Cadel Evans Gallery: March 2010

ASO Announces Final 2010 Tour de France Roster: Spyns 2010 Tour de France Tours

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Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients will be thrilled to read that British Team Sky has been handed a wildcard place in the Tour de France by the organiser ASO. Bradley Wiggins is set to lead the British team when the race starts in Rotterdam on July 3, and he will be hoping to improve on last year's fourth place. Wiggins is riding particiuarly well this year, particularly during the recent Tour de Murcia. To no one's surprise, Lance Armstrong's Radioshack and world champion Cadel Evans's BMC Racing have also secured invitations. This is shaping up to be an epic battle for the coveted yellow jersey.

Garmin-Transitions have also been invited, which makes four American-run squads will take part - HTC-Columbia is the other. The final wild cards went to Cervélo, who have last year's green jersey winner Thor Hushovd in their ranks, and Russian squad Katusha. It meant there was disappointment for three teams who have tried to make a big impression this season. Two Dutch squads, Skil-Shimano and Vacansoleil, hoped the fact the race starts in the Netherlands might earn them a place. Skil-Shimano will be particularly disappointed as they rode last year. French minnows Saur-Sojasun were not expected to get a place, particularly as four French teams were covered by the ProTour agreement.

After months of speculation, ASO has honoured the agreement made 18 months ago to invite all the ProTour teams to the race. That means there is a place for French squad Cofidis, who were part of the ProTour when the agreement was made but who dropped to Pro Continental status this season. Cofidis has impressed during the early weeks of the season, with Samuel Dumoulin winning a stage at the Tour of Catalonia and their young Estonian finishing third overall. BBOX Bouygues Telecom also gained a place thanks to their former status as a ProTour squad.
The agreement also means there is a place for Footon-Servetto, the Spanish team that rose from the ashes of the disgraced Saunier Duval. Riccardo Ricco tested positive during the 2008 Tour while riding for Saunier Duval. Footon is a team that is lacking stars and is, so far, devoid of results at the top level.

All the other major teams - defending champion Alberto Contador's Astana squad and Andy Schleck's Saxo Bank - were also included. ASO were always going to invite Team Sky, not just because of Wiggins's fourth place last year and a strong, if not super-powerful roster, but because of the sponsor's profile and ability to expose the Tour de France to a bigger audience in the UK.

THE 22 TOUR DE FRANCE TEAMS AND THEIR KEY RIDERS

1. AG2R-La Mondiale (France) Efimkin, Roche

2. ValjavecAstana (Kazakhstan) Contador, Vinokourov

3. BBOX Bouygues Telecom (France) Fedrigo, Voeckler

4. Caisse d'Epargne (Spain) LL Sanchez

5. MoreauCofidis (France) Dumoulin, Moncoutie, Moinard

6. TaaramaeEuskaltel-Euskadi (Spain) S Sanchez

7. Française des Jeux (France) Casar, Di Gregorio

8. Le MevelFooton-Servetto (Spain) Cardoso

9. HTC-Columbia (USA) Cavendish, Rogers

10. Lampre (Italy) Cunego

11. PetacchiLiquigas (Italy) Basso, Nibali, Kreuziger

12. BennatiMilram (Germany) Gerdemann

13. CiolekOmega Pharma-Lotto (Belgium) Gilbert

14. Quick Step (Belgium) Boonen

15. ChavanelRabobank (Netherlands) Menchov, Gesink

16. FreireSaxo Bank (Denmark) A Schleck, F Schleck, Cancellara

Six teams handed wildcard places:

1. Radioshack (USA) Armstrong, Leipheimer, Kloden, Brajkovic

2. Team Sky (Great Britain) Wiggins, Lofkvist, Gerrans, Boasson Hagen

3. Katusha (Russia) Pozzato, Kirchen, McEwen, Karpets, Rodriguez

4. Garmin-Transitions (USA) Farrar, Vande Velde, Millar

5. MartinCervélo (Switzerland) Hushovd, Sastre

6. BMC Racing (USA) Evans, Hincapie

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2010 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/, http://www.spyns.com/, or call 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France Trips: Armstrong and Contador Trade Barbs but Disappoint in Corsica

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In speaking with Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients over the past few days, we're all looking forward to the battle between Lance Armstrong and former Astana teammate Alberto Contador. Both raced in the Criterium International this weekend, held in Corsica (France). The results were a tad disappointing.

Double Tour de France winner Alberto Contador missed out on a golden opportunity to intimidate bitter rival and former teammate Lance Armstrong when he suffered a rare upset at the Criterium International. The Spaniard cracked during the final ascent in Saturday's hilly opening stage, citing allergy problems, and although Armstrong finished a dismal 47th, he wasn't impressed.

"I was not going to compete with him," said the American, who was a member of the Astana team last season with Contador. "I know that, he knows that, you know that. There is no mystery there, no surprise." Asked if they were on speaking terms, Armstrong laughed it off: "Hmmm, I don't know." Despite his frosty relationship with Contador, the seven-time Tour de France champion looked relaxed as he soaked up the sun at the Porto Vecchio bay after Sunday's final time trial.

Doubts remain. After finishing 47th overall in the two-day race, Armstrong knew he was way off his peak form just three months before the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam on July 3. Contador, who started the competition saying he had no message for Armstrong, made up for Saturday's mishap by taking second place in the final time trial, 17 seconds ahead of Armstrong. "Seventeen seconds was enough but we should not give too much importance to that," Contador said. He had expected to deliver more on Saturday. The gamble Backfired "Just before it was time for him to attack he felt his legs were not responding," Astana team manager Yvon Sanquer said. "He could not breathe well, he had an allergy problem so he preferred to let go."

