Spot of Fantasy TdF anyone? I've set up a mini league on this website, and entered my team in the 'Pirate Ship of Cyclists' league (id = 01210328). It's free to enter if anyone fancies giving it a go.
The last time I tried something like this I entered Cougie's mates competition and finished last (mainly cos my riders were either busted for drugs or in teams that were dq'd as a rider had been busted).
so, can we discuss stuff on this thread as it happens. ie it'll be a spoiler thread? otherwise no one will ever write anything for fear of upsetting someone who'll only be watching the itv highlights while they eat their breakfast the next day.
The Tour de France starts today, fittingly in Rotterdam.
The TV audience for cycling's annual event has dwindled over the years. Britons who enjoy watching men in Lycra perform while on drugs now attend parties hosted by Tory MPs instead.
You know a sport is boring when most people watch purely in the hope of seeing a pile-up. Everyone loves to see a crash, a fact proved when in 2004 Crash won Best Picture Oscar.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, the man with the most unfashionable name in sport, finished fourth last year and is 25-1 to win this year. Wiggins, riding for Team Sky, claims the satellite dish on to his helmet won't hinder his performance.
so, can we discuss stuff on this thread as it happens. ie it'll be a spoiler thread? otherwise no one will ever write anything for fear of upsetting someone who'll only be watching the itv highlights while they eat their breakfast the next day.
I think I'd prefer that we keep the moratorium that we keep this spoiler free, and assume that everyone will be catching up on ITV4 at 7pm. For the weekend stages (when there's more of a chance people will be watching live with pc to hand) we could have a separate thread for speculation etc.
Anyhow- enjoyed the prologue, nice to see that Lance still has a set of legs. Normal stage 1 silliness- to a certain extent I can understand the excitement (first day at school and all that), but these guys are used to cycling in packs- surely no excuse for poor handling (or judgment)?
that was one hell of a blockage yesterday......don't think I've ever seen such a huge pile up and ensuing chaos.....
I dunno - but some of the roads they were cycling on seemed uber-narrow for the sheer volume of riders even though the big pile up was on a wide stretch.
today's cobbles should be interesting - some pundits reckon that today could sort out the leadership board
yep - cobbles tomorrow - my mistake. just remembered reading it as the 3rd full day of the tour which taking the prologue into account will be the 4th day
i've got some time in lieu so i'll take an afternoon off to watch it. two weeks holiday coming up as well so i'll catch some of the last two weeks of the tour. it's not as exciting as the giro but somehow it's stature makes up for that. anyway, it'll be interesting to see who's tour chances are over or as good as over by the end of tuesday.
it's a shame yesterdays stage fizzled out into a last man upright wins.
Indeed - crash fest (although the dog was funny, albeit not to green (!) jersey wearer Miller and Basso) taking out Cav, Frieire (sp?) and Farrar.
I say you are perfectly entitled to discuss events on this thread as they happen - if people don't want to know the result they don't read the thread. Simples.
ITV4 seemed to think it a little too lumpy for a sprint finish. Cav and or Hushovd to contest the first two intermediate sprints? Any chance for one of the local Belgian riders to big it up in front of the home crowd?
OK, seriously underwhelmed by ITV view on-demand. Go to the website only to be told the result on the tag line under the video- said video is the 2.5 min highlights and it looks like the 1 hour highlight package is only available from yesterday. Harummph (wanders off looking for the Richer Sounds catalogue for a cheapo Freeview recorder).
FFS - if they do the same on the cobbles tomorrow it's really going to spoil the race. Why don't we just reduce things to a handful of mountain top finishes and save ourselves 3 weeks of racing.
it's pretty lame really. the tdf is already pretty sanitised. soon they just be racing on dual carriage ways. they won't have mountains as they're as the roads won't be perfectly metalled. in fact teh sprinters will probably complain the mountains ruin their chances of taking the maillot jaune so those stages will be neutralised.
it's been a damp squib of a tour so far really. i wonder if the cyclists will remember they're in the entertainment industry today. i hope so. riding as a slow group on the cobbles will be boring as hell.
Hushovd was pretty pissed off after with the peloton antics. Cancellara seemed to be having too much influence on yesterday's "protest" and to see him talking to the RD as they were coming in just smacked of a conspiracy somewhere.
