Le Tour......

So, the organizers of the Tour de France this morning announced the 20 teams being invited to this year's race. Glad to see Slipstream in there - who knows what their chances will be, but I know they'll be highly motivated in that race. Talking to Tommy D. this past off-season, he was very anxious to prove himself in the 2008 Tour.........so, we'll see what happens.

After viewing the list of teams invited to this year's Tour, I was a little disappointed. For me, the Tour is about having the ultimate competition in cycle racing. It is the premier stage race in our sport. So, with that said, why only 20 teams? Milan-San Remo expanded their field to 25 teams for this Saturday's La Primavera. Seems the Tour could do the same thing - besides inviting Astana (who should be in there regardless), I'd like to see Skil-Shimano in there too with their great climber Clement Lhotellerie. Who knows what some of these "wildcard" teams could do in a race like the Tour de France - remember Barloworld last year???

If it were up to me - and thank God it is not (what a mess that would be!!) - I would invite at least 25 teams to the Tour......more if possible. Let them hammer it out and see where the dust settles at the end. I don't know - maybe trim it down to 8 riders per team instead of the current 9. Yes, I know - a logistical nightmare any way you cut it. But hey, this is the premier cycle race on the planet - let's find out who REALLY is the best out there.