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NFR - TdF

Started by RidgeRider, July 05, 2010, 02:26:00 PM

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RidgeRider

Well, in the nick of time, given I needed something to fill the void of no Fulham, no new manager and no races for me in July, the Tour de France is on!

The greatest spectacle in the world is in Belgium today and after yesterday's carnage, today should be interesting.

You English have one of the serious contenders in the race this year in Bradley Wiggins, though I must say his Prologue time was far from his best, he will be a factor this year after a remarkable 4th place last year. You also have David Millar (though I think he was born in Malto but grew up near London) and the Isle of Man Manx missile Mark Cavendish. Millar has a chance for a top 5 place as well.

manxman

Cav went to the school around the corner from where i live, aparently hes a bit of a ****. But oh well, he is doing the whole Island proud, and will be following him through out the TDF .
"What in the hell is diversity?"
"Well, I could be wrong, but I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era."

jarv

I ride my bike every day for a bit of exercise but never quite got into following a race which lasts for days. (other than the 30 second bit on the news). However, I can watch ski racing all day! Each to their own.

When I used to live in Putney, rode my bike a bit.....warning...bike riding in london can damage your health. I rode around richmond park but getting to and from the park was the dangerous bit.


RidgeRider

Quote from: manxman on July 05, 2010, 03:22:07 PM
Cav went to the school around the corner from where i live, aparently hes a bit of a ****. But oh well, he is doing the whole Island proud, and will be following him through out the TDF .

He is not well liked, unfortunately, because of his......'uh-hem'......confidence but he is the fastest man in the world on a bike and he's young. Terrific talent and he will likely go down as the greatest sprinter ever, he'll also likely mellow as the years tick away.

He went down yesterday, but I think he did it to himself. I have been in races like that where two riders lean into each other....I always stay up while the other guy goes down. Sometimes it's good being a Clydesdale.  :dft012:

Teabag

Quote from: jarv on July 05, 2010, 03:46:22 PM
I ride my bike every day for a bit of exercise but never quite got into following a race which lasts for days. (other than the 30 second bit on the news). However, I can watch ski racing all day! Each to their own.

When I used to live in Putney, rode my bike a bit.....warning...bike riding in london can damage your health. I rode around richmond park but getting to and from the park was the dangerous bit.

Twenty odd years ago I used to commute from Bromley to Victoria on my bike - the quickest way to get there until some woman driver drove straight into me and fractured my skull. Didn't do the bike much good either!

finnster01

I retired the bike many moons ago when one of the hardest men I ever knew, a proud veteran of Para 1, went back to his little village in the Lake District. What the enemy couldn't do to him, his bicycle did. He had a freak accident, no cars even involved but slapped his head hard against a stone fence.

He thought he was going to be all right and fine, but it got worse real fast as there turned out to be bleeding and swelling on the brain (of course way before the time of bikers wearing a helmet) and he went into a coma and eventually passed. So whilst I respect the nutters doing the TDF and our very own FoF rider in California, it is a sport that I don't think gets the respect it deserves. The gents doing this for a living are animals, but don't expect me to jump on a bike any time soon, especially here in new York City where there seems to be no traffic rules and all the taxi drivers don't speak English.
If you wake up in the morning and nothing hurts, you are most likely dead


Dugliss

I love the TDF too and love riding as well although nowhere near to the extent of our very own Lance. Strange day at the tour today Mr Ridgerider

HammyH3

I'll be going down to Bordeaux to watch the riders come in on stage 18. Then get up early next day, ride stage 19, the time trial Bordeaux to Pouillac stage, keeping ahead of the caravan (hopefully) and find a small village on route to sit and watch the riders go past all day. The tour winner could be decided this day if there is still just a couple of minutes in it.
Take some time out and come with us Ridgerider.
Let's hope we have a new manager by then and I can stop scouring the press for filthy rumours!

LRCN

started cycling training sort of thing a fair bit, like 14 miles round richmond park 4-5 times a week (this week I'm gonna try and do it 6 times, starting today... maybe), and I'm starting to develop a fear of hills. even though there's only 1 tough one, and I know where it is every time, but I still hate it.
so definately taking more of an interest in the tour this year! even though I (almost) saw the last leg in paris last year.


RidgeRider

Quote from: HammyH3 on July 05, 2010, 11:32:44 PM
I'll be going down to Bordeaux to watch the riders come in on stage 18. Then get up early next day, ride stage 19, the time trial Bordeaux to Pouillac stage, keeping ahead of the caravan (hopefully) and find a small village on route to sit and watch the riders go past all day. The tour winner could be decided this day if there is still just a couple of minutes in it.
Take some time out and come with us Ridgerider.
Let's hope we have a new manager by then and I can stop scouring the press for filthy rumours!

That would be an epic day H3! I am jealous.

I will be, most likely, still recovering from my own Alpine stage. 130 miles and 15,000 feet of elevation change at 5,200 to 8,300 feet above sea level in the California Alps. Basically 5 8-15 mile long climbs. Same ride as last year.  Just a little break from amateur racing this month.  :dft012:

RidgeRider

Quote from: Dugliss on July 05, 2010, 06:25:13 PM
I love the TDF too and love riding as well although nowhere near to the extent of our very own Lance. Strange day at the tour today Mr Ridgerider

It was. Dogs and 3 crashes on the road yesterday and today, the most complaining I have ever heard about a course that was intended for blood on the road. Wrecks everywhere. Riders in trees and nearly 3 of the top 8 contenders seemingly out of the tour after Stage 2 had it not been for the honor of fairness in the peloton. Cancellara showed, to me, what a true sportsman he is by asking for a neutral finish given the carnage of the day. Never seen anything like it.

