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It looks like I'll have a bit of extra free time, sadly, and a bit less life, particularly the life of watching cycling via internet streaming video...for 2009 at least. In the year that Lance Armstrong may be coming back, it seems he won't be coming back to the Tour de Georgia because it won't be there according to the foundation that owns the tour. 

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Well the Tour de France route for 2009 has come out, and there's some new old stuff, like the Team Time Trial is back. Some say this makes Lance Armstrong more likely to show up, some say less, and he seems to want some assurances from the organizers about respectful treatment or some such.

Meanwhile Contador sounded welcoming at first, but lately perhaps less so, and Vino's name has surfaced as well. Nothing solid here from me...just some impressions.

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Just when you thought it was all over... 

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=3611019 

Floyd Landis is back, this time taking his case to the US courts.  The article points our that this is probably pointless, since the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) is a Swiss body...  As far as I know, our courts don't have any jurisdiction there...  Not yet, anyway...  ;-)

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Now, something to cheer about! You never know about people really, but I've seen Levi in person and on streaming video and I can tell you there were awesome performances, but nothing that seemed "unbelievable," like some other performances I've seen. I'll never know if Levi is clean, just like I thought it was certain that others were, but seeing Levi almost but not quite do it several times leads me to believe in him. Having said that, joining Astana and linking with some I've begun to doubt still makes me wonder, which is sad.

No, it's not my award to the one who lost the most weight in the Tour de Georgia. It's for the lamest spectator or other non-cyclist in the tour. There were so many, for such a small audience.

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Wow. Really great stuff and sorry to be late on this with the Eddy workshop and guests coming to town, but over time, free internet video and the Tour de Georgia are both getting cooler. As I had to keep telling myself last weekend, I can't leave town right now with lots to do and some of it requiring me to be here, so I will have to enjoy this opportunity from afar it seems. If anyone thinks they want to get a carpool together later in the week, let me know (I know I'm dreamin').

So apparently the Discovery Pro Cycling Team will be no more after the end of this season. But meanwhile things are looking pretty good for Slipstream, the US's newest international team.

Today promises to be a big day for announcements in pro cycling. Apparently the team to be formerly known as Discovery Channel has not found a replacement sponsor for next year. It seems Hincapie may be in magenta for T-Mobile, other USAmericans are in doubt, Slipstream may be the only USA team, and we have to wonder if they'll get an invite for the tour (anyone know about this yet?). Something more ominous than espresso seems brewing from Contador and Bruyneel regarding Operación Puerto and any connection with the footlose man Eufemiano Fuentes.

Good vibes all around from London, England and the UK from hosting the Tour de France, or so it seems. I thought it was interesting and fun, and especially since the weather was so great for those days. The English really came out to look and seemed to be enthusiastic. I'm glad they're not piling on as there are enough piles to go around already. Mo' bettah testin' throughout the ranks I say and careful living for the riders it seems. It's a job many of us would gladly take!

As timv has noted, David Millar can spin a yarn nicely in his TdF Diaries. As a doper who had done his time, he's uniquely qualified to share several perspectives. And he was there for his own "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment when Vino's non-negative was first announced. I'll leave most of the piece for you to read on the Bicycling site, but here's a brief sample of that moment: