. His return to the top end of the GC must start this weekend. The peloton will have one eye on Contador. That was evident in stage 5 when in the last three kilometers his surge for the line was nullified by his rivals who don’t want him to gain back a single second. Contador has his work cut out for him this weekend to get back to equal footing with the rest of the top GC contenders.

Stretch your typing fingers, our TourChats start back up on Saturday at 8AM EDT and continue every stage for the rest of the Tour. Join our online roadside parties for every stage or pop in whenever you can.

Week 2

• Sat July 9 – Stage 8 – Sponsored by @JulieHarden
• Sun July 10 – Stage 9 – Sponsored by @Cyclismas
• Tue July 12 – Stage 10 – Sponsored by TotalCyclist and Carolina Cycling News
• Wed July 13 – Stage 11 – Sponsored by Cycling Fans
• Thu July 14 – Stage 12 – Sponsored by Athlete’s Audio
• Fri July 15 – Stage 13 – Sponsored by @J_Tubb
• Sat July 16 – Stage 14 – Sponsored by @BGreene1

Week 3 – Sponsored by The Sufferfest

• Sun July 17 – Stage 15
• Tue July 19 – Stage 16
• Wed July 20 – Stage 17
• Thu July 21 – Stage 18 – Sponsored by Warpia
• Fri July 22 – Stage 19 – Sponsored by Carrie Cheadle, M.A., Sport & Exercise Mental Skills Coach
• Sat July 23 – Stage 20 – Sponsored by @J_Tubb
• Sun July 24 – Stage 21 – Sponsored by Pedal Chic

Additional prize sponsors: CytoMax, Handlebar Mustache Apparel and Handlebargains

The Tour de France is one of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet. I won’t bore you with the metaphors of riders suffering or how competing in the 21 stages is the equivalent to running a marathon everyday. Instead let’s focus on something that really matters – having a good time while waiting for shit to happen.

I dare you to find someone who loves cycling more than me. However, I do recognize that there are times when nothing that exciting happens (example – most of the Dauphine). And let’s face it, the sport of cycling isn’t the only one afflicted by momentary lapses in the action. Our national pastime is filled with so much downtime that it’s not unusual to see fans falling asleep in the stands and players continually adjusting their nuts to beat the monotony (“Hmm…does it feel better hanging toward the left or right?”). But don’t despair, we have the solution to help beat any and all downtime during the Tour de France.

As the riders roll along the French roads the scenery will be littered with cycling tifosi who have probably been imbibing as they sat under the hot July sun. This makes for some rather poor choices not normally done in a more sober state of mind. Case in point – male genitalia. You’ll see it painted on the roads like it’s an arrow pointing the way to the finish. So while some of the American viewing public might blush, lets embrace it with a hearty swig from our drink of choice. This is just one example of drinking opportunities that are a part of what we affectionately call the Tour de France drinking game.

TourChats - Online Roadside Parties for Cycling Fans

Being a cycling announcer is not an easy job. They not only need to be well versed in cycling, they also need to drone on about it for hours at a time. As is the case, announcers often use the same tired cliches time and time again. So instead of rolling our eyes at another, “dancing on the pedals” cliché it’s time to upturn your cup and look forward to the next worn-out phrase that they will eventually cough up like a disgusting fur ball. It’s all about turning lemons into lemonade.

While fans of others sports can be found hanging around local sports bars in droves, cycling fans can pull up their favorite recliner (or office desk chair) in our virtual sports bar – TourChats. Cycling fans cheer on their favorites, join in the witty banter, play games, win prizes and kill time at work as you watch France’s national tour. It really is a win-win situation, so drop in and join us starting at 8 AM EDT until the racing ends.

