Morning Brian, I agree that the Tour faces a major crisis in terms of Sponorship/Funding and this could have a major impact on next years event. Cycling is a sport enjoyed by millions including me. The Tour is not the only cycle race in the world and I'm sure the Tour and the Sport will survive.
Morning Robert, whilst I agree with much of what you say about cycling, the issue is Le Tour and the damaging effect that it has in general on the sport.
I feel that until the organisers have a clear zero tolerance policy on drug-taking, the Tour will continue to diminish in prestige and popularity. Rasmussen's 'wrong doing' was before the race in that he did not comply with the testing regime and yet he was allowed to start and it was apparently his own team-members who shopped him, and the Team manager did then act promptly.
British Cycling have shown what needs to be done and we now await a similar policy statement from the Tour organisers, so that it can once again take it's place as one of the great annual sporting events:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/bcf/News2007/20070727_british_cycling_statement.aspIncidentally, according to media reports there was a much reduced crowd in Paris and this accords with what the young French guy who works for us says happened in his village when the tour came through when he was on leave...
