One week to go

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited June 2009 in Pro race
And I find myself devoid of any excitement about the start of Le Tour.

And it's not because of dopage or whatever. It's because the races leading up to it have been so dreary and the route this year is probably going to result in negative racing.

I will admit to looking forward to the prologue.
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    You sure you're not just getting old?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    You sure you're not just getting old?

    I sure am :wink:
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Cheer up, ffs.

    A fortnight ago we thought the Tour de Suisse would turn out to be dreary and the route boring when in fact........Oh, hang on...
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    ...and the Dauphine. Oh wait, that was a stinker too.

    Festival of Lay Down? Yawn.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • nicktheluddite
    nicktheluddite Posts: 221
    why not start sweepstake on how many times Cavendish will swear on live telly?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,573
    It's always like this. The two weeks before the Tour are the dullest in the calendar as there is hardly any racing of note bar the National Championships.

    Give it a week and you'll be anticipating it that little bit more.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    am a little weary of the TDF, but maybe Lance will battle Contador and there will be a Hinault-Lemond type battle...that would make it a good race no matter what one feels about LA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,573
    I'm praying for a Contador vs Armstrong battle. Inter team rivalries are great spectacles.
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Cannot wait for it to start :D

    A lot of contenders this year will make it an epic battle I hope.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Gazzaputt wrote:

    A lot of contenders this year will make it an epic battle I hope.

    That's what everyone said before the Giro and look at what a stinker that was.

    The Contador / Armstrong thing could be interesting but then, we don't know how LA reacts to 2 Grand Tours. He could just be not as good or suffer a bad day. Also, Bertie has some of Astana and 2 other teams riding for him so he'll be ok. :wink:
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    I am actually quite looking forward to it.

    Cavendish wants the green jersey so it will be interesting to see him go about trying to reach that goal (and of course his strops when it doesn't work out).

    Lots of GC contenders - Contador, Schleck, Sastre, Evans, VDV, Kreuziger, Armstrong, Menchov (no-one seems to have mentioned him since his Giro win).

    Astana team politics should be amusing.

    The stages to Arcalis and Ventoux should be good. I always enjoy watching the Alpine stages.

    No doubt there will be a few doping-related dramas to keep the non-cycling action simmering away as well.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    But there are alll these things to look forward to:-


    Riders going past some sunflowers

    Didi "the Devil" Sendt becoming increasing malodorous over the course of the three weeks.

    "Little" Tommy Voeckler attemting to escape up the road every day, while simultaneously appearing to be trying out for the "World Gurning Championships"

    "Big" Jens Voight escaping up the road every day, to the delight of the fans and the perpetual annoyance of the peleton

    Some audacious attacks on a mid-stage mountain, only for the sprinters teams to draw it back on the inexplicable 80km flat run-in

    Cows wearing jerseys

    Spectators dressed as the following:
    - Borat
    - Moose
    - Syringes
    or occasionally not dressed at all.

    At least one big-name favourite imploding spectacularly

    "Le Tour 2009" and a huge bicycle drawn in some farmers field using whatever local produce comes to hand - bales, tractors, tethered sheep...


    Whats not to be excited about?

    Bring it on.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    French telly need to borrow some of the RAI production crew.

    Contador will be attacking and trashing everyone and they'll cut away from the action because someone spotted a hot chick at the finish. Or a cute baby.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    I agree the GC will be boring; all the ingredients for an early decision for the win and a whole set of naturally passive set of riders behind the winner to start defending their podium spots after week one :(.

    But, then there are many different stages and minor competitions to be excited about:
    - Schleck, Kreuziger, Gesink and Nibali fighting it out for the maillot blanc
    - The strategies Cervelo, Rabobank, and maybe Milram will come up with to keep Cavendish out of the maillot vert
    - A long hilly prologue
    - Wind in the Camargue on day 3
    - The Montjiuc finish
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,909
    we will see
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    recently -rewatched Visentini and Roche battles at 87 Giro...would be great to see Lance A's out of control ego against Contador...unlikely perhaps as LA has been away too long to be near??, but were he close he'd be strong enough to lose Astana and Contador the race too :?: :idea: would be worth watching eh??

    a minute or so into this clip...funny...Roche in pink cahsing Visentini down...would be awesome seeing that kinda battle

    http://www.videopeloton.com/dettaglio.a ... File=50906
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    lol you must be joking.. the highlight of last years tour was some spectator running along side the group and slipping and faceplanting into the back of a parked car..
    cartoon.jpg
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited June 2009
    How disappointing.
    I thought Iain had started a thread on forthcoming holidays! :P

    Like most thinks that carry high expectations, the reality will leave probably one rather unsatisfied.
    Maybe there's a bit of Giro lag in there, too, but they main pointer, for me, is the infrequency of my viewing this edition's parcours.

    Then we have had to endure the endless propogtion of hysterical Astana team thread "dicussions", to the point I'm forgetting which other teams are in the race.

    IMO. The race would benefit from a certain individual disappearing into a black hole and with him, the disproportionate amount of hot air time, he'll receive.


    Still, I suppose like all over indulgent feasts, it's best enjoyed in moderation.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • claudb
    claudb Posts: 212
    Well I'm looking certainly forward to it. For those who are not then there's always - Tennis or Golf or Cricket before the Footy season starts again.
  • claudb
    claudb Posts: 212
    Oh, I forgot. There's that "F1" as well. That's exciting !!
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Then we have had to endure the endless propogtion of hysterical Astana team thread "dicussions", to the point I'm forgetting which other teams are in the race.

    IMO. The race would benefit from a certain individual disappearing into a black hole and with him, the disproportionate amount of hot air time, he'll receive.


    Still, I suppose like all over indulgent feasts, it's best enjoyed in moderation.

    The Armstrong/Astana detractors are the ones who constantly go on about him and Astana yet complain that he gets too much comment. Just look at the Astana thread its full of the same old detractors gibbering on about him blah de blah de blah . Maybe if you obsessives let it go we could get to talking about other teams and races etc.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I say bring it on!

    Lots to look forward this year IMO. Everything from Cav going for Green, to the internal Astana battle (and seeing if Lance has improved since the Giro).

    Will Garmin be beaten in the Team TT again by Columbia? ho will be the first to get caught doping? Will we see more of the attacking riding of Evans?

    Who will crash and burn?

    And so on....
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    Iain you're a sad man! :cry: How can you not have enjoyed any racing this year? It's been great- fantastico IMHO. Can't wait for next weekend and all the usual shennigans! :)
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Ms Tree wrote:
    Iain you're a sad man! :cry: How can you not have enjoyed any racing this year? It's been great- fantastico IMHO. Can't wait for next weekend and all the usual shennigans! :)

    I enjoyed Paris - Nice and some of the classics.

    Giro was tepid.
    Dauphine - Yawn
    TdS - So flat it may as well have been the Tour of Denmark.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    It's not going to be Paris-Roubaix is it?

    Then again, I'm missing the first week of the Tour so I'm still a bit sore about it!
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • suspectdevice
    suspectdevice Posts: 263
    having watched it on telly since 86 this is the first year i will be watching it whilst on holiday in France, scheduled to watch the Ventoux stage and am looking forward to it.

    I know it probably won't be a classic but i hope it will be an interesting stage at the very least....
  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,138
    Iain

    You know you will watch anyway, just in case you miss something.

    So, line a up a load of shot glasses. And I mean a lot. You may have to improvise with thimbles and cut up egg boxes to have enough.

    Every time Kelly says 'da bonch' raise a glass shout 'da bonch' and knock it back.

    Hours of fun. Have a bucket handy to thro up every time you see a shot of an eagle.

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