Armstrong was clearly unsympathetic and felt Contador's gamble to compete in the two-day Corsica race - which also featured the American - instead of his usual stop at the Tour of Catalunya failed to pay off. "If it was a provocation (against me), then it backfired. If it was a simple schedule change because this race suited him better then that was his prerogative," said Armstrong. "I expected him to be super yesterday," the 38-year-old added, declining to elaborate on Contador's allergy problem. "I don't know the problem, but it did not work out."

The next showdown between Armstrong and Contador is likely to be at the 2010 Tour de France and Spyns clients will be front and centre watching the action. "There are two options there, the Dauphine and the Tour of Switzerland, so it might be that there's not another confrontation before July," said Armstrong, who finished more than five minutes behind Contador in last year's Tour. "The drama is good... but what matters is what starts in Rotterdam." We'll be watching the Paris finish, champagne glasses in hand.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Questions About Greece's Non-Bailout Bailout

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Former Spyns clients have long lamented the punishing Euro-Dollar exchange rate. In terms of financial mismanagement, we could say the US dollar is the best of the worst currencies. While the United States is hopelessly in the red, Greece demonstrated that Europe has crushing debts and no mechanism to deal with them. Expect the euro to drop over the coming months.

While the media widely reported a European bailout for Greece, I was skeptical and visited the European Union's website to determine what exactly has changed. Maybe it was the sight Germany's Chancellor Merkel sprinting to her limousine after the mini-summit that made me doubt that all was well in Euroland. After weeks of deliberations and conflicting statements, Greece isn't any better off. In fact, it's unlikely Greece will receive anything. To wit:

The European Union didn't pass a resolution or issue a policy statement. They issued a flaccid two-page statement. Unfortunately, the statement is silent as to whether the European Commission or Parliament will vote on a formal plan. It would therefore appear to be of no legal effect. Strike one.

The statement speaks to "substantial International Monetary Fund financing." The ambiguity of "substantial" combined with the IMF's total silence suggests no one consulted the Fund. Strike two.

"Any disbursement on the bilateral loans would be decided by the euro area member states by unanimity..." Strike three. There are currently 27 member states and therefore 27 possible vetoes. This means that lowly Cyprus (pop 1 million) could thwart a bailout but it's more likely Germany will refuse to pay. To fund Greece would be political suicide for Merkel's coalition government.

Fact: Greece has overwhelming debts. Fact: the markets believe lending to Greece is risky. Fact; this risk means Greece has to pay higher interest rates. Greece somehow considers this unfair because it now has to borrow a great deal more money. Greece now has to borrow to repay loans, not repay capital. If a lowly 6% interest rate is considered usurious, things will likely get worse. Greece wants Germany's 2-3% interest rate. Welcome to wonderland.

While Europe is doing its best to band-aid the Greek problem, 2-page press releases and vague promises of support simply won't cut it. Here is what Greece should do in my opinion:

Stop Borrowing: Greece spends more than it makes. It will likely continue to do so. Taking on additional cheap debt is not a solution.

Bring in the IMF: Politicians don't come up with workable solutions (viz the EU's wonky bailout statement). The IMF's mandate is to deal with these types of issues by providing long-term solutions.

Declare bankruptcy: The world must accept that Greece (and many other countries) cannot meet its ongoing debt obligations. Only then can it consolidate its debts and work out a realistic repayment structure.

Greece is planning another bond auction as early as next week. This suggests two things, neither of which bode particularly well for the Euro: first, Greece is so desperate for cash that a hasty bond sale is necessary; or second, the Greeks are trying to force a bailout by confirming they can't raise money at a reasonable interest rate.

The EU has sluggishly agreed to an unworkable bailout mechanism. Their next failure will be implementing it.

Contador Dismisses Armstrong: Spyns 2010 Tour de France Tours

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Is Lance Armstrong a has been? Many Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients expect Lance to win an unprecedented 8th yellow jersey but is our beloved Armstrong too old? Alberto Contador for one is not even regarding Lance Armstrong as one of his rivals for this weekend's Criterium International in Corsica. The pair were not supposed to face each other before the Tour de France but the double Tour winner Contador changed his mind after a convincing win in Paris-Nice earlier this month.

The Spaniard decided to drop the Tour of Catalunya and travel to Corsica for the two-day Criterium International, where he will challenge seven-times Tour winner Armstrong, who has not been at his best since the beginning of the season.

"There is no message to Armstrong," a relaxed Contador told reporters at his hotel facing the Porto Vecchio bay. "I just came here because it is better for my preparation ahead of the Tour. I got very good results from my previous race, Paris-Nice was very tough and I did not want to race seven days in Catalunya. “The Criterium is only a two-day race and it suits my characteristics," he added, naming world champion Cadel Evans as his top rival in Corsica. "Several riders are in excellent condition. I don't like to name names because I might forget one of them. However, one who is very strong is Cadel Evans," said Contador before posing for photos in the hotel's garden. It seems it is not all about Armstrong v Contador after all. "Several riders are in better shape than Lance, right now," Contador explained.

Australian Evans, staying in the same hotel as Contador, had yet to fully focus on the race. He went for a smooth training ride in the morning wearing his world champion rainbow jersey before heading back to the hotel to share a meal with his BMC team mates. "It's incredible, it (the rainbow jersey) gets recognised everywhere you go," he told Reuters. "I'm getting used to it, I'm not getting sick of it." After eating pasta, mashed carrots and a tuna salad, a cheerful Evans left his seat and went to congratulate the chef.

