The grandest of all the great Euro cycling races begins tomorrow, and I am melancholy about it. Not because Lance Armstrong won’t be going for #8, far from it — I was excited to see what would happen post-Lance, frankly. But with stories, rumors, and consternation flying around about some of the biggest names in the sport, including favorites Basso and Ulrich, there is something of a gray haze over tomorrow’s Prologue for me.

Having said that, I am still very excited to see Le Tour get started — and perhaps better that the sacrifices were made prior to the start, so the news mongering can be thrown to the side for at least a little while, even though God knows the media won’t let it go during the race.

And no matter what, I can go climb on my own bike and climb my own hills to escape the corrosive chatter.