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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    kela66 wrote:
    Hope this is the right place for this question, why when there is a crash do some riders just sit there? the coverage on ITV last night showed a rider sitting in the road and when the doctor came he just shuffled over a bit.
    I appreciate some may be hurt and for them its the end of the race ie coller bone etc, but we regularly see riders sitting for quite a bit then jumping back on a bike and drafting back into the peloton?
    a little rest waiting for a rideable bike?, shorts ripped and bits on show? waiting for the pain to subside?

    thanks
    Kela
    Basically because they are hurt and/or dazed. If they are not someone who is looking to be in the upper echelons of the General Classification, a couple of extra minutes isn't going to hurt them as they'll be 2 hours down when they get to Paris anyway. So there's no real need to hurry.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Silly Old Hector
    Silly Old Hector Posts: 573
    The rider you talk about (Astana?), came in with quite some grazing/bleeding to his face - guess he deserved a bit of recuperation time.
    All the gear, but no idea...
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,822
    He's abandoned now (Brajkovic).

    Vande Velde, the other rider who sat for a while, has also abandoned
  • Bwgan
    Bwgan Posts: 389
    Just got into watching the TDF, and have read through the last 10 pages!
    Q) what makes a climb catagorized - if that was the correct term?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Bwgan wrote:
    Just got into watching the TDF, and have read through the last 10 pages!
    Q) what makes a climb categorized - if that was the correct term?
    There's no specifically defined criteria to it, but it's judged generally on the gradient and length of climb. The position of the climb can be important too - a climb close to the finish may get an upgrade.

    Historically, the climbs were allegedly categorised by what gear a car could go up the climb in (4,3,2 or 1) - but these were very old cars and it may be nonsense anyway.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Bwgan
    Bwgan Posts: 389
    Cheers rich
  • peat
    peat Posts: 1,242
    I fleetingly followed Le Tour last year, trying a bit harder this year.

    What i am struggling with, as last year, is to see where the yellow jersey is harvesting this lead time from? He never seems to be out front (bar last saturday) making time on the peloton. Is everyone else THAT inconsistent that he can just cruise around near the front/main pack that he just acrues a lead?
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Peat wrote:
    I fleetingly followed Le Tour last year, trying a bit harder this year.

    What i am struggling with, as last year, is to see where the yellow jersey is harvesting this lead time from? He never seems to be out front (bar last saturday) making time on the peloton. Is everyone else THAT inconsistent that he can just cruise around near the front/main pack that he just acrues a lead?
    The Tour de France overall is won on the few stages where it's possible to make big time gaps: individual time trials and mountain stages (especially those finishing on the top of a mountain like on Saturday). Normally the overall winner (like Wiggins last year) gains a lot of time on those selective stages, and finishes in the bunch on the flat stages where the opportunities to gain time are minimal and everyone finishes in one big group. The next selective stage will be the one finishing on the Mont Ventoux on Sunday
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    Why cotton wool up nose during TT warm up?
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,587
    josame wrote:
    Why cotton wool up nose during TT warm up?

    explained at http://timwiggins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/0 ... d_xwRZbAts
    http://www.3pistescycle.co.uk
    Twitter @3pistescycle
    INSTA @tourclownunder
  • Bwgan
    Bwgan Posts: 389
    There is a yellow (colour blind so could be wrong) Mavic car seen in a lot of shots, can anyone use their wheels/bike if they encounter a problem? If so is there a time penalty for doing so?
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Bwgan wrote:
    There is a yellow (colour blind so could be wrong) Mavic car seen in a lot of shots, can anyone use their wheels/bike if they encounter a problem? If so is there a time penalty for doing so?

    i. Yes it is the neutral service car. It can be used for wheel replacement and if absolutely necc a spare bike (but one size fits all!) and ii. No time penalty that I'm aware of.

