Anyone watching the Tour de France?

[CorkedHat]

So we have this competitor in the Tour de France. The race takes the riders through a town not far from where this competitor was born which apparently means that he has to stop and hug various members of his family who have congregated at the roadside. He kisses a child's head, shakes hands with some rellies and at any moment you think that he might have a quick horizontal waltz with a woman we presume is his missus.
Further along the road we have the unedifying spectacle of another rider having a snake's hiss into a hedge with a couple of spectators looking on, no doubt to see how long his todger is.
Why don't they take it one step further and bring a card table with them. They can all stop in groups of four at various stages of the race, down a few ales and play a hand or two of poker?
Seemingly it doesn't matter if you win a stage or not – you can be twelfth every day and still win the damned thing – so why not have a game of cards or a family reunion on the way? They should rename the race the Tour de Cirque-cus, but I'll be watching again tonight – you never know what you might see :clap_hands:

[Burt]

I can't say that it is an event that I go out of my way to watch, and increasingly so given all the doping scandals of recent years.

Shame really because in terms of human endeavour and endurance it has to be one of the most punishing competitions going.

My neighbour loves it, big time. He is actually a serious cyclist himself, his bikes cost more than my car... And he records stages of the TDF so when he is cycling on one of these machines he can watch the TDF at the same time.

[sipwell]

I am watching the TdF but not very closely (don't stay at home to see the races). As Belgium is cycling crazy, you can watch it online for free. :)

[finnster01]

I am watching the TdF but not very closely (don't stay at home to see the races). As Belgium is cycling crazy, you can watch it online for free. :)

This is another Belgian conundrum. Ignoring waffles for a moment, how come a country that has a history of brewing the most sophisticated beers in the world is also bike crazy?

Have any of you tried cycling whilst pissed? Bloody hard I can tell you.  092.gif 

[sipwell]

I am watching the TdF but not very closely (don't stay at home to see the races). As Belgium is cycling crazy, you can watch it online for free. :)

This is another Belgian conundrum. Ignoring waffles for a moment, how come a country that has a history of brewing the most sophisticated beers in the world is also bike crazy?

Have any of you tried cycling whilst pissed? Bloody hard I can tell you.  092.gif 

The answer is simple:
1) we have dominated the sport for such a long time (and still dominate it in a way) that it gives a sense of identity;
2) it makes us feel a world power. The American winner of yesterday's stage gave an interview in Flemish (!) to a French (!) TV station telling them how he dedicated his victory to his Belgian friend who died in the Giro D'Italia;
3) cycling whilst pissed is equally a national sport. That is where I got some marks on my head from (tip: never descend a hill whilst being very drunk).

[Quills]

I am following intermittently on Eurosport throughout the afternoons at work, once you get into it (which I have been for years) it's fantastic work avoidance.  That's where my interest in cycling peaks for the season though and the Vuelta and even Worlds I'm not too fussed about.

[sipwell]

I am following intermittently on Eurosport throughout the afternoons at work, once you get into it (which I have been for years) it's fantastic work avoidance.  That's where my interest in cycling peaks for the season though and the Vuelta and even Worlds I'm not too fussed about.

You are forgetting the Spring Classics, those wonders of humankind!

[Quills]

Am definitely not forgetting the Classics!  That's where the interest ignites for the season, the likes of the race to the sun and hell of the north reminding me why I love cycling after a somewhat slow winter where the attention turns to football and rugby.  Then the interest is kept bubbling along by the Giro and finally peaks with the Tour...  although I think a good Fleche Wallone or the like can be even better than the Tour because you don't have to cope with the once-a-year fans who are suddenly experts.  Like my mother, bless her.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

This may be of interest to people, a racetracker:

http://data.srmlive.de/TDF/

[sipwell]

Am definitely not forgetting the Classics!  That's where the interest ignites for the season, the likes of the race to the sun and hell of the north reminding me why I love cycling after a somewhat slow winter where the attention turns to football and rugby.  Then the interest is kept bubbling along by the Giro and finally peaks with the Tour...  although I think a good Fleche Wallone or the like can be even better than the Tour because you don't have to cope with the once-a-year fans who are suddenly experts.  Like my mother, bless her.

Yeah, for me the season ends with the last spring classics. The Tour is OK but it isn't Paris-Roubaix and it will never be.

[RidgeRider]

Corked, I thought that was a rather touching moment. The whole peloton agreed to let that rider ride ahead so he could stop to say hello to his wife and child since it was likely the last time they would see him for 3 weeks. It was surprising I agree but it shows the brotherhood that exists in cycling.

