The Pro Road Cycling Thread

[Bob Hope]

This is unbelievable

 

[Bob Hope]

This is unbelievable , what an ending to the tour

 

[simmo]

Super coverage for the event again by ITV. Pity they won’t be doing so in the future.

Watching the daily highlights over the years became a tradition. Each year I think I must go and watch it live on one of the climbing stages.

 

[chesterbells]

Super coverage for the event again by ITV. Pity they won’t be doing so in the future.

Watching the daily highlights over the years became a tradition. Each year I think I must go and watch it live on one of the climbing stages.

Do it pal.

 

[big gaz]

Been a great tour full on from stage one and no giving up, been fantastic viewing. Was not sure about the final stage but having seen it they must keep it:-)

 

[give it to gordon]

Super coverage for the event again by ITV. Pity they won’t be doing so in the future.

Watching the daily highlights over the years became a tradition. Each year I think I must go and watch it live on one of the climbing stages.

ITV couverage has been spot on and made such a change from football.
No mention of the teams budget, wages, who owns which team etc.

Football coverage could learn alot

 

[big gaz]

ITV couverage has been spot on and made such a change from football.
No mention of the teams budget, wages, who owns which team etc.

Football coverage could learn alot

I covered it with TNT and the coverage and pundits were great for the reasons you stated with ITV. Sean Kelly always good for a naughty comment or two through 21 days of racing.
For @chesterbells why is world champion Lotte Kopecy riding as Weibers super domestic in the TDF femmes like she did in the Giro seems strange to me.
If I was World champ and was 50 yards from the line it would be FY Weibers :-)

 

[chesterbells]

I covered it with TNT and the coverage and pundits were great for the reasons you stated with ITV. Sean Kelly always good for a naughty comment or two through 21 days of racing.
For @chesterbells why is world champion Lotte Kopecy riding as Weibers super domestic in the TDF femmes like she did in the Giro seems strange to me.
If I was World champ and was 50 yards from the line it would be FY Weibers :-)

Agree on Lotte. One of my favourite riders; she should be doing it for herself, agreed. Haven’t seen today, but crash sounded nasty. Did everyone recover/finish? Be a shame for the race if Vollering has to abandon.

Saw couple of men’s stages last week & the plan is to hang about for the last 3 stages of the women once they reach the Alps this coming weekend.

On another note just watched last night’s itv highlights, and was moving stuff esp the closing montages. I do wonder if they’d bid more they could have kept at least the highlights. Really short-sighted of the itv management if so.

 

[TomD23]

Really enjoying the TDF Femmes, follows on nicely from the men’s race. I’ll admit to being sceptical about Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returning to road racing after many years but a great performance today, just a shame no one could go with her on the Madeleine. Hopefully the final stage has a long range attack to make the GC battle exciting

 

[Vienna_70]

Really enjoying the TDF Femmes, follows on nicely from the men’s race. I’ll admit to being sceptical about Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returning to road racing after many years but a great performance today, just a shame no one could go with her on the Madeleine. Hopefully the final stage has a long range attack to make the GC battle exciting

I’m enjoying it too.

PFP was outstanding today, and I’d like to see her take the GC.

I would e genuinely delighted to see a French victory, after 40 years without one.

I think tomorrow's final stage could be really interesting.

 

[chesterbells]

Really enjoying the TDF Femmes, follows on nicely from the men’s race. I’ll admit to being sceptical about Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returning to road racing after many years but a great performance today, just a shame no one could go with her on the Madeleine. Hopefully the final stage has a long range attack to make the GC battle exciting

Was at the depart yesterday, saw the first climb on the big screen but didn’t see the Madeleine. What happened to Vollering? Judging by the crowds around the FDJ bus the afternoon before, she’s the biggest draw, and I expected yesterday was the day she’d make her move. The whole 9 day race I think comes down to who won yesterday. It was almost the whole Tour as a 1 day race.

 

[TomD23]

Was at the depart yesterday, saw the first climb on the big screen but didn’t see the Madeleine. What happened to Vollering? Judging by the crowds around the FDJ bus the afternoon before, she’s the biggest draw, and I expected yesterday was the day she’d make her move. The whole 9 day race I think comes down to who won yesterday. It was almost the whole Tour as a 1 day race.

She couldn’t follow the attacks unfortunately, said that normally she’d be able to follow the moves but missing a bit of power the last couple of days. Whether that’s the crash on stage 3 catching up with her or just out of form slightly.

 

[Vienna_70]

She couldn’t follow the attacks unfortunately, said that normally she’d be able to follow the moves but missing a bit of power the last couple of days. Whether that’s the crash on stage 3 catching up with her or just out of form slightly.

It wouldn’t surprise me.

I’m amazed she’s still in the race. She looked really shaken up after the crash.

 

[eric pode of croydon]

Without going off topic too much, How do these pro cyclists do the grand tours?

Admittedly I'm a slightly overweight FOC. Having done about 80 odd miles in the last 4 days including a ride through Goyt Valley to the Cat and Fiddle and back through Buxton my legs are shot.

Combined this would be regarded as a short stage or even a recovery stage. I've really enjoyed myself so I suppose that's all that matters.

 

[chesterbells]

Without going off topic too much, How do these pro cyclists do the grand tours?

Admittedly I'm a slightly overweight FOC. Having done about 80 odd miles in the last 4 days including a ride through Goyt Valley to the Cat and Fiddle and back through Buxton my legs are shot.

Combined this would be regarded as a short stage or even a recovery stage. I've really enjoyed myself so I suppose that's all that matters.

It’s not a full answer to your question, but I’ve done a couple of climbs whilst out here, and they are different from the UK in that although long, they are generally around 10% say. In the UK for example we never gave a fuck about that or adding hairpins to level things out, we generally just went up - thus we have climbs 10-30%, though nowhere near as long of course.

Basically it’s a different sort of climbing.

 

[Vienna_70]

Congratulations to Pauline on another impressive stage win and overall victory in the General Classification.

It’s fantastic that à Frenchwoman has won the TdF, and it will be a great fillip for cycling in that country.

And it was a fantastic effort from Demi Vollering to finish second, after the bad crash she endured on Stage Three.

I’ve really enjoyed Le Tour de France Femmes. There has been some great racing and some fantastic individual performances.

 

[big gaz]

Last 2 days have been great especially with full race coverage on TNT. Well done Pauline but she was given the final stage the result was never in doubt but if the others had sat in her wheel who knows about the stage ?

 

[chesterbells]

Last 2 days have been great especially with full race coverage on TNT. Well done Pauline but she was given the final stage the result was never in doubt but if the others had sat in her wheel who knows about the stage ?

Maybe bud, but for me, the whole Tour came down to yesterday’s stage. That was where it could be definitively won or lost. Every other stage could then be ridden defensively. Today wasn’t a very demanding final (for athletes like this anyway!).

 

[Vienna_70]

Maybe bud, but for me, the whole Tour came down to yesterday’s stage. That was where it could be definitively won or lost. Every other stage could then be ridden defensively. Today wasn’t a very demanding final (for athletes like this anyway!).

I think the race can be extended by a few more stages to make it into a two-week event at least.

 

[chesterbells]

I think the race can be extended by a few more stages to make it into a two-week event at least.

Agreed, I would say go from 9 to 14 stages but stop there.