Le Tour trying to rebuild image (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Le Tour trying to rebuild image

10:36am Friday 4th July 2008

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It’s that time of the year again to become the fourth wise monkey.

After see no evil, say no evil, hear no evil … meet believe no evil.

Yes, the Tour de France rolls out of Brittany tomorrow afternoon. And once again, like every deluded fan of world sport’s most gruelling test, I will be watching avidly.

And hoping beyond hope that this year’s race really will be the one that sees a competition settled by performances on slopes rather than from test tubes.

Le Tour has a massive job on its hands to rebuild an image shattered by the drug scandals of 12 months ago. Just when you think things couldn’t have got any worse after the Floyd Landis saga, 2007 saw two erstwhile yellow-jersey wearers kicked out mid-race.

Alexander Vinokourov and Michael Rasmussen are both banned; so is last year’s eventual winner Alberto Contador, who is denied the chance to defend his title because his Astana team are suspended for their past doping record.

The sprint champion – the green jersey – is not around either. Tom Boonen is also persona non grata for being implicated in a cocaine scandal.

Yes, Le Grand Boucle has image problems on a scale more massive than any of the mountain climbs lying in wait for the peloton.

Yet against my better judgement I will still be glued to the TV screen for the next three weeks. There is something compellingly unique about this race which the cheats cannot destroy.

But they are having a damn good try.