Le Tour 2011

dmccormack

dmccormack

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dan Mc
I'm surprised there's not already a thread....

The Tour in HD is amazing. Even better is HD DVR (yeah, I'm a Luddite and just jumped on the bandwagon).

4 hours of coverage a day compressed to about 1.5 of viewing. Phil and Paul continue to make even feed zones interesting.

I'm glad they brought the team time trial back AND dispensed with the prologue.
 
Some talk over on the PB.

BTW my favorite Philism from the tour so far: "Fabio Cancelara has legs and he uses them everyday!"

WTF Phil?


for the race itself I am glad to see Thor in yellow. I always liked him, even though he is a Norwegian. I was especially happy to see him take a lead out in the stage a couple of days ago to help his teammate win. That is what the race should be like. Not the boring watch Lance in the middle of the pack until one or two mountain stages. YAWN!

BTW big crack up today. Lots of riders down. No major injuries, thankfully, but at least one drop and there was blood.
 
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ScottM said:
Some talk over on the PB.

BTW my favorite Philism from the tour so far: "Fabio Cancelara has legs and he uses them everyday!"

WTF Phil?


for the race itself I am glad to see Thor in yellow. I always liked him, even though he is a Norwegian. I was especially happy to see him take a lead out in the stage a couple of days ago to help his teammate win. That is what the race should be like. Not the boring watch Lance in the middle of the pack until one or two mountain stages. YAWN!

BTW big crack up today. Lots of riders down. No major injuries, thankfully, but at least one drop and there was blood.
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The same complaint was made about Indurain: "Watch [yellow jersey] in the middle of the pack until [big stage]."

I enjoy watching the tour for the team tactics, the little guy breakaways, the beautiful scenery, the dramatic moments (Lance getting up from a crash and overtaking to win the stage)....
 
We've been watching the tour. I have a DVR, so I fast forward through parts of it, but not a lot of it. I really enjoy the aerial views of the villages they ride through. I'm pretty much a fan of the Tour, Dakar, and of Moto GP.
 
Maxmosbey said:
We've been watching the tour. I have a DVR, so I fast forward through parts of it, but not a lot of it. I really enjoy the aerial views of the villages they ride through. I'm pretty much a fan of the Tour, Dakar, and of Moto GP.
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The DVR helps immensely.

LOTS of crashes -- not sure what's going on.... :confused:
 
denverpilot said:
NASCAR with wine instead of beer. Zzzzz.
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Oh really? What countryside and villages does NASCAR roll through?

Other differences between TdF and NASCAR::

  • You can't see the contestants in NASCAR
  • The venue is so loud it is the loneliest spectator sport on earth
  • The announcers are annoying
oh -- and a ticket to a NASCAR event >$100
 
dmccormack said:
Oh really? What countryside and villages does NASCAR roll through?
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Well, there's Talladega, Dover, Phoenix, Fontana...
I think that cycling races on TV are incredibly lame because the cyclists don't display superior skill, necessarily, but merely superior endurance. It's not like watching golf, where the viewer appreciates the incredible mastery on display. It's just a bunch of dudes in hotpants pedaling, machine-like, around some pretty towns with smelly townsfolk.
NASCAR is worse, though.
 
Telemakhos said:
Well, there's Talladega, Dover, Phoenix, Fontana...
I think that cycling races on TV are incredibly lame because the cyclists don't display superior skill, necessarily, but merely superior endurance. It's not like watching golf, where the viewer appreciates the incredible mastery on display. It's just a bunch of dudes in hotpants pedaling, machine-like, around some pretty towns with smelly townsfolk.
NASCAR is worse, though.
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NASCAR does not ride through any of the cities you named. It only is run on tracks. There is no country side to see in a NASCAR race and an overly sanitized track. Tdf ha all kinda o races happening in the big race that one can watch for many different reasons. the riders are chemically enhanced superman too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Telemakhos said:
Well, there's Talladega, Dover, Phoenix, Fontana...
I think that cycling races on TV are incredibly lame because the cyclists don't display superior skill, necessarily, but merely superior endurance. It's not like watching golf, where the viewer appreciates the incredible mastery on display. It's just a bunch of dudes in hotpants pedaling, machine-like, around some pretty towns with smelly townsfolk.
NASCAR is worse, though.
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Dude, ride your bike at 15 MPH 10 miles up a 10% slope, then ride down hairpins at 50 MPH for another 10 miles inches from other cyclists and then tell us how little skill is involved....

