2007 Tour de France Chat
Jul 9th, 2007, 07:07 AM
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2007 Tour de France Chat
Tour de France 2007: Plussed or Not Plussed? Will you be watching - if so what do you think
I'm going to opine about what i see on the daily broadcasts, which i watch more to see the French countryside more than the race, which often seems totally predictable shortly after the start. I've ridden a bike thousands of miles all over France and French roads and countryside are the finest in Europe IMO
And i will be watching just for this reason as i'm kind of not plussed with the riders and performance enhancing stuff that it seems every tour winner for decades has been proved to have taken.
(OK the Lance would do no wrong supporters - the evidence against OJ being guilt is much less conclusive than that against Lance - i'm not here to debate that.)
So will or are you watching and what do you think about the state of today's Tuer day Frahnnce (love how Frankie Andreu has grasped French after all these years)?
I'm going to opine about what i see on the daily broadcasts, which i watch more to see the French countryside more than the race, which often seems totally predictable shortly after the start. I've ridden a bike thousands of miles all over France and French roads and countryside are the finest in Europe IMO
And i will be watching just for this reason as i'm kind of not plussed with the riders and performance enhancing stuff that it seems every tour winner for decades has been proved to have taken.
(OK the Lance would do no wrong supporters - the evidence against OJ being guilt is much less conclusive than that against Lance - i'm not here to debate that.)
So will or are you watching and what do you think about the state of today's Tuer day Frahnnce (love how Frankie Andreu has grasped French after all these years)?
Jul 9th, 2007, 07:28 AM
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Having spent my weekend watching from the roadsides, I am very definitely plussed.
I thought Robbie McEwen showed great fortitude yesterday and thoroughly deserved his win. Not sure what the score is with Cavendish, though - why was he left to battle on alone like that? Where was his team? Do you care?
I thought Robbie McEwen showed great fortitude yesterday and thoroughly deserved his win. Not sure what the score is with Cavendish, though - why was he left to battle on alone like that? Where was his team? Do you care?
Jul 9th, 2007, 09:19 AM
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just seeing today's race on delay in U.S. and the rain is coming down- as i guess it has been for a month - or at least cool.
Reminds me why i went out of the bike tour business - one year in this area we had 45 STRAIGHT days of rain - never hard but a constant drizzle - the sun popped out only briefly
Back to the broadcast - Phil Ligget, whose commentary i enjoy, still has a nasal problem.
I wonder if Tour times will noticeably slow down this year - like in U.S. baseball where home runs rocketed to record levels for a decade or so before the crackdown on 'roid use - homers are way down now. Think the same could happen here.
Reminds me why i went out of the bike tour business - one year in this area we had 45 STRAIGHT days of rain - never hard but a constant drizzle - the sun popped out only briefly
Back to the broadcast - Phil Ligget, whose commentary i enjoy, still has a nasal problem.
I wonder if Tour times will noticeably slow down this year - like in U.S. baseball where home runs rocketed to record levels for a decade or so before the crackdown on 'roid use - homers are way down now. Think the same could happen here.
Jul 9th, 2007, 10:00 AM
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Liggit says Gent is in many ways the bike racing capital of the world - so a fitting place to Tour de France to finish the stage.
In the past i've patronized Plum bike shop and folks looking for state of the art cycling, racing bent, may want to come to Gent.
Liggit said many foreigners train in Gent and surrounding suburbs.
Gent is also a great old historic and beautiful town
In the past i've patronized Plum bike shop and folks looking for state of the art cycling, racing bent, may want to come to Gent.
Liggit said many foreigners train in Gent and surrounding suburbs.
Gent is also a great old historic and beautiful town
Jul 9th, 2007, 10:18 AM
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Given the overkill on Dutch and Belgian TV i will not be watching. I saw yesterdays bit through Kent as my SIL lives on the route, but for the rest it is one big yawn.
I managed to avoid most of Wimbledon too, which took some doing as it was on Dutch TV, two Belgian channels and the BBC. DH watched the finals saturday and Sunday though so I didn't avoid it completely.
I managed to avoid most of Wimbledon too, which took some doing as it was on Dutch TV, two Belgian channels and the BBC. DH watched the finals saturday and Sunday though so I didn't avoid it completely.
Jul 9th, 2007, 10:24 AM
#8
I agree with you, PalenQ, that watching the fabulous countryside helicopter shots is by far the most interesting part of the Tour. Today they showed two Belgian châteaux that I found absolutely wonderful and that I had never heard of.
However, after the Armstrong drug reign and the Landis fiasco last year, I think that this year's Tour might have some authentic competition.
However, after the Armstrong drug reign and the Landis fiasco last year, I think that this year's Tour might have some authentic competition.
