By a hair

So after all the ranting about how this year's edition is too hard for the pre-season, nothing seems to be breaking up the now-familiar shape of the TDU. As usual, there are only a few seconds covering the first placings, with sprinters Davis and Brown 5 clicks ahead of local hero O'Grady.

Word on the street is that organisers were a little stung by the accusations that last year's tour was a little easy, evidenced by Greipel's dominant sprinting display. To make up for it, and no doubt hoping to impress their new protour overlords, the course was 'toughened', adding countless hill drags, a double up Willunga and that stage 2 uphill sprint finish. Even the wind has been called in to break things up a little, but to no (real) avail. All we've had are a weary peleton, some suicide breaks and more sprint finishes. 

So is there any way to change the shape of the TDU? Is it cursed to become just another flat mans warm-up, much like the Qatar slug-fest starting next weekend? I hope not. Adelaide has some hills, and a few of the stages have shown promise - though perhaps making them shorter and sharper might do more for the riders and encourage the escapes.

Still anyone's game today (except poor Greipel) so lets see some fightin.

TDU hits the ground running

Well, I suppose I need to begrudgingly eat my hat on this one. I've never been one for hailing local success - I'm tired of the usual parochial trumpeting - we get enough of it through commercial tv. However, the return of one Lance Armstrong to the field for the TDU has markedly lifted the profile of this previously backyard event, and with it the profile of cycling in this ute-crazed nation. 

Seeing nightly footage of riders taking flight on the Adelaide hills can only help to lift public perception of this graceful sport from the gutters of abuse to the footpath of ambivalence - and that is a big step up, believe me. 

I was really suprised to see Lance have a little dig in yesterday's stage from Hahndorf, dragging round the front with Rogers and recent 'arrival' (double U23 Aus Champ) Bobridge. Sure he's an ageing ex-champ with a murky past, but something about his presence seems to excite the normally distant commercial media. 

In short, swallowing my pride and my hat, I'm starting to re-think this return. I mean I still really see the need for the sport to renew after these last disgraceful years, but perhaps there is still a role for the ageing heads of state (as liggett always calls them) after all.