Tour De France 2011 - The Commuters Spolier Thread

tailwindhome

12 more big sleeps


Are ya excited yet? Are ya? Are Ya?


Will Cav win the Green Jersey? Will he be in Yellow on Day 1?
Will Contador win Yellow? Should he be there at all?
Will the Schelcks grow up and race?
Will TailWindHome get peace to watch the Alpe DHuez stage?

jonginge

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

nation

Are ITV covering it this year?

I got into the habit of watching the highlights on ITV player of an evening last time around.

TheStone

TailWindHome wrote:

Will Cav win the Green Jersey? Will he be in Yellow on Day 1?
Will Contador win Yellow? Should he be there at all?
Will the Schelcks grow up and race?

Maybe. No.
Yes. No.
No

sketchley

Someone has got to say it!

I'm in too minds I simply don't know if I'll be excited or not. I would be a lot more excited it Contador was either not racing or had already been cleared by CAS. But right now the I can't help thinking I'll be watching the race for 2nd place, or simply getting more and more disinterested as the tour goes on as I did at the Giro. I'm looking forward to seeing how the fans react to Contador on the climbs though it will not be pretty. The guy with the meat on a stick in the Giro was funny.....

jonginge

nation wrote:

Are ITV covering it this year?

I got into the habit of watching the highlights on ITV player of an evening last time around.

Yep. Similar coverage on ITV4 as last year. I've got a DVR full of the live and highlights shows :oops:

rick_chasey

Are us pro-race forumites allowed to post in this thread?

Or is it just for people who wear neon and say things like "who is in the lead?" 5 minutes before the sprint finish on stage 1.

Agent57

That time of year when I desperately try to avoid the day's results until I can watch the highlights, and forget that these days I follow a lot of cycling news types on Twitter. Since I joined Twitter, avoiding results has been much harder. =/

Like Sketchley, I'm looking forward to meat-related shenanigans from spectators.

spen666

Rick Chasey wrote:

Are us pro-race forumites allowed to post in this thread?

Or is it just for people who wear neon and say things like "who is in the lead?" 5 minutes before the sprint finish on stage 1.

Is that Beryl Burton riding this year or has she been banned for illegal use of jelly babies?

Wrath Rob

Having watched the TdS, I can't understand the Schlecks. What were they playing at? The boys undoubtedly have talent, as proved by Andy taking the green jersey when he could actually be bothered, but the have no strategic nouse. WTF were Leopard Trek doing pacing the yellow jersey to the finish on all of the mountain stages? Where were the attacks? Did they not want to win it?

Good to see Wiggins in the Dauphine but I've got my doubts about him taking the fight to Contador in the mountains, more like limiting his losses and going for a big TT performance. Which given Contador's Giro performance doesn't look like such a good idea...

cjcp

JonGinge wrote:

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

First thing's first: let's make sure we're there in time for the highlights to start..

tailwindhome

Rick Chasey wrote:

Are us pro-race forumites allowed to post in this thread?

On a case by case basis.

Me wrote:

Will Cav win the Green Jersey? Will he be in Yellow on Day 1?

The Stone wrote:

Maybe. No.

That may have been my first of many stupid questions on this thread. Is the first stage not a ordinary road stage this year instead of the usual prologue?

tailwindhome

cjcp wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

First thing's first: let's make sure we're there in time for the highlights to start..

Silly Commuters on (Le) Tour?

rick_chasey

TailWindHome wrote:

That may have been my first of many stupid questions on this thread. Is the first stage not a ordinary road stage this year instead of the usual prologue?

Indeed it is.

They've put the finish ontop of a hill though, to get a little more differential.

Expect Gilbert to be in yellow for the first week, and don't expect any sprinters to be in green untill around week 2.

jonginge

AC brought his 2009 form to the giro not his 2010 form. We saw what happened there. He says that he's still tired from the giro:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contado ... -difficult
In another recent interview he said he arrived at the 2010 tdf exhausted. Maybe this year will be close again. We'll see.

Wiggo was as good as he needed to be at the dauphine. I don't think he'll ever be as explosive on the climbs as an AC, Schlecklet, Rodriguez or even a van den Broeck but a top ten should be achievable. Hoping for a top 5...

TheStone

TailWindHome wrote:

That may have been my first of many stupid questions on this thread. Is the first stage not a ordinary road stage this year instead of the usual prologue?

