TOB, am I bothered?

Cressers

Maybe it's the appaling ITV4 coverage or the disjointed route that did it but I'm strangely indifferent to this year's TOB.

Pross

The coverage isn't great quality but an hour's coverage is better than nothing. I think it has been an excellent race and a very good route this year.

Tom Butcher

It's been the best TOB yet - in fact it's been one of the best races of the year.

Pokerface

I think the problem is a lot of the teams/riders don't seem bothered either. Makes it hard for the cycling public to get excited about it when the 'big teams' don't have many well-known riders and they don't seem to contest it as much as they would a 'big' stage race.

beatsystem

It's been the best TOB yet - in fact it's been one of the best races of the year.
+1

squired

If only there was live video coverage, or at the very least proper live text updates on the official website. Clearly they are on a very tight budget, which is a shame.

Gazzaputt

Pokerface wrote:

I think the problem is a lot of the teams/riders don't seem bothered either. Makes it hard for the cycling public to get excited about it when the 'big teams' don't have many well-known riders and they don't seem to contest it as much as they would a 'big' stage race.

To the general public they'd only know Armstrong and Wiggins and maybe Cavendish.

You have Sky fielding Wiggins and Thomas, HTC have Gripel, Pinotti and Tony Martin, Cervelo Haussler, Garmin Dan Martin, Saxo, Richie Porte to name but a few. Big names in cycling there.

Thought it to be a strong field this year and a great route.

Tom Butcher

It's only a couple of years ago that we had to wait over a week for a single highlights package one weekend afternoon - that's one show to cover the whole race not for each stage. Agree it's not as good as it could be but it is a lot better than it was in the very recent past.

Cressers

I wonder what could be done to raise the profile of the race? Not clashing with the Vuelta would be a start! As would a two-week route that actually covered most of the regions of the UK.

rick_chasey

Cressers wrote:

I wonder what could be done to raise the profile of the race? Not clashing with the Vuelta would be a start! As would a two-week route that actually covered most of the regions of the UK.

The only way to raise the profile, and even that it still won't be big, would be to put up some serious cash for the winner.

Really serious cash.

oscarbudgie

I'm really enjoying it this year - more than I am the Vuelta in fact.
Considering the Vuelta is on right now the number of 'stars' in the ToB is pretty reasonable - the average non cyclist in this country has probably only ever heard of LA, Cav and Wiggins anyway ( Contador at a push) and probably wonder why Chris Hoy isn't doing it.

CHRISNOIR

I’ve enjoyed it so far.

And I was amazed at how many people turned out in the p*ssing rain to watch the start in Rochdale. I honestly expected there to be me, our kid, three men and a dog. And possibly a load of lard-ars*s complaining about lack of access to the fine civic collection of Poundshops . But no, support has been really good.

Pokerface

Gazzaputt wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

I think the problem is a lot of the teams/riders don't seem bothered either. Makes it hard for the cycling public to get excited about it when the 'big teams' don't have many well-known riders and they don't seem to contest it as much as they would a 'big' stage race.

To the general public they'd only know Armstrong and Wiggins and maybe Cavendish.

You have Sky fielding Wiggins and Thomas, HTC have Gripel, Pinotti and Tony Martin, Cervelo Haussler, Garmin Dan Martin, Saxo, Richie Porte to name but a few. Big names in cycling there.

Thought it to be a strong field this year and a great route.

I said the 'cycling public' - those of us that follow cycling and are likely to get behind the race, etc. General public probably wouldn't know most of the riders as you say.

I didn't say there were NO big stars, just not a lot of them. Table scraps really - but most of the bigger names are at the Vuelta or prepping for the World's.

The race would probably benefit from being at a different time of year and possibly being longer.


FWIW - I think the race this year is OK. Just have to wonder when most of the peleton rolls in 30 minutes after the leaders on a stage. It's not like we have Alpine passes here that should cause that sort of split.

Bobbinogs

I have enjoyed it but it all just feels kind of flat. When I compare the excitment of the some of the stage finishes in TdF, the TOB all seems a tad muted. A bit like, "heh, I could win here, ahh sod it, can't be bothered".

I have to say though, fantastic support from the public (particularly given the weather) and the councils too. Oh, and nice to see Wiggo up for a stage for once. I was beginning to think he only managed to leave peletons at the back...

SLX01

The only thing that has bugged me is trying to avoid the result whilst watching the Vuelta so I can enjoy the highlights. I think the race is much better this year and on par with other tours such as Poland.
It does make me laugh though when ITV announce the route is packed and they have never seen so many people on the roadside and all you can see is a dozen people standing in the rain and the contents of a primary school class that are just pleased to get out of maths for the day.

deptfordmarmoset

I've just spotted that the ITV4 coverage has been shifted to 22:30 tonight - there's some rather dreary, insignificant UEFA footie on instead.

afx237vi

It's a better race this year because of the route, but in no way shape or form has it been "one of the best races of the year" :shock:

My only real gripe is with the TV coverage. Cycling just doesn't lend itself well to highlights, especially the way ITV 4 edits them. What's the point of showing so much stuff at the start of the stage? And every single KOM point and intermediate sprint, even the ones that the breakaway roll over... who cares? They show so much of the early parts, then come back after the break and there's 1km to go or something. No tension or build-up whatsoever.

inkyfingers

I think the ITV4 coverage is OK actually. Though i'm just glad that it's on TV at all to be honest.

