Reply With QuoteYep, and loving it, great first week, and can only see it getting better :shock:
Went to the Vendee last week for the first 3 stages........awesome 8)
Well there have been a few threads on aspects of this, but I thought I would see if we can pull it all together in one place for the duration of the race.
I was gutted to see Bradley Wiggins go out yesterday on stage 7, but a Cavendish stage win made up for this a little.
I have been watching this on Eurosport and ITV4 - I reckon the coverage on ITV4 has the edge, but we will see.
Anyone else watching this avidly ?
Pete
Yep, and loving it, great first week, and can only see it getting better :shock:
Went to the Vendee last week for the first 3 stages........awesome 8)
Stage 8 - good to see some mountains at last, and even better to see a breakaway almost from the beginning, which contained the eventual stage winner - Rui Costa.
There is a really good app on the iTunes store called "Tour 2011". It is much better than the official free one, which seems to have been universally condemned.
Currently watching stage 9 on Eurosport.
Pete
Stage 9 - And another bad crash on the descent - hope they are OK.
Pete
Yep, not missed a stage yet, for me Eurosport has the best coverage,except for Carlton Kirby's witterings.
Bring back David Duffield :lol:
Absolute carnage in todays stage :( with some terrible accidents.
B.
What a stage today unbelievable, that French TV car driver should never be allowed on the Tour again!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/francetvsp ... hotostream
The body count today:
Vinokourov - broken femur, pelvis and shoulder ?
Van den Broeck - broken shoulder blade
Zabriskie - fractured wrist
Willems - collar bone ?
Hoogerland - did I hear 30 stitches needed on the ITV4 commentary ?
Oh, and I expect a French press car driver to be added to the count tomorrow. Hopefully by guillotine.
Pete
Reckless driving - jail :xOriginally Posted by cbh
Unbelievable crash; you're quite right, the driver needs firing!
[quote="cbh"
Went to the Vendee last week for the first 3 stages........awesome 8)[/quote]
So did I.
Watched stage 1, drank too much beer, fell off the bike and broke my wrist.
Bought the tee shirt though and now Voeckler is wearing the yellow version.
Would love to go one year for the sheer spectacle.
Absolutely disgraceful driving, should have taken the tree or the ditch option, what were they thinking? Managed to miss the tree by a whole foot I see too, a woman would have got closer to the tree. Wouldn't surprise me if they prosecuted him.
It's been absolute carnage this year.
:shock: That's a truly appalling bit of driving and could have resulted in some very serious injuries. Had it happened a few metres later the guy who gets all tangled up in the barbed wire would have had a head on collision with a tree.
The car and presumably driver has been taken off the tour which is one consolation I guess.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cycling/14100120.stm
Cheers,
Gary
Jonny Hoogerland getting up after the crash...not nice, be warned. Hats off to him for finishing the stage, he is an entertaining rider enough without having this type of thing happen to him.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-f.../photos/181772
[quote="stifflersmom"]Jonny Hoogerland getting up after the crash...not nice, be warned. Hats off to him for finishing the stage, he is an entertaining rider enough without having this type of thing happen to him.
And he was very philosophical in the post race interview !!! Can you imagine what a footballer would have made of it !!!
Mark
I haven't been to any of this year's stages but have in the past watched many mountain stages - including the 2004 time trial up Alpe d'Huez - an amazing experience. Watched the highlights of every stage so far and yesterday's crash involving the French press car was a disgrace. Thankfully they've been thrown off the Tour.
As far as apps are concerned, don't buy the ITV app as almost all the features don't work - read the reviews. I have had a refund.
Regards
Skier
Jonny is from Yerseke (pronounced 'Eersukee') a fisher's town in the Zeeland province (South West part of Holland). Not a single mountain or hill to be found near his home! Highest place in Zeeland is near Westkappelle (65m high). Most people from Zeeland are phlegmatic and the cyclists' characters are built by rain and storm. At the age of 6, they all go to school on their bikes. Never mind the weather! For cycling fans, Jonny is more or less a household name when it comes to stamina and will power!
Menno
I was extremely impressed with the dignity shown by Hoogerland in his post race interview. He's a real sportsman.
F.T.F.A.
Agree 100%. It would have been so easy for him to have at pop at somebody, but instead appeared very magnanimous despite the obvious pain he would've also been feeling.
Blimey. A whole stage (10) without any disasters. It looks like the peloton are giving themselves more space and respect.
Good to see Hoogerland finish OK - I really hope his stitches held :shock:
Pete
Now, this is interesting stuff: ESPN's Michael Smith sent a 'tweet' telling how funny this crash was... His bosses weren't too happy. The Washington Post has a fine article on this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...pxAI_blog.html.
Mr Smith himself will not be too happy eighter, since his Twitter address was published on Dutch news forums...