    Someone might have a video link to Jens using a spare (vsmall & with toeclips) yellow bike during stage 16 in the 2010 Tour. Added to his "legend" status somewhat :wink:

    jens-voigt.jpg
  • Bwgan
    Bwgan Posts: 389
    Thanks RonB
  • markmergler
    markmergler Posts: 6
    Here is a good tip for new fans, don't try to run with the riders! See the clip below for why!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls3NxXSb1K0
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Been trying to work this out for a while, what do the white flags with black faces and white bandanas represent? Seen a few of these
    Road
    MTB
    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Been trying to work this out for a while, what do the white flags with black faces and white bandanas represent? Seen a few of these
    It's the flag of Corsica.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Ah! Thanks
    Road
    MTB
    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • cornerblock
    cornerblock Posts: 3,228
    I think this belongs here. A very enjoyable animated film that explains things to newcomers brilliantly.
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    Can I ask 4 months in advance that we do not allow DOPING to dominate all discussion on the forum during this year's TdF and other races? Its a cycle race for heaven's sake.
    'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP
  • LutherB
    LutherB Posts: 544
    Why do riders 'sign on' at the start of races?
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    Registering for the race
  • LutherB
    LutherB Posts: 544
    MartinGT wrote:
    Registering for the race

    Cheers Martin - but is it just for 'show'? When some teams didn't register one day recently, they were only told to sign on early the next day.
  • MartinGT
    MartinGT Posts: 475
    They were 'late' for singing in I think which they were not impressed with. Its a large part of show nowadays I think so the fans get a better look.

    The race commaisaires know how many people are in the race once they have signed on so a health & safety aspect I should think. Although today they can use radio to speak with the teams I should think to see where XYZ riders are.
  • LutherB
    LutherB Posts: 544
    Thanks again...

    From INRG i got the impression they didn't sign on at all:

    Screen+Shot+2014-03-10+at+19.03.32.png

    I just wondered how 'official' it was, if a team didn't sign on then they couldn't ride kinda thing.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,822
    It's part of the show for the fans as well, and I'd imagine the Ville Depart will get a lot from it, as people will come out en fete to see the riders one by one signing on and being announced to the crowd
  • campingletour
    campingletour Posts: 1
    Hi all

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    Thanks
  • wannabecyclist
    wannabecyclist Posts: 149
    How are some riders already the winner before the final stage? Surely if they fall off and do not complete then they lose? I am sure when Wiggins won it said the final stage didn't matter, he had already one and it was more of a procession.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    wannabecyclist wrote:
    How are some riders already the winner before the final stage? Surely if they fall off and do not complete then they lose? I am sure when Wiggins won it said the final stage didn't matter, he had already one and it was more of a procession.
    Their not officially the winner, because certain mishaps that you mention can happen. But its so unlikely that while they are not technically the winner yet - they more or less are.
    It's like a football team being 5-0 up with five minutes to play. They haven't actually won the game yet, but effectively they have.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,822
    RichN95 wrote:
    wannabecyclist wrote:
    How are some riders already the winner before the final stage? Surely if they fall off and do not complete then they lose? I am sure when Wiggins won it said the final stage didn't matter, he had already one and it was more of a procession.
    Their not officially the winner, because certain mishaps that you mention can happen. But its so unlikely that while they are not technically the winner yet - they more or less are.
    It's like a football team being 5-0 up with five minutes to play. They haven't actually won the game yet, but effectively they have.

    This is a great analogy, I hadn't thought of it like that before.
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    wannabecyclist wrote:
    How are some riders already the winner before the final stage? Surely if they fall off and do not complete then they lose? I am sure when Wiggins won it said the final stage didn't matter, he had already one and it was more of a procession.
    Their not officially the winner, because certain mishaps that you mention can happen. But its so unlikely that while they are not technically the winner yet - they more or less are.
    It's like a football team being 5-0 up with five minutes to play. They haven't actually won the game yet, but effectively they have.

    This is a great analogy, I hadn't thought of it like that before.

    In the case of the Tour de France, shouldn't the analogy would be "a football team being 5-0 up with five minutes to play, and the other team not allowed to try to score"

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