07-06-2016, 12:42 PM | #1 | ||
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
Tour de France - 2016
It's an annual tradition that we have a Tour de France thread here that gets widely ignored then quickly dies. So this year I'll start it.
Five stages in, all watchable so far. Until today it was sprint finishes, breakaways that nearly but not quite made it, popular riders (Cavendish (is he popular, I kind of like/hate him) and Sagan) doing well, couple of favorites in trouble (Contador crash and Porte with an inopportune flat tire). Today was a relatively early relatively mountainy stage, and I'll avoid spoilers to avoid spoiling. But it was good. Commence now with the half-dozen half-hearted replies before the FOFC TdF thread fades away for another year. |
||
07-06-2016, 12:45 PM | #2 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New Hampshire
|
Quote:
I think the Euros and Wimbledon are going to command the majority of whatever sports viewing time I have in the morning/midday for a bit longer. |
|
07-06-2016, 12:49 PM | #3 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
I would hope that people don't click on a thread if they aren't up to date with the day's events, but I will play along
Spoiler
|
07-06-2016, 01:01 PM | #4 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
Yeah, I wasnt really sure about spoilers. I went safe on the chance that some people may be at work then watch the rerun this evening.
Spoiler
|
07-06-2016, 01:11 PM | #5 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
I tend to agree, which is why I was confused by the BBC suggesting it was a mistake or miscalculation. I see it having absolutely no impact on the final result.
|
07-06-2016, 01:24 PM | #6 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
|
While i am generally over cycling as a sport and have little to no idea whats been happening the last couple years, i definitely tune in every once in the while for the landscape-porn
__________________
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!” |
07-07-2016, 01:54 PM | #7 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Ironically, Van Avermaet won the Tirreno Adriatico earlier this year because of miscalculation of the GC riders, but that was mostly a result of bad weather cancelling the only mountain stage. For the big GC contenders, he's not interesting. Eventually he'll end up an hour and more behind the eventual winner. I see him capable of maintaining it through Friday's stage, as it has only one climb and has a 7 km downhill finish. On Saturday he'd have to get into a successful breakaway to stand a chance.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
07-07-2016, 02:32 PM | #8 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Chicagoland
|
Quote:
This is me. For a period of over 10 years I followed the TdF religiously every year. No longer. |
|
07-08-2016, 10:13 AM | #9 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
Never seen that before...
|
07-08-2016, 03:48 PM | #10 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
Yeah, strange ending, strange day all round. Strange winner, strange yellow jersey day, strange Nibali.
This no-spoilers thng sucks. |
07-09-2016, 12:20 PM | #11 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
|
07-10-2016, 09:09 AM | #12 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Quote:
Froome's attack yesterday was much more surprising.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
|
07-10-2016, 09:11 AM | #13 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
That, however, was very strange.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
07-14-2016, 10:15 AM | #14 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
Between the inflatable banner and what happened today, this tour is a fucking mess.
|
07-14-2016, 10:45 AM | #15 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
That was ridiculous. Tinkov was interviewed a few days ago and said ASO shouldnt be allowed to organize major events, looks like he's right.
Bauke Mollema came across as a bit of a dick in his interview (where he said it was just Froome's bad luck and should stand) and in Tejay Van Garderens interview (he said he thought they should have neutralized the stage and not taken advantage, but Mollema attacked). |
07-14-2016, 10:48 AM | #16 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
Every year they talk about the behavior of the fans and how close they get to the riders and they need to do something about it, this year it finally made a farce of the biggest stage on the tour. Complete joke, and you know there will be no ending of complaining if they do give Froome the time back now.
|
07-14-2016, 11:18 AM | #17 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: The State of Insanity
|
Looks like they gave him the time back:
Chris Froome keeps Tour de France yellow jersey after stage 12 ends in farce | Sport | The Guardian
__________________
Check out Foz's New Video Game Site, An 8-bit Mind in an 8GB world! http://an8bitmind.com |
07-14-2016, 11:21 AM | #18 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
They gave him Mollema's time, which is good (and fair) because he doesn't somehow lose time on Quintana, but he would have probably put at least another minute into him if the crash hadn't happened, because Mollema was held up as well and had his momentum stopped.