Having said that, have a look at this:
I want that T Shirt !
Pete
Some good pics here: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/0 ... art_1.html
Pete
As the main contenders couldn't sort themselves out on Stage 14 it makes you wonder if
a) they're all taking the same drugs or
b) non of them are on drugs.
It was funny watching the very lame cat-and-mouse tactics in the final 5km of yesterday's stage. I suspect they all felt too knackered to feel they could make a conclusive move.
Pete
Stage 15, and Cav gets his 4th stage win of the Tour - text book lead-out at the end by HTC.
I wonder if the fact that a Brit has won another stage of the most important cycling event in the world will even register on BBC News tonight ?
Pete
I think they are all taking something that assists!!!
Cant wait to see Andy Schlek triumph
RIAC
Voecklers looking surprisingly good, but at this stage my money would be on Evans (don't like the whining Aussie mind).
....and let's face it, the Europcar jersey is the best one on the Tour, according to Cavendish!
Great photos - thanks for the link.
Enjoying this years race even if the race for yellow has still to hot up - roll on the Alps.
These guys are supermen to do what they do for 3 weeks!!!
I do find it extraordinary that the tour warrants so little of our news coverage.
When one considers the danger, excitement and extreme endurance of the event there are few sports that can match it. All the more so when the relatively scant rewards for the vast majority of riders are factored in - these guys clearly love their vocation.
We tend to get regular updates on regional BBC news however, with Cav being a local to us up here in the North West. 7th in the list of all time leaders for stages won now, with many years left to climb a little higher hopefully.
The Guardian gives excellent coverage of Le Tour, and has carried interesting interviews with Millar and Cavendish. The next five days should shake things up a little.
and me, I even bought one 8)
Fantastic stage yesterday, Thor what a hero, Schleck the younger what a wimp :roll:
Today's last 15 kms had me on the edge of my seat! Man, that was scary! Sort of basejumping act were they replaced the 'chute for a bike! Voeckler was very lucky when he was able to 'skid' his bike through a open fence, entering a private courtyard!
Menno
Edit; a Dutch cycling website confirms that the Galibier is not closed due to snow fall. The road is clear. So, tomorrow's race will end at 2600+ mtrs!
M.
another fantastic stage today - i must say this year's tour is proving really thrilling!
Indeed....and Sanchez braked so hard going in to one corner his back wheel came up....scary stuff!
those 100 km/h descents scare the cr*p out of me!
Brilliant yesterday and whole tour so far - bring on the Alps.
Lets hope Cav can drag himself up them and finish it off it Paris ! :wink:
Mark
Stage 18 - what a ride !
Brilliant stuff from Andy Schleck to do it from the front. Excellent to see Cadel Evans set the following group pace and leave Contador behind - must be the end of the tour for him I guess.
And Thomas Voeckler keeps the Maillot Jaune - he was knackered at the top.
Just brilliant.
Pete
Another big day tomorrow though. Evans for the win I reckon, he'll close the gap tomorrow and do it in the ITT on Saturday.
Great stuff - it's a highlights show to watch for sure. Great ride from Schleck.A but great stuff from Voeckler, he honoured toe yellow jersey today.
Belgian TV commentators (all former TdF cyclists - the best comments, real inside information) couldn't believe their eyes when Schleck started the jump: none of his rivals followed him! That's how he was able to get the gap between himself and his rivals. Just before Evans started chasing Schleck, the group performed a some kind of a 'sur place', looking and talking, Evans gesticulating and then he started his chase. Voeckler has to thank Evans for keeping his yellow jersey. For Contador and Basso, the TdF is too much, I think.
Menno
you can bet it will be Frank Schleks turn next, the two are toying with the others.
Had Franks not broken his collar bone in last years race then andy would have won.
This year, Andy then Frank and 3rd to Cadel.
Great to see a real attack today, really enjoy it. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Eat your hat :lol:
He was double hard today, but my comment was in reference to stage 16!Eat your hat :lol:
Wimp :lol:
that was truly an epic day today. Fantastic riding by Tommy and a fine effort from Evans......almost tempted to take day off tomorrow to watch it live!
I hope you took the day off, I can't recall such a days racing for a long time! Having ridden up Alpe d'Huez I was gobsmacked at the efforts going up there, and that after the Telegraphe and Galibier! :shock:
another great day on what is the best tour for ages!
+1
Menno
Contador's time: 42 minutes from Depart to Tour finishI hope you took the day off, I can't recall such a days racing for a long time! Having ridden up Alpe d'Huez I was gobsmacked at the efforts going up there, and that after the Telegraphe and Galibier! :shock:
39 minutes from Depart to Tourist finish by the bridge
From SRM site: peloton riders doing about 8-9mph most of the way up.
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