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  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    What's the rule for time cut in a time trial?

    It seems a bit rough, you get all the way through thousands of miles, up and down mountains, in searing heat and/or rain, get bashed up in crashes, have crazy drunks shouting in your face on mountain tops, change hotels every night, can't have a beer for three weeks (presumably), only to find at the end on Saturday, you're time-cut, five hours after you did your bit?

    Still, if dem's de rules, dem's de rules.
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    How do they make the long transfer tonight? Train?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Lichtblick wrote:
    How do they make the long transfer tonight? Train?

    Yup.

    Expect shots of riders reading l'equipe on the TGV.
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Everyone on the same special train?

    Of course, all those cars and team busses and the publicity caravan and the lorries with barriers will have to do it by road, I guess?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Everyone on the same special train?

    Of course, all those cars and team busses and the publicity caravan and the lorries with barriers will have to do it by road, I guess?

    You'd imagine so yes...
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    ASO is providing a few helicopter flights for the top riders I'm reading too.
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Really? Is that usual?

    Just wondering, what happens to Radioshack after this season?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Not usual. They do it occasionally for the yellow jersey and the winner up Luz Ardiden since it's such a sh!tfight to get back down.

    Radioshack will no longer exist and all their riders (and staff) will be scrounging around looking to join a different team.
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    What a mine of information you are, Rick!

    I've got one I wish someone else would ask. :) That red car. You think there's only one, don't you? Nah. I've spotted three different red cars so far. :D
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Commisar's car innit?

    Need one behind to catch people like Cav hitching lifts off cars ;).
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Yes, but there are at least three of them.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Yes, but there are at least three of them.

    Yeah, they spread out across the road to keep an eye on everyone.
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    That's what I love about the Tour. This is my eighth year following it, and I keep learning new stuff all the time.
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Apart from Bernard Hinault, who are all those geezers lined up for handshakes on the podium every day? Both sides too, you can see if the cameras stay there long enough.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Apart from Bernard Hinault, who are all those geezers lined up for handshakes on the podium every day? Both sides too, you can see if the cameras stay there long enough.

    Local dignitaries - special guests (usually ex big cyclists).

    Today was the French president - not that either Cav or Wiggins seemed to notice.
    _
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Apart from Bernard Hinault, who are all those geezers lined up for handshakes on the podium every day? Both sides too, you can see if the cameras stay there long enough.

    Local dignitaries - special guests (usually ex big cyclists).

    Today was the French president - not that either Cav or Wiggins seemed to notice.

    I had no idea M. Hollande is so short. :shock:
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Not usual. They do it occasionally for the yellow jersey and the winner up Luz Ardiden since it's such a sh!tfight to get back down.

    Radioshack will no longer exist and all their riders (and staff) will be scrounging around looking to join a different team.
    Guess that's why the team buses are so now well apppointed - so the lads can rest. I always thought the team liked to stay together, but I'm sure I've heard of airborne transfers before, somewhere (help me out, someone. I may be thinking of a publicity stunt involving Anquetil)
    Rick, is this why there is a noticeable change later in some tours, regarding teams losing sponsorship, etc? Later in the tour you may see someone going for it, is this building on his CV? The Radioshack question is interesting: are they going for team/personal pride or looking to move on?
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • essjaydee
    essjaydee Posts: 917
    According to tweet by Nicholas Roche
    Top 20 GC riders get to travel by air
    8)
    Share The Road Event http://www.sharetheroadride.co.uk
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  • tazmon
    tazmon Posts: 107
    Does anyone know what gearing the teams use for the mountain stages?

    Cheers
    Rory
    Road - Scott Solace
    Mountain - Santa Cruz Tazmon (retro) and Scott Spark
  • essjaydee
    essjaydee Posts: 917
    Dr Hutch tweeted that he got told off for counting wiggo's cassette. 11-28 If my memory is correct.
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  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,587
    Ok here's one from me that I asked on the thread about Robert Millar's blog.

    Robert Millar's latest blog wrote:
    Jens would be riding like only he can, probably spurred on by a never ending version of Sandstorm by Darude being played down to him through his own channel on the team radio.

    Often wondered if the riders are allowed to listen to music in their ear pieces. I assume they are?

    I know that if I was in a breakaway it would make me ride harder and ignore the pain.

    Does the UCI have rules about this?
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  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Commentator commentated "that's the last time Bradley puts on the leader's jersey, tomorrow he'll put on the winner's jersey".

    What is the difference? The leader's jersey zips up the back and the winner's one doesn't?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,255
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Commentator commentated "that's the last time Bradley puts on the leader's jersey, tomorrow he'll put on the winner's jersey".

    What is the difference? The leader's jersey zips up the back and the winner's one doesn't?

    No actual difference. He was just pointing out that tomorrow he will have officially won.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Maurice Thepity
    Maurice Thepity Posts: 75
    How long before the UCI bring ina new rule that you can only have one GC contender per nation?
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    Could the organisers not have done any better than Lesley Garrett, a second-rate opera singer at the best of times, and her hideous, look-at-me, budget-last-night of the proms caterwauling?

    Wiggins_-Look_532_1552951a.jpg
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    tazmon wrote:
    Does anyone know what gearing the teams use for the mountain stages?
    Cheers
    Rory
    Not really a mountain stage as in the Alps or Pyrenees, but before the Planche des Belles Filles stage, Zabel (now a sports director with Katusha) said he expected some riders to change bikes after the second climb (cat 3) so they had a compact chainring with an 11/23 cassette for the final climb (cat 1). With a standard chainring, that would be like having a 25 or 26 at the back.

    Maybe that was his actual advice to Katusha’s sprinter, Oscar Freire (but who in the end didn’t start that day after crashing the day before).
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,719
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Chipper on here is a bit of an in-joke.
    I am sure we always used to refer to it as a "Fish and Chipper" as we would always stop for that particular snack on the way home.

    Still meant the same level of importance though.
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Someone has just asked me this, and I don't know the answer:

    Why no black professional cyclists?

    (The only one I can find is this: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/ ... 53,00.html )
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Lichtblick wrote:
    Someone has just asked me this, and I don't know the answer:

    Why no black professional cyclists?

    (The only one I can find is this: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/ ... 53,00.html )

    A contentious issue.

    Firstly,there are, Bauge the sprinter being the most prominent, but you're right in that it's not often you see a field in Europe that has black riders.

    People argue about it.

    My 2 cents is that cycle racing is't really part of any black culture, in the same way swimming isn't, so their cultures don't produce the athletes.
    _
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    A late one: do riders never get pee'd off by car/motorbike fumes and have vehicles been modified with this in mind?

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