I am off work and really hoping that they don't neutralise the race today - this is the strong guys' chance to bounce the light guys off their bikes - remember what happened to Mayo a few years ago - he lost the race in the first week on the cobbles. I want a race
I thought that slowing the peleton down to allow the Schlecks to get back was good team riding. Cancellara isn't going to be in the top 50 in 2 weeks, But once they were back in the bunch itshould have been game on
I agree it was good to allow the peleton to regroup, we don't want lots of gc guys out over one slippery hill, but once they were back together they could have raced - good news for Cav though as he wouldn't have got any green jersey points anyway
Comments
the guys doing the interviews were pretty dumb i thought.
i hope the 2007 depart came across a bit better to foreigners.
Spot of Fantasy TdF anyone? I've set up a mini league on this website, and entered my team in the 'Pirate Ship of Cyclists' league (id = 01210328). It's free to enter if anyone fancies giving it a go.
The last time I tried something like this I entered Cougie's mates competition and finished last (mainly cos my riders were either busted for drugs or in teams that were dq'd as a rider had been busted).
this made me laugh
Bradley Wiggins 25-1 to win Tour de France <!-- font resizer -->By Derek Mcgovern <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/mcgovern/2010/07/03/" title="Find all articles published on 3/07/2010 to the Derek McGovern section">3/07/2010</a>
The Tour de France starts today, fittingly in Rotterdam.
The TV audience for cycling's annual event has dwindled over the years. Britons who enjoy watching men in Lycra perform while on drugs now attend parties hosted by Tory MPs instead.
You know a sport is boring when most people watch purely in the hope of seeing a pile-up. Everyone loves to see a crash, a fact proved when in 2004 Crash won Best Picture Oscar.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, the man with the most unfashionable name in sport, finished fourth last year and is 25-1 to win this year. Wiggins, riding for Team Sky, claims the satellite dish on to his helmet won't hinder his performance.
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/mcgovern/2010/07/03/bradley-wiggins-25-1-to-win-tour-de-france-115875-22378724/#ixzz0sgjbbPG1I think I'd prefer that we keep the moratorium that we keep this spoiler free, and assume that everyone will be catching up on ITV4 at 7pm. For the weekend stages (when there's more of a chance people will be watching live with pc to hand) we could have a separate thread for speculation etc.
Anyhow- enjoyed the prologue, nice to see that Lance still has a set of legs. Normal stage 1 silliness- to a certain extent I can understand the excitement (first day at school and all that), but these guys are used to cycling in packs- surely no excuse for poor handling (or judgment)?
I dunno - but some of the roads they were cycling on seemed uber-narrow for the sheer volume of riders even though the big pile up was on a wide stretch.
today's cobbles should be interesting - some pundits reckon that today could sort out the leadership board
Thought the cobbles were tomorrow ?
Great if today as I'm working from home, crap if tomorrow as I am stuck in customer meetings all day
Just checked my race guide.. Cobbles tomorrow
Look like today has parts of the spring classic routes http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/200/etape_par_etape.html
Tuesday is the cobblefest
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/300/etape_par_etape.html
i've got some time in lieu so i'll take an afternoon off to watch it. two weeks holiday coming up as well so i'll catch some of the last two weeks of the tour. it's not as exciting as the giro but somehow it's stature makes up for that. anyway, it'll be interesting to see who's tour chances are over or as good as over by the end of tuesday.
it's a shame yesterdays stage fizzled out into a last man upright wins.
Indeed - crash fest (although the dog was funny, albeit not to green (!) jersey wearer Miller and Basso) taking out Cav, Frieire (sp?) and Farrar.
I say you are perfectly entitled to discuss events on this thread as they happen - if people don't want to know the result they don't read the thread. Simples.
looks like a few lumps. i wonder if it'll be a breakaway win today
ITV4 seemed to think it a little too lumpy for a sprint finish. Cav and or Hushovd to contest the first two intermediate sprints? Any chance for one of the local Belgian riders to big it up in front of the home crowd?
FFS - if they do the same on the cobbles tomorrow it's really going to spoil the race. Why don't we just reduce things to a handful of mountain top finishes and save ourselves 3 weeks of racing.
it's pretty lame really. the tdf is already pretty sanitised. soon they just be racing on dual carriage ways. they won't have mountains as they're as the roads won't be perfectly metalled. in fact teh sprinters will probably complain the mountains ruin their chances of taking the maillot jaune so those stages will be neutralised.
it's been a damp squib of a tour so far really. i wonder if the cyclists will remember they're in the entertainment industry today. i hope so. riding as a slow group on the cobbles will be boring as hell.
Fair enough to let the peloton regroup after the crashes but not sprinting? Stupid and insulting to the spectators at the finish.
That's exactly what Boardman said and I agree with both of you. Cav and Farrar got lucky as Hushovd was right at the front of the Peloton.
I normally watch the ITV4 highlights - do they use the same pictures as Eurosport?
get racing guys or piss off home