It will be back to business on Saturday when the peloton start the first of three stages, a 175.5-km trek from Porto Vecchio to the Col de l'Ospedale, a 14.2-km climb at an average gradient of 6.2 percent that should perfectly suit Contador. Armstrong, who landed in Corsica in a private jet in the morning wearing casual jeans and sunglasses, rushed into a car driven by his RadioShack manager and long-time mentor Johan Bruyneel.

He then played hide and seek with photographers before going on his bike to check Saturday's climb. "Off the plane and went for a spin here in Corsica," he wrote on Twitter. "Checked out the final climb from tomorrow. Col de l'Ospedale. Tough one. Long & windy." Lance is the undisputed winner when it comes to celebrity, but Contador is younger, faster, and looking even more invincible for the 2010 Tour de France.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2010 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/, http://www.spyns.com/, or call 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France Trips: Lance Armstrong To Battle Contador Merket to Battle Brussels

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In the run up to the 2010 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong will compete head-on with Alberto Contador Saturday in France's Criterium International. The two-day race takes place on the French island of Corsica. This little-known race will likely attract extensive media coverage as this is Lance's first confrontation in 2010 with former Astana teammate and longtime rival Contador. Armstrong was recently in Paris, en route to Corsica, to give President Sarkozy a new bike. Touching new lows in opinion polls, Sarkozy may use the bike to quietly escape Paris when the next revolution comes.

Speaking of heads of state, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Sarkozy and other European leaders in Brussels today. This should be interesting. Debt-ridden Greece continues to languish but the bigger story is an ascendant Germany. While the Greek government struggles to contain debt levels hovering around 120% of GDP, Germany refuses to fund profligate countries by throwing more money at the problem. To Merkel's unending credit, she has stood her ground on the Greek issue refusing to write a blank check. This effectively breaks 65 years of post-war German bankrolling of Western Europe. While Greece is the current issue, Germany is the bigger story.

European dithering about Greece and other debtors like Spain or Italy has put pressure on the Euro. Spyns former clients have long lamented the Euro-Dollar exchange rate so we welcome depreciation. Despite the media-generated "crisis" in Greece, the Euro has fared quite well and now hovers around US$1.33. A cheaper Euro is not an unwelcome development for export-heavy Germany.

As I've written before, Greece represents less than 2% of European GDP so it is financially insignificant. This is why the Euro remains at a relatively high US$1.35 exchange rate despite the "crisis." A rating agency recently downgraded Portugal, likely too late. The agencies are usually a bit behind the curve as they so capably demonstrated with their 'AAA' ratings of mortgage-backed securities right up until late 2008. Why poor Portugal gets a downgrade when Italy (now at almost 120% of GDP debt levels), the UK and United States all get a pass is merely a question of political influence in my opinion. Greece and Portugal represent the first signs of global systemic failure and the politicians are terrified.

Enter Germany. It is the only Western European country with a trade surplus. While most countries like France and Spain lived off of real estate bubbles, shuttered factories, increased wage/production costs, and failed at retirement reforms, the French and Spaniards gorged themselves on Chinese imports. Germany chose another route. After two world wars, hyperinflation, punishing war reparations, and a costly reunification, the German's simply loathe debt. Rather than await the onslaught of Chinese goods, Germany re-tooled, slashed labour costs, and became a larger exporter than the United States.

But where Germany wins, another European must lose. Based largely on German economic strength, the markets treated the Euro as a glorified Deutschmark. Financial institutions extended cheap credit to countries that simply couldn't afford it. Not unlike a college student with a new credit card, they maxed out. Greece is but one example but Italy, Portugal, and Spain also succombed to the temptations of cheap credit and will eventually pay the price. Merkel simply asks the obvious: why loan more money when it will just postone the inevitable (default)?

In the past, Germany has taken a backseat to France in both European and international affairs. The French act like a superpower but are more like the skinny kid at the bar picking fights with everyone while a 6 ft 4 ins 250 lbs "friend" (Germany) takes station behind the aggressor. Following historical precedent, French President Sarkozy seized upon the Greek crisis, decided (unilaterally) to give the Greeks more money, and swiftly handed the bill to Germany. Merkel refused to pay. In the ensuing weeks, Europe demonstrated that it can't do anything without German money. In an interesting turn of events, France has now accepted the German proposal for an IMF-led bailout. The tail wags the dog.

Today Sarkozy, Merkel and a lot of Euro-thingies are meeting in Brussels. Don't expect much. Even before this mini summit, Merkel wanted Greece off the agenda. The Greeks threatened the IMF. Then our crafty Chancellor called the Greek's bluff, repeating their own finance minister's assertions that Greece didn't need a bailout. Merkel: "Ok. You don't want a bailout, so we won't discuss it." Greece will eventually default but not before Germany imposes prudent financial management on the rest of the Eurozone. This will also lead to a rift with profligate France, a country with a 9% budget deficit that still believes it can lend to and lecture others in the Eurozone.

Greece was the tipping point in a new era of German-dominated Europe.

Lance Armstrong's Radioshack Team Shut Out of Italy's Giro: Spyns 2010 Tour de France Tours

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Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team was left off the list of 22 squads invited to the Giro d'Italia on Monday. Armstrong had already announced that he would not compete in the May 8-30 race, but there was still a possibility his team could enter with other riders.

According to Armstrong, RadioShack apparently never intended to the race the Giro. Armstrong wrote on his Twitter account Monday: "Interesting 2 read that (at)teamradioshack not selected 4 the Giro. Unrelated - guess they got our letter Jan 23 saying we wouldn't be coming." Armstrong apparently ended up on bad terms with Giro organizers after helping arrange a rider protest during the Milan stage of last year's race, in which the seven-time Tour de France winner finished 12th. Instead, Armstrong is slated to ride the Tour of California in May. The Giro is one of the most watched bike races in the world so it's highly unlikely Armstrong's Radioshack sponsors would have passed on such a plum photo op. With the snotty Twitter post, it would seem that Lance is living up to his reputation as a prima donna.

