Congratulations, Contador

Photo: AP / Peter Dejong

And to Tom Boonen for the sprinter's green jersey, Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez and the best climber's polka dot jersey, and Amets Txurruka for the best young rider's white jersey (actually, after Contador and Soler). One of the overlooked facts is that this is a very young group of great riders. This bodes well for the future of the Tour. Older, high-profile riders who doped were caught (kicking out Vino and Rasmussen is huge - see Dan's previous comment). Rather than interpreting these doping cases in terms of a corrupt sport, they really ought to be seen as a sincere effort to clean up the sport. The young riders are, in a fairly obvious sense, the future of the Tour. But the word is that it is also the younger riders who are leading the anti-doping sentiment within the peloton. This year's Tour, rather than being a scandal, may turn out to be historic.

AND...

Photo: AP / Dita Alangkara

Congratulations to Iraq for its victory in the Asian Cup, and having, for once, cause to rejoice.