It’s July and you know what that means. It is time for the Tour de France. The 95th edition has started. I have mixed feelings about this year’s tour. I always look forward to watching it, but I am disappointed that team Astana was not allowed to race in this year’s tour. Team Astana has Alberto Contador (last years winner) and Levi Leipheimer (3rd place last year). It sucks that they can’t come back and defend the yellow jersey.

I’m going to watch anyways, because it is the Tour de France and for the first time there are 2 American teams - Team Columbia (formerly High Road) and Team Garmin/Chipotle (formerly Slipstream/Chipotle). Above photo by Graham Watson.

A list of other American teams in the Tour de France throughout history:

• 7-11 1986-1990
• Motorola 1991 - 1996
• U.S. Postal 1997-2004
• Discovery Channel 2005-2007

My prediction: Cadel Evans will win the yellow jersey. I hope he does, because I have a picture with him from when I met him at the Sea Otter Classic. Back then he was a World Champion mountain biker.