Correct and not a stupid question.
Cav has a chance, but there's a bit of a kick up towards the end of the stage and I'd suspect they'll be too many people wanting to take the chance of yellow.

rick_chasey

JonGinge wrote:

AC brought his 2009 form to the giro not his 2010 form. We saw what happened there. He says that he's still tired from the giro:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contado ... -difficult
In another recent interview he said he arrived at the 2010 tdf exhausted. Maybe this year will be close again. We'll see.

Wiggo was as good as he needed to be at the dauphine. I don't think he'll ever be as explosive on the climbs as an AC, Schlecklet, Rodriguez or even a van den Broeck but a top ten should be achievable. Hoping for a top 5...

I would be surprised if Wiggins makes top 5. Not enough TTkms and there are enough climbers who seem to be stronger this year to make it very difficult for him to break the top 5.

It doesn't help that the main TT will be in the 3rd week, where your tiredness will count for an awful lot more.

TheStone

cjcp wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

First thing's first: let's make sure we're there in time for the highlights to start..

What time are the french highlights? Latest time to be back from the Marmotte is 21h14, so that's my aim.

An hour power nap before the fight (if it's on up there).

jonginge

TailWindHome wrote:

cjcp wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

First thing's first: let's make sure we're there in time for the highlights to start..

Silly Commuters on (Le) Tour?

La Marmotte is on the same day as the grand depart...

t4tomo

The climb 100m in the final km, which is quite soon after coming over small cat 4 climb. It won't be a Cav stage. Hushovd will fancy it though.

sketchley

Just looked a profile for stage 1, my prediction is Thomas Voeckler

notsoblue

Can't wait!

Last year I would take a late lunch hour and pop over to the Rapha Cafe on Clerkenwell Road for the last bit of the day's stage. But alas, the Rapha Cafe is no more. Can anyone recommend another spot to catch Le Tour? Look Mum No Hands on Old Street would seem the obvious choice, but they're not being as vocal about showing it as they were about The Giro.

sketchley

notsoblue wrote:

Can't wait!

Last year I would take a late lunch hour and pop over to the Rapha Cafe on Clerkenwell Road for the last bit of the day's stage. But alas, the Rapha Cafe is no more. Can anyone recommend another spot to catch Le Tour? Look Mum No Hands on Old Street would seem the obvious choice, but they're not being as vocal about showing it as they were about The Giro.

Look mum no hands records all the stages then play back the last hour around 6pm each evening. I work 400 yards down the road! Yay!

They have beer and cake.

What more do you want.

Oh get there early or there isn't any space.

FoldingJoe

Looks handily situated for me at Leadenhall Market - 5 minute ride!!

cjcp

TheStone wrote:

cjcp wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Will JG fall asleep watching the highlights of stage 1 on french telly? You betcha

First thing's first: let's make sure we're there in time for the highlights to start..

What time are the french highlights? Latest time to be back from the Marmotte is 21h14, so that's my aim.

An hour power nap before the fight (if it's on up there).

Not sure. Will have to check at the hotel when we get down there.

woodford2barbican

I 'watch' it on the live text update whilst at work....and sky+ the highlights.....works for me.

roger_merriman

I tend to catch the highlights and gawp at the hills as the racing much as any sport tends to leave me cold.

The few times i've watched local races with folks I know it's been fun. But big tv stuff is great spectacle but do I care who wins? no.

richVSrich

will terrestrial tv be showing it? or the highlights?

DonDaddyD

<< DDD wades in with his self assured ramblings >>

I like the Tour, I do!

Predictions:

Cav will win nothing but some sprint stages. If he can't get up them big hills to win a few intermediate sprints then he'll always be the fastest sprinter on the tour but not the best rider challenging for the green jersey.

Wiggo: Hope he pulls his finger out. Nuff said.

People I'd like to see:
Geraint Thomas, awesome name that Geraint.
Ben Swift
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Vicenzo Niballi

And I'm gonna say it, I'd like to see Downing there just you know for that hometown - I've been to your shop (Condor) feel.

Lastly, I like Contador so I'll be happy if he wins. Wish Schleck or someone else would man up and go balls-out and push him into nose bleed levels of trying.... a young Lance would have.

I'm being entirely serious.

sketchley

richVSrich wrote:

will terrestrial tv be showing it? or the highlights?

http://www.itv.com/sport/tourdefrance/n ... 10withitv/

richVSrich

richVSrich wrote:

will terrestrial tv be showing it? or the highlights?

NVM - found it! ITV4 and online!