Jul 9th, 2007, 01:41 PM
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As Queen Elizabeth I is reported to have said while in prison, "Much suspected of me, nothing proven can be." Possibly that goes for some of the top cyclists who have been accused but not judged guilty by the sport authorities.
Jul 11th, 2007, 06:05 AM
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Underhill, as a rather non-plussed not-plussed Tour watcher this was a fanatastic finish - thanks
That peloton thing is hard to figure out.
Frankie Andreu has to be the worst announcer on TV - he's been in France a lot as a rider, commentator, etc. and still says "tear day Frahhnce" and is just a terrible commentator.
And i thought i heard Phil Liggett, who i like in spite on non-stop verbage, most of it interesting though, say that Compeigne was on the River Seine! not sure i caught it right but believe so.
Interesting to note that yesterday's winner and yellow shirt leader's Swiss coach is banned from even watching the tour because he, as '96 Tour winner admitted using banned substances and was banned from this year's tour
Thus i figure he won in 96, Ulrich in 97 or 98 and Lance 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and Landis in 06 - means that just about every tour winner since at least 96 was a doper.
And i got to believe this year's riders will use anything they thing will not be detected.
But i love the scenery and shots from above - makes me feel like taking to my bike once again and climbing those always present French hills.
See Geo Hinncapie is in third - could it be another Yank victory, making 9 in a row and perhaps the first without illegal substances.
That peloton thing is hard to figure out.
Frankie Andreu has to be the worst announcer on TV - he's been in France a lot as a rider, commentator, etc. and still says "tear day Frahhnce" and is just a terrible commentator.
And i thought i heard Phil Liggett, who i like in spite on non-stop verbage, most of it interesting though, say that Compeigne was on the River Seine! not sure i caught it right but believe so.
Interesting to note that yesterday's winner and yellow shirt leader's Swiss coach is banned from even watching the tour because he, as '96 Tour winner admitted using banned substances and was banned from this year's tour
Thus i figure he won in 96, Ulrich in 97 or 98 and Lance 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and Landis in 06 - means that just about every tour winner since at least 96 was a doper.
And i got to believe this year's riders will use anything they thing will not be detected.
But i love the scenery and shots from above - makes me feel like taking to my bike once again and climbing those always present French hills.
See Geo Hinncapie is in third - could it be another Yank victory, making 9 in a row and perhaps the first without illegal substances.
Jul 11th, 2007, 08:16 AM
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I'm sorry we aren't going to be anywhere near the Tour route before we leave France but I can tell you whereas those views from helicopters are great, the views from right here on the ground are even better, even when it is raining!
Jul 11th, 2007, 10:06 AM
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Definitely watching every minute!!!!!!
This is the first time since 2001 that I won't be following the tour on the roads of France. I am going through desperate withdrawal. We've seen anywhere from 8-11 stages each year, following along and camping by the side of the road.
So I'm hooked on each days telecast every evening when I get home from work and will probably not watch anything else for the duration.
Have people stopped watching baseball because Sammy Sousa corked his bat?? Have the runs he hit been removed from his record?? NO !! How about Barry Bonds steroid use??? Is his record to be discarded because he used performance enhancing drugs, I don't think so. Baseball and football have strong player unions and they can get away with taking anything they please with only a slap on the wrist. Is it right? Certainly not, but just to keep cycling in perspective, we hear more about doping in cycling because the rules are a lot more stringent for the cyclist than they are for all but Olympic athletes.
And I for one am sick of the stories that start "I heard it from a friend whose next door neighbor's cousin was a rider with team whatsis and knows for a fact that Lance Armstrong doped because he saw it".
Oh and isn't it Bob Roll not Frankie Andreu who is famous for saying Tour daaay Fraance? Which is really an inside joke because I've heard him speaking and he actually speaks French quite well.
This is the first time since 2001 that I won't be following the tour on the roads of France. I am going through desperate withdrawal. We've seen anywhere from 8-11 stages each year, following along and camping by the side of the road.
So I'm hooked on each days telecast every evening when I get home from work and will probably not watch anything else for the duration.
Have people stopped watching baseball because Sammy Sousa corked his bat?? Have the runs he hit been removed from his record?? NO !! How about Barry Bonds steroid use??? Is his record to be discarded because he used performance enhancing drugs, I don't think so. Baseball and football have strong player unions and they can get away with taking anything they please with only a slap on the wrist. Is it right? Certainly not, but just to keep cycling in perspective, we hear more about doping in cycling because the rules are a lot more stringent for the cyclist than they are for all but Olympic athletes.
And I for one am sick of the stories that start "I heard it from a friend whose next door neighbor's cousin was a rider with team whatsis and knows for a fact that Lance Armstrong doped because he saw it".
Oh and isn't it Bob Roll not Frankie Andreu who is famous for saying Tour daaay Fraance? Which is really an inside joke because I've heard him speaking and he actually speaks French quite well.
