[Marathon]

I would have liked to see Jan do well, but I can't convince myself that he'd have had much chance against Basso. I think Jan's heart just isn't in it. He's got all the talent in the world, but year after year he'd show up at the tour overweight. I just don't think the desire is there.

The problem now is that no matter who wins, the victory will have an asterisk beside it in everyones' minds. Like they said when Armstrong won when Pantani and Ullrich weren't there (although he definitely proved the naysayers wrong later).

The upside is that this should be one of the least predictable tours of recent memory!