Just a complete mess all around. Farce is the right word and this has been coming for years. |
07-14-2016, 11:45 AM | #19 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Quote:
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
|
07-14-2016, 11:58 AM | #20 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Quote:
It's weird how the race organizations, after all the incidents earlier on this season, still can have a situation like this occur.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
|
07-14-2016, 12:05 PM | #21 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
Quote:
Oh, I totally agree. You can't just start making up times, but for all the grumblings I'm sure we're going to hear that Froome is getting favorable treatment, I'm just pointing out that he could have basically put the tour away for all intents and purposes if the incident hadn't happened. The fans do seem to get worse year after year though. One thing I don't think I've seen before but saw multiple times today is the blowing of colored smoke devices/chalk (not sure exactly what they are) into the faces of the riders, which I'm sure feels great when you are hauling a bike up a 9% gradient after a 200km ride. That and the flags across the raceway, the idiots who run alongside and put their hands on the riders and my special favorite the woman who pretty much stepped into the peleton to get a photo - I don't know what the answer is and the fact that the fans were compressed into 6k less space probably doesn't help, but they have to do something about it. |
|
07-15-2016, 05:14 AM | #22 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Quote:
Fwiw, Quintana, Valverde and Van Garderen also received special treatment, getting the same time as Adam Yates, despite finishing 7 seconds behind.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
|
07-15-2016, 11:50 PM | #23 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: heaven
|
Question for those with more knowledge than I have (I have watched the Tour since the eighties, when it was shown only as weekend recaps, but don't follow the entire season)...
Is Tejay really good or just hyped by Phil and Paul on the US shows to try to build an audience? The past couple of years they have him in the GC contenders group before the race, and say how he is so good at this or that, but he always seems to disappoint in the actual stages. Can't keep up with the top group, ever, it seems, and they touted him as someone who would battle Fromme in the TT, but not so much. Just wondering how he is viewed overall.
__________________
Check out The Unofficial FOFC Movie Guide Here |
07-16-2016, 02:39 AM | #24 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Newbury, England
|
He's a wheel-sucker: can follow most increases in tempo, but not the full blown attacks.
However, the same was said about Cadel Evans, and he ended up winning a Tour. The difference between TJ and Evans though it that Evans could follow for longer, so tbh I only ever see TJ being a super-domestique - his team mate and co-leader Richie Porte has basically blown him out of the water on every uphill section this year, and would have been the undoubted number 1 very early on if he hadn't lost 90 seconds through an unlucky mechanical on one of the early days.
__________________
'A song is a beautiful lie', Idlewild, Self Healer. When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. Sports! |
07-18-2016, 09:55 AM | #25 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
|
Quote:
Compared to the competition this year, Froome and Quintana are the clearcut big2, even with Quintana struggling the last couple of days. Valverde is a better climber, but I suspect he'll to have a bad day in the last week, Bardet and Mollema are also slightly better uphill, but Van Garderen can beat those guys in the ITT, normally. I'm still a non-believer in Porte until he actually has grand tour GC results on his resume, right now it's limited to a single 7th place in Giro d'Italia. Aru should be better than his current GC rank. Dan Martin is a classics rider, I'll be surprised if he maintains his top10 spot. Kreuziger is similar to Van Garderen, but older. Meintjes a pure climber. Rodriguez appears past his peak, but could bounce back in the last mountain stages and surge back into the top5. Adam Yates is too young to have an opinion on. It would be nice if he can maintain, but it's too early to judge. From 14th and lower, it's unlikely those riders will compete for the top5/10 spots from here on.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail |
|
01-18-2017, 02:57 PM | #26 |
General Manager
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
|
Great article if you're a cycling fan.
The Long Ride For The First American Team To Race The Tour Of Iran |
09-08-2018, 04:43 AM | #27 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Newbury, England
|
For anyone interested in cycling, the Vuelta is shaping up to be one of the best Grand Tours in recent memory, worth a look, especially as this weekend is likely to be criticial.
On a much sadder note, a reminder that the sport is dangerous, even for the best, and an example of the mentality of a champion: Kristina Vogel 'can't walk any more' after injuring spine during crash - BBC Sport
__________________
'A song is a beautiful lie', Idlewild, Self Healer. When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. Sports! |
09-13-2018, 07:00 AM | #28 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Newbury, England
|
Inspirational and emotional article with more details on Kristina Vogel
Kristina Vogel on crash that left her paralysed: 'I've learned it is OK to cry at how bad it is' - BBC Sport
__________________
'A song is a beautiful lie', Idlewild, Self Healer. When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. Sports! |
06-12-2019, 10:38 PM | #29 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
|
Still almost a month to go before this year's Tour, but one of the favorites out. Chris Froome, four-times champion and possible Lance Armstrong Tribute Act, crashed into a wall today while trying to blow his nose at high speed.
Broken leg (complete with protruding bones), fractured elbow, broken hip, and broken ribs. He's in intensive care and the team manager says "he's not in great shape". |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
|
|