BS: Tour de France 2010

Subject: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 11:47 AM

I enjoy watching the broadcast for the scenery (including some of the places on my Walkabouts), as well as the racing...well, they usually race - not so on the controversial second stage, which has just ended.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 01:28 PM

I hate the Tour de France.

I hate watching these hot sweaty arsed, over muscled, skinny in loincloth cycle racers.

I am jealous really :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 01:40 PM

...anyone else got Arthuritus..?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 03:02 PM

LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 05:58 AM

For the Tour, I'm following Lance Armstrong's Tweets, and there seems to be a lot of injured or sore cyclists at the moment - just bad weather or too many in the peloton..?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Emma B
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 06:22 AM

'Mechanical doping' ??

As the 97th Tour de France gets underway in Rotterdam in the Netherlands this Saturday, bikes are to be scanned for illegal motors

In a film circulated on the video-sharing website Youtube, former Tour de France cyclist Davide Cassani reveals this new form of cheating - riding bikes that are, in fact, motorbikes in disguise.

"There are a lot of benefits using such a bike. You can reach 50 kilometers an hour. It has its motor in the frame and a battery between the pedals," he explains

It has been alleged that Switzerlands Fabian Cancellara swapped bikes suspiciously during the recent Paris-Roubaix race before going on to victory. The rider, however, insists the suggestion he used mechanical doping is ridiculous

CANCELLARA EXCLUSIVE - the truth about the doped bike ? you decide :)

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 09:11 AM

It's worth actually witnessing it at least once in your life - total lunacy. A few years ago we realised the Tour was going near our holiday cottage in Brittany so we nipped down to a local sport bar well in advance. We ordered omelettes frites and beer and settled down to watch.

First the road's closed and the gendarmerie drop an armed flic off about every half mile. Some time later the officials & press arrive - in helicopters (I kid you not). They took over the remainder of the tables outside the bar, looked at our food and ordered omelettes, frites & beer x24....!

Then there's about 20 minutes worth of sponsors, advertisers etc storming past - pink 2CVs, vans with people hurling samples out of the rear, enormous coffee pots etc on lorry chassis, you name it.

By this time everybody's going spare. Next come the support cars, loaded with spare wheels etc - then the TV mob - first cars, then dirty great BMW bikes with madmen toting video cameras perched on the pillions.

The actual Tour itself is past in a blur in about half a minute! I managed to grab about 6 shots and they were gone. We had absolutely no idea who was in the lead or anything. 2 minutes later the officials and the press were back in the helicopters and off. 15 minutes later the road was reopened. The locals went back to playing table football.

Much more fun than an England game - vive la France!

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 09:33 AM

Emma - is that Cancellara or Benny Hill?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 09:04 AM

Champagne country today.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 12:15 PM

The high number of sore and injured cyclists the other day came from riding on Napoleonic cobblestone roads: click.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 12:31 PM

Yes, and I noticed Armstrong was actually ahead of Contador before puncturing.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Les from Hull
Date: 08 Jul 10 - 04:20 PM

Cobblestones is a popular but slightly incorrect term for what the French and Belgians call pavé. Stickly speaking they are setts, usually of granite and more regular than cobbles, which are, or were, water-formed stones.

We usually call them cobbles, though. My street here in Hull is cobbled (it's one of the medieval streets in the Old Town), and I can assure you that cycling is no fun at all.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 04:32 AM

Especially if the springs are coming through your saddle Les

Dinosaurus springs to mind.

I'll get me break.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 06:03 AM

...yes, Arthur, the problem does, indeed, go back years...

The God of Thunder went out one day,
Upon his favourite filly:
"I'm Thor!" he cried;
"I'm not surprised -
You forgot your saddle, silly." (trad., I think)

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Arnie
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 07:54 AM

The Tour came through Dover in the mid-90's and again a couple of years ago. I had a camcorder on the first occasion, when they started at Dover Castle. I positioned myself on a low wall at the bottom of the castle hill down which the procession and riders came. As mentioned above, it took about half an hour of pre-ride police, press, spare bikes, sponsors etc before the riders put in an appearance - then they were gone in minutes! Still, a nice atmosphere and handy that it was almost on the doorstep. I've still got the tape somewhere. Didn't see the 2008 ride though as I was elsewhere at the time.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 08:00 AM

Ah, David, I knew this one as:

The Thunder God went for a ride
Upon his favourite filly.
"I'm Thor!" he cried - the horse replied,
"You forgot your thaddle, thilly!"

Important to get the "th"s in! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 09:43 AM

Cyclists are a bloody nuisance on the roads.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Les from Hull
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 10:24 AM

No it's all those Johnny-come-lately horseless carriage drivers.

Learn to differentiate between cyclists and bike riders. Real cyclists wear helmets, high visibility clothing, use lights and obey traffic regulations. Car drivers are seldom much damaged when involved in a an accident with a car!

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Les from Hull
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 10:24 AM

Sorry, accident between a car and a bike.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 01:29 PM

Helmets are mandatory for cyclists in Australia - but I prefer the choice we have here in England.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: Tootler
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 10:58 AM

I have never watched the Tour de France go by, but we did once go and watch the Tour of Britain when it passed through North Yorkshire. We positioned ourselves halfway up Blakey Chimney Bank - Gradient 33% (or 1 in 3 in old money). The riders came by quite slowly, in fact after the first few - those in serious contention had gone by - many of the later riders were off their bikes and walking so there was a fair bit of banter between the riders and the spectators.

Later that evening we watched the stage on TV and found out that a rider had been penalised several seconds for taking assistance - helpful spectator had given him a shove to get started again after he had stalled on his bike.

Definitely worth doing once, even in Britain where cycle racing is not so popular as in France.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 08:10 AM

And then there were two, it seems - Contador or Schleck?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:16 PM

Renshaw disqualified for head-butting during sprint finish.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: artbrooks
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:23 PM

Well, I go for Schleck - if only because it would be neat to have the same person win the yellow and the white.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France 2010
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 06:36 AM

Perhaps his last chance today, AB - a stage that ends in a long steep climb.