Future of the Tour de France

While Fritz at Cyclelicious is optimistic about the future of the Tour de France, Pete Geyer of Cycling Fans is not. In his July 26 editorial, he writes at length of the political problems of the Tour and of the importance of a strong riders union that is "capable of getting [Franck] Bouyer back on a bike, capable of protecting riders from their own teams, from unethical team doctors, from their own sponsors, from the collateral damage done by all the political battles. A rider union capable of getting the riders a better base salary and longer contracts, like in other sports, so that they don't have near-constant pressure to perform, 'or else'. A strong rider union capable of helping young cyclists avoid the pressure to dope to begin with."

Hear Hear.