Reply With QuoteIll have a bold punt / show my support for Thomas and also have a twinge that David Gauda could placeOriginally Posted by ManCityDG
I only really started watching cycling properly last year and got right into it! Looking forward to this one. It’d be nice to see Cav win a stage. Ineos have 3-4 potential GC winners but hard to see passed Roglic or Pogacar again
Ill have a bold punt / show my support for Thomas and also have a twinge that David Gauda could place
RIAC
I'd love to see GT win it, and also Cav take a stage or two.
F.T.F.A.
One of the true benefits from working from home! Have the TdF on in the background!
Would be great to see Cav win at least one stage, but I have a feeling it maybe beyond him. Ineos have a strong team but with 3/4 GC contenders will that cause friction, lack of cohesion etc I hope not, would love to see G win it again. I agree Roglic and Pogacar could be the real contenders with Jumbo having the stronger team probably Roglic is is front of Pog
This definitely! though I'll be happy just to see plenty of attacking going on I will be rooting for G and a Cav stage win :)
Just in case this is of interest to anyone on here.
I am not sure how widely broadcast it was on the BBC network, but there was a 2019 BBC documentary on Geraint Thomas shown on BBC Wales recently. I don't think it was broadcast in other areas though(?).
I am not into the TdF, or competative cycling but still found it very interesting. Linky below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cjbj
I’ve just had elected surgery and have been signed off for two weeks. Just in time for the TdF!!
I treated myself to a years subscription of GCN plus to watch all of the cycling ad free.
Would love to see G win again as he’s a great guy but can’t really see it with Pog and Rog in the race. But a lot came happen in three weeks.
I think it will be an interesting one as Ineos has a really strong team and they have been very aggressive this year rather than the boring Sky train of old.
With 4 potential winners they have lots of cards to play.
Cheers, Shaun
Plenty of interest / hope for us residents of the UK ... pretty open race so let the fun begin.
MvdP. That's all.
Fair chance he will try to win as much as possible in the first or second week. He's determined to win a gold medal in Tokyo, so there's a fair chance that he will step out of the TdF somewhere in week 2 or 3 and starts preparing for the Olympics.
Some interesting background info about MvdP endorsed by his sponsor:
https://www.mercipoupou.com
Don’t think he has a strong enough team the tour isn’t an individual eventMvdP. That's all.
Fair chance he will try to win as much as possible in the first or second week. He's determined to win a gold medal in Tokyo, so there's a fair chance that he will step out of the TdF somewhere in week 2 or 3 and starts preparing for the Olympics.
Some interesting background info about MvdP endorsed by his sponsor:
RIAC
I don't think he is suggesting otherwise.
Great start. Couple of huge pile ups. Ineos weakened.
How so many were able to carry on is a miracle. They were going at some speed too, especially that 2nd one. Doubt that fan will be going again!
Last edited by ManCityDG; 27th June 2021 at 06:24. Reason: typo
That muppet fan that caused the first one wasn’t even watching the race. Was just there to be on TV.
According to the BBC , Tour organisers ASO are suing the muppet!
Brings back memories of the policeman on one of the finishing straights holding out his camera/ phone , didnt he bring down the leader?
Steve
Last edited by higham5; 27th June 2021 at 08:40.
There has always been an element of that in the TdF - I dunno if the organisers forgot that there would be spectators this year!!!
The tour has a rich history of fans bringing down riders, the handbag that hooked Armstrong’s handlebars and the photographer police man are the two most notable but I’m certain in recent years the encroachment of the fans has ratcheted up a couple of notches and this latest episode was worse as clearly the person wasn’t interested in the race but was just there to get their banner on TV.
Good they are taking action as it may make others think.
I particularly like this link.
https://youtu.be/Ls3NxXSb1K0
Last edited by Montello; 27th June 2021 at 09:55.
My impression was that the tosser was trying to take a selfie; tosser in foreground, peleton hurtling towards him. Or in this case, over him.
Haha, thanks for that!
No, just an idiot gurning for the TV. See. https://youtu.be/-8SqZDFmaiM
Fair enough; pretty conclusive, that.
Wasn't is a child holding a baseball cap, and he got hooked in the adjusting thing at the back?
I may be imagining the whole thing of course!
ETA I've just watched it again it looks like a goody-bag or similar
Last edited by Linocut; 27th June 2021 at 15:28.
Woah. ‘That is all’, indeed. What a start to his Tour career.
Her!
Indeed, he wanted to honour his granddad Poulidor and his dad Adri. He's a third gen Tour cyclist. A first time, I suppose. Belgian TV noticed: "MvdP will hear it all the way to Paris: Look! There's Poupou's grandson!" And, what's in MvdP's advantage: he's fluent in French.