You have to remember that they have to try and appeal to a wider audience than Eurosport which only those who are probably really into the sport will be watching, hence all the build up and odd segments slotted into the racing to try and break it up a bit.

carl_p

Well I watched the tour through Norwich today. Lets be honest watching live cycling at roadside is hardly great spectator viewing. Stand there for half an hour an it's over in ten seconds. Still glad I did though.

I think it has been a very decent TOB, certainly better than the miles of tedium that is TDF and Vuelta. Can't see the problem in having a large gap between the winner and peloton, I much rather see an open race than some tactical procession to protect a yellow jersey.

rdt

As someone who thinks most things are crap, it's with some surprise that I've found the ITV4 coverage, and the racing itself, to be pretty damned good this year. The attacking riding of Garmin's Dan Martin and Cameron Meyer being particular highlights. Together with Sky's abysmal ROI.

northernneil

Its been a good race, but imagine the crowds if they have started/finished in some large cities instead of somerset and cornwall small towns

giant_man

I've been following the race since the start and very good it is too.

Going through my home town today as well, gonna have a problem getting there though damint, the only thing I can't stand it Ned bleedin' Boulting, what a complete knob he is if you ask me. But worth watching overall.

nickwill

northernneil wrote:

Its been a good race, but imagine the crowds if they have started/finished in some large cities instead of somerset and cornwall small towns

They tried that in the past and had traffic chaos in Manchester and Sheffield, so a policy decision was made to use smaller towns.
Hugh Porter's regular descriptions of huge crowds where a few dozen people are at the top of a hill has begun to grate though!

Pross

Nickwill wrote:

northernneil wrote:

Its been a good race, but imagine the crowds if they have started/finished in some large cities instead of somerset and cornwall small towns

They tried that in the past and had traffic chaos in Manchester and Sheffield, so a policy decision was made to use smaller towns.
Hugh Porter's regular descriptions of huge crowds where a few dozen people are at the top of a hill has begun to grate though!

Yesterday's observation of a few hundred people stood by the road as being "bigger than the crowds at the Tour" was a classic

My only other gripe is that Dean Downing doesn't really seem a natural for TV and looks nervous in front of the camera. I like the idea of having a current rider there to have a chat with the teams but Dean doesn't seem to be the best man for the job (great respect for him as a rider though).

SLX01

One thing that does annoy me after being spoilt by the tour coverage is the lack of cameras to cover 'incidents'. The camera follows the leaders but if someone punctures for example all we get is the studio presenters guessing where theyve gone rather than a shot of the rider frantically changing bikes and trying to get back on, which adds drama to the race.

outofbreath2

I'm starting to watch it just for Dean Downing now, bless him. You can just see after he's struggled to put a sentence together, he remembers his last instruction.... 'now, grin to camera." Love him to bits.

Oh - and shool kids do not make a race comparable to the TdF either. Great to see them I agree.

Overall I'm enjoying the very Britishness of it.

deptfordmarmoset

northernneil wrote:

Its been a good race, but imagine the crowds if they have started/finished in some large cities instead of somerset and cornwall small towns

Some large cities maybe, but not London. I know the pope's visit moved it off to Nowhereham (pronounced Newham) in the East End but that's no excuse - there were very few people there. Considering there are supposed to be half a million cycle journeys done every day in London, and considering that it was dry and mild, and that it was 8 x 12km laps so that you could get 8 chances to see the racing pass (16 chances on the parallel routes) the attendance was really disappointing.

Still, I've never seen so many cyclists on the Woolwich Ferry getting a free Thames crossing, and chapeau to the chap I was chatting with while we waited for the boat to come in. 191 miles yesterday from Devon to Woking and then out on the bike again the next day to watch the race. He hadn't been able to watch the Devon stage which had passed 6 miles away so he'd cycled up to London!

petemadoc

I watched all the highlights on ITV4, if you can call them highlights.

Poor coverage with what seemed like 1 or 2 cameras. racing was pretty dull, a few sprints to watch and the breakaway getting caught as usual. Yawn.

The only good bit was on the Swansea stage where they hit the cobbles on Constitution hill. Amazing! The riders looked just like me trying to get up some steep hills on my training loop, grinding away slow as anything. We didn't see that in the TDF :shock:

Rode through some nice looking areas in Rochdale on stage 1, very glamorous

NWLondoner

Why does Hugh Porter always use Miles and MPH!!!! This is cycling FFS :twisted:

I know they probably want to appeal to the general UK public but as every other race uses metric it is surely better to get these new viewers used to it straight away.

When he says they are going 30MPH etc I can no longer compare it to anything.


The "Huge crowds" statements also make me laugh and of course the schools children are excited, they have managed to wrangle an hour or so out of class

ThreeLionsBrian

northernneil wrote:

Its been a good race, but imagine the crowds if they have started/finished in some large cities instead of somerset and cornwall small towns

Try Devon instead of Cornwall, The crowd at Teignmouth was great and the town made a magnificent effort,

I rode the Charity ride of Stage 4 and again the crowd and effort at Teignmouth was excellent, in fact there was crowds all along the route some small maybe but they sure made themselves heard when we passed.