Organizers said they received requests from 31 teams. Armstrong's former team Astana was invited even though two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador - who also won the 2008 Giro - is not expected to ride. Riccardo Ricco's Ceramica Flaminia team was announced as a reserve squad, which could take the place of one of the 22 selected teams if organizers deem a switch is necessary before the race starts. Ricco recently finished his 20-month ban for doping at the 2008 Tour de France and his first race back will be the five-day Coppi&Bartali event in Italy this week.

The BMC squad of world champion Cadel Evans was invited, as was Rabobank, which features defending champion Denis Menchov and Saturday's Milan-San Remo winner, Oscar Freire.Also included was Sky with British standout Bradley Wiggins, and the Cervelo squad with former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre.

Lance Armstrong Offers French President New Bike: Spyns Tour de France Tours 2010

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Just days after French President Nicolas Sarkozy's party lost regional elections, 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong comforted Sarkozy by offering him a brand new bike at the Presidential Palace. Armstrong twittered last night that he met with the French president in Paris and gave him the new bike with on the seat tube the “Bleu, Blanc et Rouge” colours of the French flag. Sarkozy apparently autographed the bike frame.

“Had to throw a little @Livestrong love on there!!” one the Tweets said, showing the logo on the bike frame of Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation against cancer. Also present were Armstrong’s girlfriend Anna Hansen and Johan Bruyneel, his long-time friend and managing director of his team RadioShack. The French president is known to be a bike aficionado. He has followed several stages of the Tour de France in the past, most recently the Mont Ventoux finish in 2009.

Lance Armstrong is in France to race the 2010 Criterium in Corsica. For the first time this season, he will compete against archrival Alberto Contador. The Spanish rider is heavily favoured to win the 2010 Tour de France although Armstrong has recently played up his chances of an unprecedented 8th podium.

Lance Armstrong: only human? Spyns 2010 Tour de France Tours

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"Is Lance Armstrong showing his age?", ask Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients. The seven-time Tour de France winner pulled out of Italy's Milan-San Remo classic Saturday due to illness. The Team RadioShack leader is suffering from acute gastroenteritis (ie. stomach flu) and withdrew as a precaution. The 38-year-old will be replaced by team-mate Fumiyuki Beppu in the 298-kilometer (185-mile) race. Lance likely caught a bug during his recent swing through South Africa.

Lance finished a disappointing 125th last year and, before retiring in 2005, raced the event six times without winning. Team director Johan Bruyneel said: "It would have been good to have Lance line up for the start but we prefer not to take any risk. "It would not be very intelligent to let him start in a race of almost 300 kilometres while not being healthy." Looking ahead, Armstrong is set to face his fierce rival and former teammate Alberto Contador next week at the Criterium International in Corsica. Lance Armstrong will also compete in next month's Circuit de la Sarthe in France as part of his preparation for the Tour de France. It will be his fourth appearance in the race, which will take place from April 6-9.

Armstrong will compete in France and California before challenging Contador this July for an unprecedented 8th Tour de France win. Spyns clients will enjoy seeing the final 5 (of 6) Tour de France stages in the Pyrenees, Bordeaux and Paris.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Contador Conquers Paris-Nice

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Spyns Tour de France clients are anxiously awaiting July's confrontation between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong. Since their last appearance as teammates last July on the final Tour de France podium in Paris, Armstrong and Contador have exchanged guarded pleasantries and pointed criticisms.

The reigning and two-time Tour de France winner and reigning third-place finisher and seven-time titlist will now ride against each other for the first time since their team divorce March 27-28 in the Criterium International in Italy. Contador, who concluded his Paris-Nice overall title March 14 as his season-opening stage race win, has changed his schedule to ride Criterium International and Vuelta a Castilla y Leon (April 14-18). Armstrong was already scheduled to compete in t

he former event following an earlier adjustment of his spring campaign.

Contador also confirmed he will ride Fleche-Wallonne (April 21) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 25)."I’ve had very good results in the first two races, my preparation is proceeding well, so we decided to change the calendar, to seek a less tiring race program for me and for my team,” Contador said in a statement.

Armstrong, who repeatedly acknowledged team strife during the Tour de France, announced the establishment of his new Radio Shack team a few days prior to the end of cycling's most prestigious event.Only Contador remains from Astana's roster. The remaining eight riders and director Johan Bruyneel are now employed by the Radio Shack squad.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France Trips: Paris-Nice Update

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Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients may already know of the Amaury Sport Organization. The ASO owns and operates the Tour de France and a host of other races and sporting events like the Paris-Nice race. Held every March, Paris-Nice is also nicknamed the "race to the sun" as it starts in grey Paris and finishes on the sun-kissed Côte d'Azur. It is considered one of the most important races leading up to the Tour de France. Here are the latest results.

Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the third stage of Paris-Nice on Wednesday, and German veteran Jens Voigt claimed the overall lead. Sagan was able to follow Nicolas Roche's attack in the last climb and won the 153-kilometre stage ahead of Joaquin Rodriguez. Roche finished third. The 38-year-old Voigt was two seconds back in fourth to overtake the yellow jersey from Lars Boom of the Netherlands, who won the opening time trial.

