The topic of the day is moral ambiguity.      Yes, I’m writing about France, which brings us the Tour de France.      The race that lives up my definition of why it’s worth watching professional athletes on TV – they are doing things most people never could. Like ride up a mountain where I’d struggle to walk my bike, and do it way faster than I can ride on a flat road.      Oh, yes there is that other annual tradition, the doping scandals. This year it resulted in 3 riders kicked out of the race so far, and there’s always the chance that more could follow, even after it wraps up this weekend.      It’s enough to make myself, and a lot of other people, wonder if the whole thing is absolutely hinky. It’s been enough to drive away many of the biggest sponsors. But I’m over that.      To me the question isn't is there cheating?, it's what are they doing to get rid of it?      After doping scandals going back a decade, the tour is paying a high price to kick out stars who have used banned substances to up their red blood count for a punishing trip.      With the Olympics coming up, lots of sports fans will have to deal with the reality that the old baseball maxim: if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying,” is a common enough credo in sport, and life.     The number of cheaters kicked out of the race, which had weeded out quite a few contenders even before the start, shows the powerful urge to get an edge.     Riders do seem almost demonically driven, which is part of the appeal to me. Like the guy who crashed into a sign and was shown on this You Tube clip flying over the handlebars as his bike snapped in half. And then he got on another bike and finished that da... Read more