:rolleyes2:

If you haven't raced, you wouldn't know the skill required just to maintain position in the pack.
 
dmccormack said:
If you haven't raced, you wouldn't know the skill required just to maintain position in the pack.
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Well, of course I wouldn't. I can guess, however. Anything done at that level of athletic professionalism requires lots of skill, but I would be surprised if the skill were ultimately more central to winning cycle races than endurance and strength.
As far as your comment, Scott... I was trying to make a joke that I guess fell flat. Sorry about that. I realize that they are not actually racing NASCAR cars through the streets of Atlanta like some redneck rally car event. However, my interest in NASCAR would increase a hundredfold if they did that.
 
dmccormack said:
oh -- and a ticket to a NASCAR event >$100
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I'll just whip out my free airline ticket to France... Oh... Where'd I leave that thing? ;)

Did happen to catch (on the news) where the press car sideswiped the one guy and sent the other into a barbed wire fence. That was interesting.

Luckily all were uninjured.

The whole team thing turns me off. Mules pulling the stars around in the draft until they're ready for their grandstanding breakaway.

Just not my thing to watch, other than in very small doses. To each their own.

My old boss was virtually addicted so I got the highlights every day. I smiled and nodded a lot.

The mountain stages look rough on the riders.
 
denverpilot said:
I'll just whip out my free airline ticket to France... Oh... Where'd I leave that thing? ;)

Did happen to catch (on the news) where the press car sideswiped the one guy and sent the other into a barbed wire fence. That was interesting.

Luckily all were uninjured.

The whole team thing turns me off. Mules pulling the stars around in the draft until they're ready for their grandstanding breakaway.

Just not my thing to watch, other than in very small doses. To each their own.

My old boss was virtually addicted so I got the highlights every day. I smiled and nodded a lot.

The mountain stages look rough on the riders.
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I saw the guy get hit by the press car. That was ugly. As far as the team thing, those "mules" get paid a lot to get the sprinters into position. I don't see it as grandstanding. It is a team. Some riders are better at pulling, and some are better at sprinting. Some are better at climbing. Just like any sport. Everyone on the baseball team can't be the pitcher, and everyone on the football team can't be the quarterback, There has to be a catcher and a center. I really like the team concept. The way they work together. The strategy. I think it is an interesting sport.
 
I love the Tour. One of my favorite vacation highlights involves seeing the Tour live in two locations. Provence one day (mountains) and then a hightail to Paris that evening to see them finish the next day.

I plan to make another vacation centered around seeing the Tour in at least 4-5 locations, in the next year or two. Lotta driving/logistics - but it's so much fun. A big outdoor party - for days.
 
Telemakhos said:
Well, of course I wouldn't. I can guess, however. Anything done at that level of athletic professionalism requires lots of skill, but I would be surprised if the skill were ultimately more central to winning cycle races than endurance and strength.
As far as your comment, Scott... I was trying to make a joke that I guess fell flat. Sorry about that. I realize that they are not actually racing NASCAR cars through the streets of Atlanta like some redneck rally car event. However, my interest in NASCAR would increase a hundredfold if they did that.
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Maybe not "more", but higher than you think. I was surprised to learn that after I started paying attention to the sport. A lot of strategy goes into this.

This year seems to have an awful lot of crashes.
 
I'm rooting for Andy.

These guys are just absolutely astounding athletes. You really notice it when they're climbing the hills. Any yokel, like me for example, can go fast on the flats. These guys climb hills like nobody's business. Then toss in 150 of your closest competitors and a bunch of drunken fans hemming you in on narrow European roads whilst riding? I'm very impressed.
 
I like the Schlecks, also Thor and Voeckler. I am so pysched that there is a Frenchman in the lead. It would be great if Voeckler won!!!

BTW did anyone see the giant "Lance Who?" sign near the summit towards the finish of today's race? I laughed out loud for that one.
 