"Paris-Nice is a big race and after I had a good prologue, I told myself that with a little bit of luck I could sneak into the yellow jersey," Voigt said. "I'm more than happy and now we have to try to hold on to it." Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was sixth, with the same time as Voigt. The 20-year-old Sagan screamed in joy after overpowering a six-man group to claim his first Pro Tour win. "This is an important moment of my career because this is my first victory in a very big race," Sagan said. "But my goal isn't to win this race. I'm here to help our team leader, Roman Kreuziger, who is still in the race for the general classification."

Kreuziger stands fifth overall, 14 seconds off the pace, while Sagan moved up to second, six seconds behind Voigt. Defending champion Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain is third, nine seconds back. Because of snow at the scheduled start in Saint-Junien, the stage was shortened by 53 kilometres. Yann Huguet, Nikolas Maes and former Belgian road champion Jurgen Roelandts broke away after 33 kilometres and led by seven minutes at one stage. The Caisse d'Epargne and Cofidis teams set up a fast tempo in the last 50 kilometres and Maes was the first to be brought back before Huguet and Roelandts gave up six kilometres from the finish. Roche launched his attack in the Cote de la Martinie and was followed by a group of five riders, including Voigt and Contador.

Spyns former clients have seen Contador ascend the Paris podium to win the Tour de France in 2007 and again in 2009. Lance Armstrong considers Contador his greatest competition for the 2010 Tour de France. He has reason to worry. Contador's burst of speed in the last kilometres showed he has recovered from his crash in the first stage. The Spaniard climbed to seventh place, 20 seconds behind. Thursday's showcase stage between Maurs and Mende features a top hill finish that follows a 3.1-kilometre ascent with an average gradient of 10 per cent. The 12th stage of this year's Tour de France will also finish in Mende. "Tomorrow is very tricky and we'll see how the team goes and if it's possible to take (the yellow jersey) all the way to Nice," Voigt said. "The young guns keep pushing and say, 'Hey, old man, go away!' It's not getting easier with the years. But I still train hard, I still have the dedication and I'm still determined to get a few results."

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Euro-ooooooh!

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Et tu: bondtrader? Spyns former clients have long lamented the punishing Euro-Dollar exchange rate. A change is coming and that should put more wine on tables during our 2010 Tour de France trips. While the media bleats "Greek Crisis", that country isn't large enough to affect the world economy but everyone is now paying attention to sovereign debt. In fact, the entire planet save prudent Germany can't afford to borrow at higher rates.

Greece's Prime Minister has deftly shifted media attention from the wrecked Greek economy to those nasty hedge funds. His whistle-stop tour through Berlin, Paris and recently Washington smacked of a bond selling road show rather than serious debates about Greece's future. The only consensus seems to be that Greece must rollover between 15-20% of its current 300 billion euro debt in the next 3-6 months. It all comes down to interest rates.

The only reason Greece's recent bond issue was oversubscribed is because they paid a heavy premium. Most government bonds these days pay between 1-4% and you only get 4% on 30-year bonds. Thus when Greece issued a 10-year bond at a mouth-watering 6.4%, of course they were snapped up. The Greek's hailed this as a success but that's a bit like listing your house for $100,000 and then calling it a success when you fire-sell it at $40,000. Unfortunately, Greece will apparently have to sell more bonds in the coming weeks but cannot afford such high interest rates.

Greece is trying desperately to calm market fears before issuing more bonds but time isn't on their side. Greek unions continue to protest and nationwide strikes are planned for tomorrow - none of which reassure the markets. Hence the Greek PM's attempts to blame everything on the "speculators" which sounds a bit like my crazy uncle blaming things on "the man."

Greece received reassuring words from France, ever eager to spearhead some large new intiative like the "European Superfund", but offered no hard cash. And while Germany's Angela Merkel, ever the politician, speaks of help via a nebulous European fund, she knows full well her voters and fellow coalition members won't lend a cent to the Greeks. Thanks to Merkel's well-timed bomb that a European fund would require an amendment to the Lisbon treaty, Greece can count on support in about a decade.

The European Commission may be able to lend Greece money unilaterally but that's a bit like asking any big, bureaucratic organisation to act quickly. It just won't happen. To illustrate, the EC has 3 acting presidents, represents more than a dozen countries, and splits sessions between different assembly halls in Strasbourg (France) and Brussels. The whole structure is a study in mismanagement. To assume the EC will simply cut a cheque in the next 90 days without German support is ludicrous.

And so Greece will languish and finally default. Yes the Greeks will sell a few more bonds but the IMF will eventually have to rescue them. France will continue talking, and talking, and talking but this is one situation where the Germans simply won't budge. And without Germany footing the bill, the European Commission will prove it's just a toothless tiger. But alas this will lead to a Spyns-friendly correction in the Euro/Dollar exchange rate and lots of wine at the Eiffel Tower to fete the end of our 2010 Tour de France trips. Merci Greece!

Contador Crashes, TDF '10 Win in Doubt? Spyns Tour de France Tours 2010

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Will Spyns clients see Alberto Contador on a Parisian podium in yellow this July? Perhaps not. Tour de France winner Alberto Contador suffered a heavy crash in the opening stage of the Paris-Nice race in France - the first major European contest of the 2010 cycling season.

Pre-race favorite Contador, who is riding for the Astana team again this year, came off his bike with under 5km remaining of the 203.5km stage from Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines to Contres. However, the Spaniard, who finished fourth to Dutchman Lars Boom in Sunday's opening prologue, was able to recover and eventually finished in the main pack, although he has now slipped to eighth position in the general classification -- 25 seconds off the pace.

