OK, who's going to win the TdF 2006?

Basso.

Even Bruneel doesn't think an American can win, but that could just be a ploy...hummm...

Cadel looked great in the tour de Swiss.

Here is my top 5

Ivan Basso
Jan Ullrich
Alexander Vinokourov (assuming he doesn't have to pull out)
Cadel Evans
George Hincapie (i doubt it but)

here is the rest of my top 10 in no order

Landis
Leipheimer
Rasmussen
Valverde
Kloden

I want George to win, I just don't know if he can fill the team leader role. I like Floyd but for some reason I just can't get behind him, maybe its a mental block with the whole "Praying Mantis" TT position. In that green skinsuit he looks like a bug. So that leaves Basso and Ullrich, Ullrich and Basso. I think that I am rooting for "Der Kaiser" just because. Basso seems like a decent guy, Bjarne Riis seems like such an @sshole I don't want him to win. Sooo my picks....

1) Ullrich

2) Basso

3)Hincapie

4) Valverde

5)Landis

6) Leipheimer

Non parochially (ie putting Cadel Evans to one side ) - Basso probably has shown enough in previous tours to go the whole way as long as his team is good enough to keep Ulrich's mob under control.

Jan and Ivan will be top two.  We'll just have to wait to see in what order.

By the way is there a thread for "Who's going to win the World Cup?"

Basso beating Cadel Evans by less than 2 minutes.  Ullrich 3rd, Landis 4th, Popovych in 5th.

Looks like I might need to update my winners list:

Ulrich

Basso

Hincapie  (I sure hope Johan Bruneel has kept his team clean and safe from all this crap)

Now its looking like the team with a leader, and a still intact team will likely be the strongest.  Discovery and Sauner-Duval ssem to be the most complete (100%).  Floyd lost 2 more today over the 2 lost last month to this scandal.

Floyd, Georgie, and Valverde's stock just went up....

"Basso and Ulrich Out of the Tour!"l  Hmmmmmmmm ... that changes things now, doesn't it?!?

1. Basso

2. Ulrich

3. 1. Hincapie

Go Big George .... yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy .....

ok here is my NEW top 5 for the Tour de Dope

Ivan Basso
Jan Ullrich
Alexander Vinokourov (assuming he doesn't have to pull out)
Valverde
Cadel Evans
Landis
George Hincapie (i doubt it but)

here is the rest of my top 8 in no order

Leipheimer
Rasmussen
Kloden