Doping aside, I still love this event as it is really the last event of the year, aside from the Worlds, I will pay attention to with real interest. The Spring Classics are the best in terms of drama but the TdF is a beautiful spectacle that shows off the sport, the countryside of France, and the incredible support cycling still garners. The problem with the TdF is it is too predictable.

This year should be a fantastic battle between 4 or 5 riders, sadly no Belgians, sans MAYBE Van De Broek. Too many speed bumps in Belgian and no real hills for Belgians to train on.  :dft012:

All kidding aside, I find it refreshing to know that at least one country is a cycling mad as I am so it is now on my bucket list to visit and ride the tour of Flanders course.

[Quills]

NFR sorry but do you guys think Boonen will pull something out of the bag at any stage?  I know he's had his ups and downs (and his coke) but getting Ghent Wevelgem isn't bad going and besides I really want to see him winning again.  I met him once, he's really really tall.

[RidgeRider]

NFR sorry but do you guys think Boonen will pull something out of the bag at any stage?  I know he's had his ups and downs (and his coke) but getting Ghent Wevelgem isn't bad going and besides I really want to see him winning again.  I met him once, he's really really tall.

Boonen can't climb so his only chance is in a breakaway, as he isn't a pure sprinter either. I doubt we will hear from him during the TdF but you never know.

He was taken on a local climb, I did on Saturday, by one of our local Pro's and another Cat 1 racer who I rode with Saturday and my friend said Boonen did not like the climb at all when he did the Tour of California a couple of years ago. It is only 15 minutes long but steep and it was only a training ride as the Quickstep team didn't know where to ride here, so they got my friend and his buddy to lead them on some training rides. My friend said he is a big man and was quite happy to stop during the rides and give out his local contact info to the local ladies.  :dft012:

[CorkedHat]

Corked, I thought that was a rather touching moment. The whole peloton agreed to let that rider ride ahead so he could stop to say hello to his wife and child since it was likely the last time they would see him for 3 weeks. It was surprising I agree but it shows the brotherhood that exists in cycling.

Doping aside, I still love this event as it is really the last event of the year, aside from the Worlds, I will pay attention to with real interest. The Spring Classics are the best in terms of drama but the TdF is a beautiful spectacle that shows off the sport, the countryside of France, and the incredible support cycling still garners. The problem with the TdF is it is too predictable.

This year should be a fantastic battle between 4 or 5 riders, sadly no Belgians, sans MAYBE Van De Broek. Too many speed bumps in Belgian and no real hills for Belgians to train on.  :dft012:

All kidding aside, I find it refreshing to know that at least one country is a cycling mad as I am so it is now on my bucket list to visit and ride the tour of Flanders course.

THREE WEEKS JACK? Fair Dinkum - they ought to have a real job like those poor buggers in Iraq and Afghanistan who don't see their loved ones for years. And having spent some of my turbulent life in Belgium the reason they are okay at riding bikes is that most of the land is cobbled so when they get on a proper road, cycling becomes a doddle. I used to have to cycle from a little village called Houtem to Vilvorde and back every day and in those days it was cobblestones all the way. At the end of the day people thought I was having an epileptic fit but when I got back to England I could ride a bike quite fast. I should have kept it up - there can't be many sports where they allow you to have a grope with your missus half way through it.  082.gif

[CorkedHat]

Riders are falling on their bums like it's going out of fashion. Do you get points for sitting on the side of the road? :019:

[sipwell]

Riders are falling on their bums like it's going out of fashion. Do you get points for sitting on the side of the road? :019:

It is absolutely maddening. I have no clue why they are riding so fast and taking so many risks.

[CorkedHat]

NFR sorry but do you guys think Boonen will pull something out of the bag at any stage?  I know he's had his ups and downs (and his coke) but getting Ghent Wevelgem isn't bad going and besides I really want to see him winning again.  I met him once, he's really really tall.

Boonen is one of the many riders to fall - and as I write it doesn't look as though he'll continue.

[CorkedHat]

Well done Boonen - he's got back on the bike. He might still miss the cut but what courage

[finnster01]

NFR sorry but do you guys think Boonen will pull something out of the bag at any stage?  I know he's had his ups and downs (and his coke) but getting Ghent Wevelgem isn't bad going and besides I really want to see him winning again.  I met him once, he's really really tall.

Boonen is one of the many riders to fall - and as I write it doesn't look as though he'll continue.

He'll just pour some Duvel on it and drink the rest and he'll be just fine

[RidgeRider]

Well done Boonen - he's got back on the bike. He might still miss the cut but what courage

Boonen may have broken his collarbone. It looked like he was reaching for it while he first got on. Let's hope not. I don't think he will make it back on but they won't kick him out of the race since it is a crash. Too bad cause I think 3 or 4 of his teammates went down with him.

Jani Brokovic looked like he would get back on.

Hard men these pro cyclists.