Crashes are common in professional cycling. Contador fractured his elbow in a fall during Italy's Giro d'Italia in 2008 yet finished the race. Lance Armstrong also competed in the 2009 Tour de France despite suffering a broken collarbone while racing in Spain last spring. The odd Spyns former client has also fallen or suffered minor injuries during our tours.

The windy stage was won by New Zealander Greg Henderson, who edged out Lampre rider Grega Boel to give Team Sky their first ever win on European soil. Rabobank rider Boom was among a group of 15 riders who came home 17 seconds ahead of the peloton and he retains his overall race lead from Jens Voigt of Germany and Briton David Millar. "It was a hard day but a good day," Boom told the race's official Web site. "In the Netherlands, we have lots of races like this with crosswinds, the team knows how to handle this type of situation."

Spyns Tour de France 2010: Lance Almost Blocked from Entering South Africa

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Were our hopes too high? Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients may be getting a bit nervous about Lance Armstrong's chances this year. Lance is certainly coming back down to Earth these days.

First there was the disappointing 7th place finish in Spain's Tour de Murcia. And now Lance (the superstar) is even having problems getting through customs. The seven-time Tour de France winner, 38, was held by immigration officials in Cape Town following the blunder on Monday.
The star wrote of his frustration on Twitter after being denied entry to the country as he arrived ahead of a race this weekend.

At 8.56pm he wrote: "Well, made it to Cape Town but can't get in the country since my passport is full and there's no room to stamp it. So ... stuck." The posting sparked an outcry with dozens sending messages of support to the athlete, who battled testicular cancer. An hour later Armstrong posted an update to his situation to tell his fans he had finally been allowed in.
He wrote: "Well, made it in to SA. Not the friendliest welcome I've ever received but we've all seen immigration officers like that." Armstrong is in South Africa to compete in the Cape Argus on Sunday. The race is the largest mass participation cycling event in the world.

Spyns Tour de France Tours: Lance Armstrong 7th in Tour de Murcia

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I ask Spyns clients: is Lance Armstrong showing his 39 years? Lance placed a medoicre 8th in Spain's Tour de Murcia and was destroyed by consistent if unspectacular British rider Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins captured third place, the strongest indication yet that the Londoner is on track for a strong showing in the 2010 Tour de France. His Sky team officials convinced that Wiggins' first podium finish of 2010 indicates slow but steady progress towards July.

"Bradley put himself on the line for the win but this is a process and one that's coming together well," team road coach Rod Ellingworth said. "He's getting increasingly consistent, and rode strongly in the mountains." Murcia is the only race where Wiggins took on key Tour de France rival Lance Armstrong prior to July's showdown and the Briton will have no complaints that in Saturday's decisive time trial he finished 30 seconds faster than the American.

While HTC-Columbia leader Frantisek Rabon – as Armstrong put it in his Twitter feed, he "smoked the time trial, very impressive" – took both the stage and, ultimately, the overall classification, Wiggins finished fifth, 48 seconds behind Rabon but three places higher than Armstrong. The American was by no means elated by finishing a lowly eighth. "He's neither happy nor unhappy," insisted a team spokesman.

Both Wiggins and Armstrong will be keeping a close eye on how the favourite for the Tour de France, Alberto Contador, fares in the prestigious Paris-Nice stage race this week.
In yesterday's short opening prologue, Contador finished a solid fourth and is very much in contention for overall victory.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France Trips: Lance Armstrong Battles Wiggins in Tour de Murcia

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In the buildup to Spyns 2010 Tour de France tours, a growing number of rivals may thwart Lance Armstrong's quest for an 8th yellow jersey in Paris. The perfect example is British rider and Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins.

Twelve months ago Wiggins and Armstrong were barely on nodding terms. Now, as the season gathers pace, the pair regard each other as rivals for victory in this summer’s Tour de France.This afternoon they go head to head in a 22-kilometre individual time-trial on stage four of the five-day Tour of Murcia in southeast Spain.Wiggins, leading Team Sky, and Armstrong are five seconds off the pace in the general classification after yesterday’s third stage, from Las Torres de Cotillas to Alhama de Murcia, which was won by Luke Roberts, of Australia.

Last night Armstrong, on his Twitter feed, looked forward to the time-trial and said: “I hope I’m within a minute of Wiggins.” It will be today’s pan-flat race against the clock that, with four months to go before the Tour rolls out of Rotterdam, gives the clearest indication of where Wiggins and Armstrong stand in the build-up to the race in July. However, neither would contest the belief that Alberto Contador, Armstrong’s former team-mate who won in Paris last summer, is in pole position at present. Although Sky and Wiggins have made their mark with wins this spring, Contador has laid down the gauntlet in emphatic style. The Spaniard won last month’s Tour of the Algarve in such dominant fashion that even Armstrong offered grudging praise.

While the Londoner and the Texan spar in Spain, tomorrow Contador will start Paris-Nice, the week-long stage race to the Côte d’Azur. Armstrong, who has yet to record a significant European win since making his comeback, is believed to be in far better form than 12 months ago, but even his closest allies believe that Contador remains the man to beat.“Lance is better than last year but we don’t know if it will be enough to beat Alberto,” Johan Bruyneel, the Team RadioShack team manager, said. “This year is different for Armstrong. He is starting off his season and last year he was still finding out what it meant to be a [professional] rider again. His body was not used to long, hard workouts and he had lost the usual benchmarks after being retired for three years.”