CorkedHat

#11
I love the Tour de France. The speed they get up to doesn't really come over on the television screen but I know that they are considerably faster than they look.
I love the idiots that follow the race dressed up as gorillas, Vikings and other assortment of nutters. I love it that you can win the majority of stages and still end up 121st overall.
I love it when they stop off for a quick pee on the side of the road - we should introduce this concept at football and forget about half time - then we could all go home earlier.
I love the travelogue element of the race. "This is the Chateau Latour where in the 14th Century the Baron de Waste was caught masturbating in the dungeon by his wife who cut off his todger with a sword".
I love it when two or three riders burst a gut to break away from the field only to be reeled in every time - they and their sponsors have their hour of glory but they have no more chance of winning the race than Ronald McDonald on his tricycle.
I love recognising the flags that adorn the route except when some bloody twit from an obscure province raises his flag and I worry all night that I did not know where it came from.
I love it when animals run in front of the riders. In Australia our major motor endurance race, the Bathurst 1000, often has kangaroos bounding in front of cars doing 300km per hour, and it is great to see the drivers overalls turn from a nice white into a slippery brown.
Yes I shall endeavour to stay awake until 3am when the race finishes most nights - I can't guarantee it but I shall try. :008:
What we do for others will live on. What we do for ourselves will die with us


Dugliss

Cancellara was top man yesterday (apart from Chavenel obviously) and all Chris Boardman could do was slag him off. A bit disappointed in Mr B to be honest

RidgeRider

Christian Vande Velde is out. I am heart broken. Two bad crashes the last two years, in the Giro, leading up to the Tour and then you go down in the mayhem yesterday, two more broken ribs and his year is done.

Chavenal with a 3 minute lead, should have Yellow for some time unless the pave get's him today. Congrats Sylvain!

CorkedHat

Quote from: RidgeRider on July 06, 2010, 01:40:20 PM
Christian Vande Velde is out. I am heart broken. Two bad crashes the last two years, in the Giro, leading up to the Tour and then you go down in the mayhem yesterday, two more broken ribs and his year is done.

Chavenal with a 3 minute lead, should have Yellow for some time unless the pave get's him today. Congrats Sylvain!


Heart broken Mr R – that's a bit dramatic isn't it?
I was heartbroken when my first love waltzed off to marry a work colleague with her feeble excuse for not marrying me being that I was already married.
I was heartbroken when West Ham scored their second goal against us at Wembley in 1975 and I knew that our dream was over.
I was heartbroken when as a sixteen year old I had an accumulator bet on five horses with the first four winning. I had over five hundred pounds going on the fifth horse and that's where the stupid nag ran – fifth.
But being heartbroken over some cyclist falling arse over tit – I don't think so. :026:
What we do for others will live on. What we do for ourselves will die with us


Jimbobob

 :023: :023: :023:

I used to really be into it when we had the US Postal Team and there were such characters as Pantani. Richard Virenque,Bobby Julich and Lance at his best. I will watch more this year. The doping and drugs is such a mess but the riders that don't cheat are incredible. Even David Millar you mentioned above was on the juice. I also used to ride a great deal and I don't ride as much so it just isn't as much of a passion as it once was. But it is incredible nonetheless.
"You don't want to be trapped inside with me sunshine. Inside, I'm somebody nobody wants to love with do you understand?

RidgeRider

Quote from: CorkedHat on July 06, 2010, 01:59:26 PM
Quote from: RidgeRider on July 06, 2010, 01:40:20 PM
Christian Vande Velde is out. I am heart broken. Two bad crashes the last two years, in the Giro, leading up to the Tour and then you go down in the mayhem yesterday, two more broken ribs and his year is done.

Chavenal with a 3 minute lead, should have Yellow for some time unless the pave get's him today. Congrats Sylvain!


Heart broken Mr R – that's a bit dramatic isn't it?
I was heartbroken when my first love waltzed off to marry a work colleague with her feeble excuse for not marrying me being that I was already married.
I was heartbroken when West Ham scored their second goal against us at Wembley in 1975 and I knew that our dream was over.
I was heartbroken when as a sixteen year old I had an accumulator bet on five horses with the first four winning. I had over five hundred pounds going on the fifth horse and that's where the stupid nag ran – fifth.
But being heartbroken over some cyclist falling arse over tit – I don't think so. :026:


Ok, you're right....it is a bit dramatic. I think Christian is one of the good guys in the peloton and my favorite rider. He has had so much bad luck and at 34, his time as a legit podium guy is fading. His 4th place in 2008 was incredible considering he hadn't been close before. Late bloomer I guess. It's too bad really he is now crashed out of his second grand tour this year and his third in two years.

Truthfully, I may be more heartbroken over the loss of a certain manager.  :012:

CorkedHat

I tell you one thing - I just wish to hell that Cadel Evans would fall arse over tit. The only name you hear in Australia is Cadel Evans. He's a miserable, bad tempered little git with a face like a half sucked mango and I am sick and tired about hearing how he's going to win the damned thing.  :020:
What we do for others will live on. What we do for ourselves will die with us


Jimbobob

Quote from: CorkedHat on July 06, 2010, 02:13:35 PM
I tell you one thing - I just wish to hell that Cadel Evans would fall arse over tit. The only name you hear in Australia is Cadel Evans. He's a miserable, bad tempered little git with a face like a half sucked mango and I am sick and tired about hearing how he's going to win the damned thing.  :020:

:018: :018: :018:
Come on CH - tell us how you really feel!!!!!
Hilarious!!!!
Cheers
"You don't want to be trapped inside with me sunshine. Inside, I'm somebody nobody wants to love with do you understand?

Dugliss

You`re right about Cadel Evans, what a miserable grumpy little man he appears to be!!