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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
2002 Tour de France journals
John Eustice, Tour de France International Show host
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Nationality: American
New Yorker John Eustice is the host of the Tour de France's 2002 International Show, broadcasting to over 30 countries world-wide, with play by play by Phil Ligget. Eustice is covering his ninth Tour De France, his previous eight with ESPN and ABC Sports. In cycling, the 46 year old Eustice was the first-ever USPRO Champion in 1982. Originally from Ivyland, Pennsylvania, Eustice competed in the Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana and World Cycling Championships. When he's not at the Tour de France, the father of two runs his sports event promotion company Sparta, organizers of the Housatonic Valley Classic and the Univest Grand Prix.
Stage 13 - Friday July 19: Lannenezan - Plateau de Beille, 199.5 km
Stage 14 - Sunday July 21: Lodève - Mont Ventoux, 221 km
Stage 15 - Tuesday July 23: Vaison-le-Romaine - Les deux Alpes, 226.5 km
Stage 16 - Wednesday July 24: Les Deux Alpes - La Plagne, 179.5 km
Fast Freddy negotiates Domo's cultural divide
"Fred Rodriguez and Oscar Freire are the most talented riders I have ever worked with." A friendly soigneur on Domo, who'd followed Patrick Lefevre over from his Mapei command, was talking to me about his enigmatic American star. "It's just that, and this sounds funny with Lance leading the Tour, he's just too American sometimes."
Fred has been having a rough Tour. He'd developed a case of bronchitis before the First Union USPRO Championships, and tried to bluff his way through the races before succumbing to the inevitable. "Fred was pretty good in the Tour de Suisse afterwards, so we had hope for the team," my friend continued. "But he's been very bad so far."
Rodriguez presents a difficult choice for a team director. He is an incredible talent - fast, strong, tactically astute, with the gift of smelling out a finish line and making the right moves. A winner. And he can make teammates win, as we saw on the Champs Elysées in 2000 when he delivered the leadout to Zanini. At the same time, there appears to be an independence, perhaps a self-absorption, in him that troubles the Europeans. "When Fred is focused on something, its incredible what he can do. The problem is getting him to focus. He only wants to do his own ideas. Maybe it's the South American background, maybe California, I don't know. But he's too, how do you say, laid back." For the hard-nosed, 'train 220km in the sleet and rain' Belgians, it must be a tough cultural divide to negotiate.
"Fred is getting better every day. Yesterday he sat dead last in the peloton, riders were being dropped all the time, but he hung onto that position. We've never seen that." The unspoken is that he was using the race as a training ride, if you will, instead of lending a hand to Virenque. I offered up that maybe Fred would be good on the Champs Elysées.
"Yes, maybe, but it is very risky to base your entire Tour on the last day in Paris."
The Tour is where the contracts are negotiated for the following year. It's here that Patrick Lefevre announced he was leaving Domo to head the new Quick Step team, and many positions are still open. Rodriguez's name has not been mentioned in the press so far, despite his 2nd places this year at Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem.
For Fred Rodriguez, these last days of the Tour are crucial. A professional athlete is allowed to have an independent character, but consistent, superb performances are needed to justify that free spirit.
Today's stage, with its two HC climbs and the finish at La Plagne, is too hard for him. Tomorrow, doubtful. Cluses to Bourg en Bresse is a perfect Rodriguez stage, and he needs a good performance. Go Freddy.
Editor's note: Rodriguez finished outside the time delay on today's stage, and thus is out of the Tour de France.