Wiggins, meanwhile, buoyed by Sky’s earlier successes in Australia, Qatar and Belgium, looks in form. “It’s good for Brad to race against Lance and see where he is,” Rod Ellingworth, the Team Sky directeur sportif, said. “They probably both saw that Contador was very good in the Algarve but Brad’s got nothing to worry about.” Unlike Contador, Wiggins gets on well with the seven-time Tour de France champion, who has also been generous in his praise of the double Olympic individual pursuit gold medal-winner and Team Sky. This may be heartfelt, but it may also be fuelled by the prospect of an alliance between Sky and RadioShack in July, as both riders try to prevent what, on a very mountainous route, is already seen by some as an inevitable success for Contador.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2010 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/, http://www.spyns.com/, or call 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: The New Spyns Jersey!

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They're here! We're very proud to unveil Spyns new 2010 Tour de France jerseys. Special thanks go out to my long-suffering colleague Vicky and designer Jonathan Hill for their comments, design help and for gently dissuading me from using my favourite colour: burgundy!

I wanted something simple and elegant yet with a bit of an edge. We initially tried an all-grey design but Jonathan suggested a bit of colour which resulted in the black, yellow and grey design you see here. Jonathan also designed the stylish map that you see on the back (see photo). Initial customer response has been incredible but we'd love to have your, the blogosphere's, comments as well. The jerseys cost $75 each and come in both womens and men's sizes. To order, simply call (1.888.825.4720) or email us at info@tdf-tours.com. For existing Sp

yns Tour de France clients, we will simply add this to your total. For former Spyns clients, we're offering a 10% discount on the jerseys. We have limited numbers so order today!

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. We offer week-long trips to Europe including tours to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about our Tour de France trips, please visit our website http://www.tdf-tours.com/, email us at info@tdf-tours.com, or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Lipstick on a Greek Pig

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Spyns' clients have long lamented the greenback's dismal performance against the euro. Despite a recent uptick in Europe's common currency, I'm bearish on its performance vs the dollar. Today the Greek government announced sweeping measures to reduce the country's budget deficit - widely reported to be between 12-13%. The markets reacted somewhat positively boosting the euro to a recent high against the greenback. It won't last.

Greek PM Papandreou has handled this masterfully. First, he blamed the country's woes on the former government. Second, he blamed the evil bankers "attacking" his country. Third, he announced budget cuts and wage freezes that will never materialize. And finally, to force Europe to lend Greece more money, he is now musing about International Monetary Fund assistance. Papandreou knows full well French President Sarkozy would never allow his archrival Dominique Strauss-Kahn, conincidentally head of the IMF, to lead a rescue. Round 1 to Greece.

The next rounds will be more difficult. Yes Papandreou will have photo ops with Merkel, Sarkozy and even Obama. This will shift worldwide attention from Greece's debt for a time. Merkel cannot and will not give Greece any money but the photos will suggest otherwise. President Sarkozy can't resist the world stage so he'll announce some sort of European superfund or similar French-led initiative. Yet with regional elections looming and that country's own financial difficulties, Sarkozy's words won't result in any short-term help - particularly without Germany writing cheques for French promises. So where does that leave us?

With an economy roughly the size of Massachussetts, Greece is a rounding error in financial circles. Why so much media attention? Because Greece is a terrifying example of systemic financial mismanagement and every developed nation is going down the same path. Americans have long moaned about European welfare states, but while France and Germany provide universal healthcare, the United States squanders even more on the military.

Governments cannot continue deficit spending forever - something the Greeks learned last month. Papandreou has danced his way around this crisis, but the music will eventually stop (perhaps in Berlin Friday). Greeks now owe approximately 27,000 euros (approx $37,800) per head not counting interest. If you believe the media reports, Greece has to roll over a substantial amount of its debt in the coming months. Papandreou should shine up those dancing shoes - as should Berlusconi, Sarkozy, and Zapatero.

What does this have to do with the Tour de France? A long-awaited correction in the euro-dollar exchange rate is what it means. Spyns sells its Tour de France tours in dollars yet pays for everything in euros. This has largely been a disaster because of the "let's invade the world on credit" US conflict dollars. But a change is coming and let's just hope the euro implodes first...at least in time for Lance Armstrong to ascend the Paris podium for an 8th time.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Lance Armstrong Racing in Spain

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Spyns Tour de France clients expect to see Lance in yellow, on a podium, and wearing a big grin in Paris this July. In his quest for another yellow jersey, Armstrong is looking to improve his time trial performance in the Tour of Murcia as part of his overall Tour de France preparations. Armstrong expects the five-day race along the southeastern Mediterranean coast, starting Wednesday, will boost his chances of winning an eighth Tour de France.

"Considering we haven't raced since January, it's important. It's definitely important," the Team RadioShack rider said. On Tuesday, team boss Johan Bruyneel said he believed the 38-year-old Armstrong was looking better than when he returned in 2009 after a 3 1/2-year retirement. But the Texan isn't so sure his physical condition has improved. "Maybe it's similar. It's a little different too, because last year we had the benefit of a hard Tour of California, which this year we didn't have," said Armstrong, who hasn't raced since January's Tour Down Under in Australia.

Armstrong said he has been focusing on getting his body position right for Saturday's 13.7-mile time trial. "I've tried to work on the positioning and on the training aspects," he said. "Last year, I didn't train very much on the time trial bike, which was my mistake. (It) requires a lot of specific training, which I didn't do. "We tweaked the position a little bit. We also worked on the bike, which has continued to evolve and the helmet has evolved."

Armstrong says he is more relaxed and feels less pressure as cycling is no longer his top priority. He wouldn't predict how he'd fare in the time trial, saying "the most important thing is to ride as hard as I can and run a smart race, a time trial that's well tempoed." RadioSchack is one of 16 teams taking part in the five-day race, which includes other Tour hopefuls like Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky and Denis Menchov of Rabobank. There are no Italian teams involved, but race director Francisco Guzman denied reports that organizers had banned them because of ongoing problems with Alejandro Valverde. He cannot compete in Italy because of an ongoing doping case.