ScottM said:
I like the Schlecks, also Thor and Voeckler. I am so pysched that there is a Frenchman in the lead. It would be great if Voeckler won!!!

BTW did anyone see the giant "Lance Who?" sign near the summit towards the finish of today's race? I laughed out loud for that one.
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WTF kindo American are you????? A Frenchman in the lead???? I'd suggest Obama chuck a Tomahawk at the maillot jaune if this sort of thing continues.

Don't you remember Hinault, that double-crossing mfing suckbag jerkwad who tried to screw Greg Lemond?????? Man, that alone is enough for me to hate the French. Nevermind Laurent Fignon - Satan will take care of him in due time.
 
flyersfan31 said:
WTF kindo American are you????? A Frenchman in the lead???? I'd suggest Obama chuck a Tomahawk at the maillot jaune if this sort of thing continues.

Don't you remember Hinault, that double-crossing mfing suckbag jerkwad who tried to screw Greg Lemond?????? Man, that alone is enough for me to hate the French. Nevermind Laurent Fignon - Satan will take care of him in due time.
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Lemond is a douchebag of the first order. It annoys me that I have his name on two of my bikes. The guy has no class. Hinault did screw him, but I think he kind of deserved, his ego was far in the lead than anyone's except maybe Contador.
 
Yeasterday's stage was awesome. I like Thor, and love the fact that his two wins this year were on mountain stages. Not too shabby for a sprinter :-)

It will be interesting what the Schlecks will do in the mountains now that Andy has lost some time. I do agree with Scott. Anyone but Contador would be good.
 
vontresc said:
Yeasterday's stage was awesome. I like Thor, and love the fact that his two wins this year were on mountain stages. Not too shabby for a sprinter :-)

It will be interesting what the Schlecks will do in the mountains now that Andy has lost some time. I do agree with Scott. Anyone but Contador would be good.
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I think I am on record with saying that IMHO it would be nice to change up the TdF to more of a race that sprinters could also excel in. I like that Thor won yesterday, it was great to see a sprinter do well in the alps. Typically that whole group of guys is history by the 2nd week and all we are looking at is the usual suspects for the GC.

BTW am I the only person to really hate the announcing by Phil?

The stupid statement he made earlier in the race about "he has legs and uses them everyday" was only surpassed yesterday as he was speaking about the gaps as they headed into Gap, because there was a climb and then they would finish in Gap and the gap might close by then. Gap, gap, Gap, gap :mad2::mad2:

I want Bobke and Paul to be the prime announcers.
 
I think they should just change it to a race from Le Havre (is that pronounced like Brett Favre?) to Marseille or Nice. No stages, no time trials, no travel days and gaps in the race, just "here's the route, go" You want to chance riding at night? Go for it.
 
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EdFred said:
I think they should just change it to a race from Le Havre (is that pronounced like Brett Favre?) to Marseille or Nice. No stages, no time trials, just "here's the route, go" You want to chance riding at night? Go for it.
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There are several such bicycle races, and not just in France.

http://www.ultracycling.com/
 
I love Phil. And who doesn't love Bob Roll???

LeMond was a good guy until he went crazy. Remember when he won, wifey met him before the podium, he was the all-American guy.

I think years out of the limelight and crappy business sense have beaten him down and made him into a freak. However, at his peak, he was a good guy. Hinault? Never. I'd kick him in the shin if I ever met him, just because.
 
flyersfan31 said:
I love Phil. And who doesn't love Bob Roll???

LeMond was a good guy until he went crazy. Remember when he won, wifey met him before the podium, he was the all-American guy.

I think years out of the limelight and crappy business sense have beaten him down and made him into a freak. However, at his peak, he was a good guy. Hinault? Never. I'd kick him in the shin if I ever met him, just because.
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Contador strikes me as a shin-kickable type.

Bjarne Riis was the everyman winner.

Lance followed Indurain's model -- scary good.

Cippolini and Pantani were fun to have around. Virenque -- ugh.
 
flyersfan31 said:
I love Phil. And who doesn't love Bob Roll???
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True dat about Bobke. But Phil....he just rubs me the wrong way. His stream of conscious announcing is like noise, the noise that comes from finger nails on a black board. Heck, I would rather have Al Trautwig announcing than Phil!


Go Bobke!

 
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