In a battle of "name" riders, Ryder will compete against Bauke Mollema, another guy who can climb (but not necessarily TT) with the best. Next season they'll both be angling for GC leadership at Trek. Hope Ryder can avoid this again this year.
Adam DeVos is heading up H&R Block. Good luck to him!
This is an interesting article about some of the background of this year's edition, including the following:
- Average daily Sportsnet viewership (i.e. domestic TV) has been a measly 70,000.
- Total six-day, roadside attendance last year (incl. a start downtown Calgary and a finish downtown Edmonton): 189,000
- Total international viewership last year: 45 million.
- Towns pay $250,000 for the right to host a day's stage. That explains some of the Tour's growing pains, I guess. Sometimes the most scenic places aren't the best positioned to host, financially or practically.
- With two weeks to go, organizers booted a Cdn. telecast consortium and signed on with the group that does the Tour of Cali. Hope it's more professional than the past few years. Delaying coverage until after work should help.