"I made a mistake in the press conference when I said that we preferred not to have Italian teams of a low level because of everything that has happened with Valverde," Guzman said. "But they were never denied, they just could not make it due to scheduling conflicts." The opening leg Wednesday was an 103-mile ride around the coastal town of San Pedro del Pinatar.

Spyns 2010 Tour de France: Euro Will Continue to Drop

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Former Spyns clients have long lamented the punishing Euro-Dollar exchange rate. Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients may finally get a break. As regular readers know, I love writing about the Euro and Europe in general. Following the Greek story has led me to believe the mass media are a bunch of lemmings.

I have followed this particular media nugget for a few months and it's amazing how reputable newspapers, magazines and new agencies simply take each other's stories, change them slightly, and shovel them out to the general public. Take the previous case of the media buzzword: "brutal Afgan winter." In the build up to the Afgan conflict in 2002, the pro-war media stateside somehow propogated the idea that winters in Afganistan were something akin to what Hitler's armies experienced in the battle of Stalingrad. The idea went something like this: "We have to invade as quickly as possible before the brutal Afgan winter sets in." Like so many other conflict-related stories, this was completely false. Had anyone checked historical weather tables, Kabul's winter is as menacing and dangerous as Salt Lake City's. Wow!

With that in mind, let's have a look at some of the Greece debt buzzwords or buzz-phrases:

- "Greece Paralyzed by Strikes" On February 24, there was apparently a nation-wide strike. Reuters, CNN and others described a Bastille-like confrontation with protestors attacking riot police. The tru

th is a bit more mundane. Police estimate 10,000 protesters (unions say 27,000) took to the streets of Athens in mostly peaceful marches. That's roughly the same number of people to fill this stadium (see photo). It's the equivalent of every person in Stowe Vermont marching - run for the hills! Athens has a population of 3.2 million people, so just 0.003% of the city was protesting. This isn't exactly the revolution I read about. I've also just spent the last 15-20 minutes watching news footage of the protests/strikes and cannot find any images of Greece's main square that day. I suspect footage of an empty square with a few riot police didn't match hysterical media reports. There was some footage of a protester hitting a riot policeman's shield with a stick. They looked Greek but how can I determine if this was actually filmed in Greece?

- "France & Germany Planning Greek Bailout" Every news outlet from the Wall Street Journal to little-know eYugoslavia.com has reported that France and Germany are now going to give Greece between 30 to 56 billion Euros. The media has so widely reported a "potential", "pending", or "probable" bailout that the Euro even spiked slightly today. The facts clearly state otherwise. According to recent polls, German voters won't let their government bail anyone out. Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has stated time and time again her government will not bail out Greece. Most recently, Merkel stated it was illegal for one country to bail out another under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty which established the European Union. French President Sarkozy spoke just weeks ago about a coordinated European response. But he's been rather quiet of late and the French media is almost ignoring Greece as it focuses in similar domestic issues. France's finance minister Christine Lagarde recently hinted at a coordinated public-private bailout. But Lagarde's comments were on a national radio show and lasted less than 30 seconds. This smacks of a French government testing the political waters rather than announcing a bailout. Moreover, with a 9% annual deficit France is in no position to preach fiscal restraint nor loan money to anyone.

- "Greek Crisis" These two words are everwhere yet this ain't exactly Persia invading Sparta. To put things in perspective, Greece's economy is about the same size as the econonies of Nigeria or the Ukraine. Here is a better example: Greece's econonmy is the roughly the same size as the state of Massachusetts. Greece represents between 2.3-3% of the European Union's GDP. The sky isn't falling on the Euro either. Despite the "crisis" the Euro is trading around the US$1.35 range or roughly it's moving average for the past 5 years. This doesn't exactly represent a "collapse" in my opinion.

- "Europe to the Rescue" The media made a great deal out of European Commissioner Olli Rehn's visit to Athens today. The Euro spiked shortly on reports of the Finnish Rehn's visit. Given media reports, I had visions of Mr. Rehn arriving with one of those outsized prize checks, "Congratulations Greece - You've Won 30 Billion Euros!" I decided to surf the European Commission's website to determine if this guy has any power whatsoever. That was a mistake. After 20 minutes and as many languages, I found the Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner's slick webpage. Impossible to find the Commission's website. A further search led me to Mr. Rehn's official bio and his 18-strong staff. Clearly fiscal restraint does not apply to the Commissioner's office. I didn't have the time to create a flowchart of where Mr. Rehn's commission ranks on the European power ladder, but it's fair to write that the friendly Finn ain't gonna be cutting any checks by himself.

- "Greece Needs to Raise 50 Billion Euros by May" This again is commonly reported so I decided to dig a bit. Rather than believe the Wall Street Journal, I went directly to the Greek Government's website. Again, this was a disappointment. The website isn't very slick and the last published "Fact Sheet" about the economy is dated October 2008. Sadly, I can't find anything about the "imminent bond issue" so let's just assume the Greek government isn't scrounging around for money. Call me crazy but the Greek Prime Minister's statements that Greece isn't looking for a bailout may even be true.

Not that any of this has much to do with Lance Armstrong, the 2010 Tour de France, or Spyns' tours, but the continued media feeding frenzy will panick enough investors to dump their Euros and give all Spyns clients a bit more wine this summer.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. We offer week-long trips to Europe including tours to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about our Tour de France trips, please visit our website http://www.tdf-tours.com/, email us at info@tdf-tours.com, or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

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