Menno
Epic ride, to take the bonus first time up then go on and win. He’s class.
Thanks. I'm not very good at sexing people.
No spoilering here. But the last 5kms were brutal. Worth watching
Some really bad crashes so far and it’s only 3 days in. Makes you wonder why they don’t wear protective gear (other than a helmet)
Shocking to watch but as Brad said in the commentary it’s entertainment. You whinch at a spill but watch for them. Hopefully the team chat tonight will be calm the fuck down and a more subdued tour will now be witnessed.
Get well soon to all the tarmac surfers today. They will be having a rough night tonight but tough as old boots back in the saddle tomorrow. Footballers take note
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RIAC
Wrong thread
Another drama filled stage. Gripping viewing.
Weight and aero, undoubtedly.
Because they are not footballers …
That crash near the finish today was vile, he will be feeling that long after the tour finishes
Just to start the day off...UCI president blames TdF crashes 'above all' on riders and tension in peloton:
UCI president David Lappartient has denied that the design of the course on stage 3 of the Tour de France had anything to do with the numerous crashes that shook up the peloton and left a large number of riders injured.
...
No comment or questions appear in the interview regarding a possible extension of the neutralised final section to eight kilometres from the line, as suggested by Tim de Clerq (Deceuninck-Quick Step) before the stage began.
Previously...Riders criticise crash-marred stage 3:
...Deceuninck-QuickStep rider Tim Declercq said after the stage that riders had requested before the stage start for GC times to be taken at eight kilometres from the finish, before a tight and technical descent towards the finish, but the request was not answered.
"I think it was something that we could've maybe expected," he said. "I knew from the riders that there was a demand to take the time at 8 kilometres to because we knew it was such a small road on the descent and a lot of chance for gaps to appear...
Let's hope that today there is no repeat of anything similar to the crashes we've seen of late.
People are
Riding aggressively and it will happen you watched riders using grass verges to try and overtake. It comes with a risk
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RIAC
Watching today's stage and continually pleased with / astonished by the commentary. Their depth of knowledge and recollection plus their ability to relay detail to the audience have kept a fairly bland run between 25 and 20 km to the finish both entertaining and enlightening, even for a non-enthusiast like me.
They are so much better than all but the cream of motorsports commentators many of whom utter irrelevancies and misstatements by the dozen. Even then the cycling commentary is more interesting because it remains relevant and not merely emotional (except when it is justified).
Excuse me...at 16 km things are starting to get even more engaging.
Update: What a last 10 km. Guess who is back...
Last edited by PickleB; 29th June 2021 at 16:10.
That was a beautiful win, coming back after being written off as over the hill.
What mental fortitude and his team gassed earlier than he would have liked. Totally deserved!That was a beautiful win, coming back after being written off as over the hill.
Amazing finish that. Nearly welled up 😂
CAV’s back!
60+ kph
Brilliant stage. I was torn with wanting the guy in the breakaway to do it and Cav to win.
Great to see the Manx Missile back. Sprinters are a bit like boxers, once they get their head back in the game and confidence back there are often more wins
I’m laid up recovering from an operation and have been watching it live on GCN+. It’s been the most exciting fours days I can remember. If you wrote it as a script most people would say it’s too far fetched.
Cheers, Shaun
What a come back.
Green as well.
Absolutely phenomenal race, Cav is a brilliant talent and I cannot begin to comprehend his mental strength, even amongst some of his peers, in a sport that would shatter mere mortals!
Agree with PickleB on the commentary, David Millar is an intelligent and experienced rider who has done it and lived it, his insights are golden.
… and on the watch front Cav and Allaphilippe are both racing with Richard Milles strapped to their wrists. Quite punchy given all the crashes.
Cavendish's emotion after the stage win and the congratulations and joy from almost every other rider were great to see. He was written off by most a few years ago; now 31 stage wins, second only to Eddy Merckx. Brilliant!
I can see your point regarding commentary. I always watch cycling via the Flemish TV. I refuse to listen to the Dutch commentary. That's like listening to grass grow. Flemish TV has at least one and often two ex-pros who can tell and explain so much. Hopefully the English comments are as good.
I really like Eurosport / GCN coverage with Rob Hatch and Carlton Kirby and their ex pro commentators Bryan Smith, Sean Kelly, Dan Lloyd and our own Brad Wiggins.
I find them a lot more entertaining than the ITV 4 bunch, although I do like their pre and post race chats especially with Chris Boardman.
Cheers, Shaun
Once you have noticed Carlton Kirby’s inhale noise before he speaks the commentary is unlistenable.
He talks a fair bit of drivel too, at lest the summarisers are on the ball.
The itv highlights are a totally different experience with Millar etc.
The Millar and Boulting podcasts are worth a listen too.
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