2011 TourChats Tour de France Schedule

Week 1

• Sat July 2 – Stage 1 – Sponsored by Cycling Fans
• Sun July 3 – Stage 2 – Sponsored by @DivasTourFrance
• Mon July 4 – Stage 3 – Sponsored by Carolina Cycling News

Week 2

• Sat July 9 – Stage 8 – Sponsored by @JulieHarden
• Sun July 10 – Stage 9 – Sponsored by @Cyclismas
• Tue July 12 – Stage 10 – Sponsored by TotalCyclist and Carolina Cycling News
• Wed July 13 – Stage 11 – Sponsored by Cycling Fans
• Thu July 14 – Stage 12 – Sponsored by Athlete’s Audio
• Fri July 15 – Stage 13 – Sponsored by @J_Tubb
• Sat July 16 – Stage 14 – Sponsored by @BGreene1

Week 3 – Sponsored by The Sufferfest

• Sun July 17 – Stage 15
• Tue July 19 – Stage 16
• Wed July 20 – Stage 17
• Thu July 21 – Stage 18 – Sponsored by Warpia
• Fri July 22 – Stage 19 – Sponsored by Carrie Cheadle, M.A., Sport & Exercise Mental Skills Coach
• Sat July 23 – Stage 20 - Sponsored by @J_Tubb
• Sun July 24 – Stage 21 – Sponsored by Pedal Chic

Additional prize sponsors: CytoMax, Handlebar Mustache Apparel and Handlebargains

THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Our Tour de France Stage 21 online roadside party is sponsored by Pedal Chic

Only women-specific cycling & athletic boutique in the Southeast
Follow Pedal Chic on Facebook and Twitter

Tune into your favorite live broadcast of the Tour de France on Sunday, July 24 at 8 AM and then join us here for witty banter with Neil Browne and other cycling fans!

The last stage of the Tour de France is one reserved for champagne and sprinters. With its customary loops around the Champs-Elysées the stage winner will come from a field sprint. While the battle for the yellow jersey has been finished, the green jersey might still be up for grabs, so look for some sharp elbows from Cavendish, Hushovd and Farrar.

Our Tour de France Stage 20 online roadside party is sponsored by @J_Tubb
Budding triathlete, cycling fan, teacher & Educational Leadership intern

Tune into your favorite live broadcast of the Tour de France on Saturday, July 23 at 8 AM and then join us here for witty banter with Neil Browne and other cycling fans!

By this stage the overall has been decided and who ever is wearing yellow will just have to put in enough effort to maintain his lead. Look for Cancellara, or maybe David Millar to set the fastest times on this stage.

THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Our Tour de France Stage 19 online roadside party is sponsored by Carrie Cheadle, M.A.

Sport and Exercise Mental Skills Coach
Follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Tune into your favorite live broadcast of the Tour de France on Friday, July 22 at 8 AM and then join us here for witty banter with Neil Browne and other cycling fans!

This stage is a quickie at 109 kilometers long, however it finishes on the Alpe d’ Huez with two climbs preceding it. As Sean Yates told CyclingNews.com, “The Alpe d’Huez may be legendary, but it’s actually not that hard.” Regardless, the final twist of the sword into possible contenders’ backs will occur on the final slopes of the stage.

THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Our Tour de France Stage 18 online roadside party is sponsored by Cycling Fans!
@John_Briley @dpamac @Fat2Cat 

Tune into your favorite live broadcast of the Tour de France on Thursday, July 21 at 8 AM and then join us here for witty banter with Neil Browne and other cycling fans!

This stage will undoubtedly cement who will win the Tour de France. There are four uncategorized climbs that will test the top contenders to their limit.

THE SUFFERFEST is this week’s
TourChats sponsor!

Our Tour de France Stage 17 online roadside party is sponsored by Warpia
Stream HD media wirelessly from your PC to your TV. Anything on your PC!
Follow Warpia on Facebook and Twitter

Tune into your favorite live broadcast of the Tour de France on Wednesday, July 20 at 8 AM and then join us here for witty banter with Neil Browne and other cycling fans!

Another stage in the high mountains of the Alps and one suited for the breakaway. The challengers for the general classification will be conserving their energy for the following day’s Queen stage.