[TdF] Any Tour de France Fans??

[ScottM]

Since we had a couple of threads on the World Cup I was wondering if there were also any pro-cycling fans? Especially Tour de France fans? I am also really big into cycling and the Tour is the World series match of the grand tours (although I personally like the Giro better).

If so what do y'all think of the last minute disqualifications of Basso, Ulrich, and 7 others?

 

[DeeG]

I think it sucks. But too bad for them. I never liked Ivan, he seemed like too much of a whiner to me, but I was looking forward to watching Jan TRY again. Oh well. My favorites are of course, Landis and Hincapie.

 

[astanley]

I don't think it's over (re: doping suspensions). Fuentes has said, directly, that he will do nothing but tell the truth and that he has clients currently riding in the Tour.

On one hand, it's really nice to see the Tour blown wide open by the suspensions - it's a true free for all. Wegman from Gerolstiener was actually drilling for points early in the game - even fighting for the KOM when the biggest climb was a piddly Cat 3! However, I was hoping to see Julich and Zabriskie throw down the gloves to keep CSC protected and force Jan to make aggressive moves. But, now we get to see Rogers in his true form and let the sprinters take command every day.

The bunch finishes have been great. Hushovd, McEwen and Boom-boom all throwing down, EVERY DAY is cool to watch.

The whole landscape will change at the next TT in St. Gregorie. 52km of ITT, a week of racing down, it's gonna be GREAT racing. I'm personally a fan of Zabriskie or Hincapie, however Landis (if he could sort out the new positioning issues with his BMC rig) could come up. That TT, followed by the first few Cat 1 climbs, will start to spread things out.

This is the best TdF I've watched in a long, long time - and I'm a Lance fan!

Scott, I dig the Giro as well, but I think that they went a little insane with this year's course - it was a great race but I think they forced too much fatigue on the riders, which doesn't yield the best racing (cue doping discussion re: Basso), however I really dig the spring classics. The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix have to be the best of the bunch. I'm trying to convince Jessie that we should to see the Ronde van Vlaanderen while drinking Duvel and chomping on frittes and moules and ringing cowbells.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[ScottM]

I think it sucks. But too bad for them. I never liked Ivan, he seemed like too much of a whiner to me, but I was looking forward to watching Jan TRY again. Oh well. My favorites are of course, Landis and Hincapie.

Talk about whiners have you been watching the reminisces with Greg Lemond on 1986 Tour win and other things? Man that guy just whines about everything...Hinault broke his promise, Lance lied to me, the industry cast me aside. Boo Hoo. go away!

Makes me want to paint my two Lemond bikes just to get his name off of them.

 

[ScottM]

I don't think it's over (re: doping suspensions). Fuentes has said, directly, that he will do nothing but tell the truth and that he has clients currently riding in the Tour.

On one hand, it's really nice to see the Tour blown wide open by the suspensions - it's a true free for all. Wegman from Gerolstiener was actually drilling for points early in the game - even fighting for the KOM when the biggest climb was a piddly Cat 3! However, I was hoping to see Julich and Zabriskie throw down the gloves to keep CSC protected and force Jan to make aggressive moves. But, now we get to see Rogers in his true form and let the sprinters take command every day.

The bunch finishes have been great. Hushovd, McEwen and Boom-boom all throwing down, EVERY DAY is cool to watch.

The whole landscape will change at the next TT in St. Gregorie. 52km of ITT, a week of racing down, it's gonna be GREAT racing. I'm personally a fan of Zabriskie or Hincapie, however Landis (if he could sort out the new positioning issues with his BMC rig) could come up. That TT, followed by the first few Cat 1 climbs, will start to spread things out.

This is the best TdF I've watched in a long, long time - and I'm a Lance fan!

Scott, I dig the Giro as well, but I think that they went a little insane with this year's course - it was a great race but I think they forced too much fatigue on the riders, which doesn't yield the best racing (cue doping discussion re: Basso), however I really dig the spring classics. The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix have to be the best of the bunch. I'm trying to convince Jessie that we should to see the Ronde van Vlaanderen while drinking Duvel and chomping on frittes and moules and ringing cowbells.

Cheers,

-Andrew

I love it all. The spring classics are great too. This year was no exception. Last year I was in Nice for Paris-Nice and would have liked to have seen the end but alas, work does not pay me to watch sporting events. Two years ago I was in Sophia Antipolis a week before the tour was to go through. I came back to hotel one afternoon and there were all thee team cars there doing the advance work. That was really neat!! It was even neater that during one of the Lance interviews that year it was in front of that hotel.

Yep this Tour is the most exciting one in the past few years. As much as I like Lance it was getting tiresome watching him win every year. It looks like this year will be much more of a sprinters tour than in the past, lots more flats than the mountains. But at least we get to see a few of the really gnarly climbs. It will be interesting to see how this all starts to pan out next week. The first week is usually a free for all for the sprinters. It is the next 700-800 miles that shows us who the real cyclists are.

My only complaint, too much Phil Ligget not enough Bobke

 

[Keith Lane]

Paris-Roubaix

A MANLY race especially in the rain.
My wife, a 6 time Ironman finisher, looks at those guys and shakes her head claiming "They're crazy".
Takes one to know one I guess.

 

[ScottM]

Paris-Roubaix

A MANLY race especially in the rain.
My wife, a 6 time Ironman finisher, looks at those guys and shakes her head claiming "They're crazy".
Takes one to know one I guess.

Did you see George Hincappie's handbars break this last Paris-Roubaix?? Man he went flying!! Lucky he did not break anything. Scared me!! I had that happen once many years ago. there I was the handle bars in my hand and them attached to nothing. You are just along for the ride err crash.

 

[astanley]

Paris-Roubaix

A MANLY race especially in the rain.
My wife, a 6 time Ironman finisher, looks at those guys and shakes her head claiming "They're crazy".
Takes one to know one I guess.

Your wife is more of a man than I'll ever be... (and I mean that in the nicest of ways!) the Ironman has to be one of the most brutal tests of human ability. Cheers to her!

I love the Roubaix for the sheer insane nature of the racing, but I think I like the Ronde's climb up... what is that 22% cobblestoned street... better. Plus, the Flemish fans are completely insane. I dig watching the Belgian cyclocross races from Belgian TV.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[DeeG]

Talk about whiners have you been watching the reminisces with Greg Lemond on 1986 Tour win and other things? Man that guy just whines about everything...Hinault broke his promise, Lance lied to me, the industry cast me aside. Boo Hoo. go away!

Makes me want to paint my two Lemond bikes just to get his name off of them.

LOL! I don't have 'TV' at the house, and seldom get to watch anything other than news at work, so I am missing out on talking back to the screen.

The man annoys the heck outta me, I don't know what it is about him that just makes me want to change the channel. But yeah, he seems quite bitter. I guess he just can't get over the fact that he's been replaced as the 'model' American rider.