Tour de France Night Finish

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  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Talking about this out on a ride at silly o'clock this morning. Love the idea. Paris at night is stunning. I'll be there on the Champs whatever but this would be special.
  • Nick Fitt
    Nick Fitt Posts: 381
    Brilliant idea
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Will they have to ride with lights?
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    Amazing! I'd love to see that - what a finale! :)
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Pross wrote:
    Will they have to ride with lights?

    And they will all have to wear one of these!

    reflective-sam-brown-belt-IMG177.jpg
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    In two minds about this - it would be a fantastic spectacle but a complete pain in the plums for the teams. If they need to ride under spotlights, the stage probably won't finish before 10pm?, 11pm? Podium ceremonies close to midnight? All very well if you are waiting to don the yellow jumper, but if you are the poorly paid schmo who has to rub legs or chuck the manky kit in the machine or wash the bikes, you won't be finished until stupid o'clock in the a.m. No party and dancing girls for you.

    Its not as if the finishing circuit is so visually offensive that they have to hide most of it in the dark
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • OffTheBackAdam
    OffTheBackAdam Posts: 1,869
    Fine in theory, but I guess it'll be just a big nocterne. No ride up the Chevreuse Valley beforehand (I suppose that's no great loss as the racing doesn't start until they reach the Champs) and if there's heavy rain, it will make things very "interesting".
    Any organisor planning a crit on the Monday, can probably forget it too.
    Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    Will they have to ride with lights?

    And they will all have to wear one of these!

    reflective-sam-brown-belt-IMG177.jpg

    The tough bit is going to be finding clipless pedals that have reflectors on them.

    It's not new having a night stage is it? I thought either the Giro or Vuelta did it a few years ago (possibly a prologue)?
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Pross wrote:
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    Will they have to ride with lights?

    And they will all have to wear one of these!

    reflective-sam-brown-belt-IMG177.jpg

    The tough bit is going to be finding clipless pedals that have reflectors on them.

    It's not new having a night stage is it? I thought either the Giro or Vuelta did it a few years ago (possibly a prologue)?


    Vuelta 2010 - TTT
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Pross wrote:
    The tough bit is going to be finding clipless pedals that have reflectors on them.

    Will they not use these?

    122591?$prod$
  • edhornby
    edhornby Posts: 1,780
    what about the logistics of closing the Champs Elysees ?? the barriers go out at something like 2am the night before - if they did an evening finish then the roads would sit empty all day which would annoy the parisiens or try to close it during the day???? that would be mental...
    "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
    --Jens Voight
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    edited October 2012
    edhornby wrote:
    what about the logistics of closing the Champs Elysees ?? the barriers go out at something like 2am the night before - if they did an evening finish then the roads would sit empty all day which would annoy the parisiens or try to close it during the day???? that would be mental...


    The Parisiens would just give massive Gallic shrugs, and put up with whatever closure arrangements they make. This is Le Tour! The usual finishing times see the Champs closed until early evening as it is
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Vuelta 2010 - TTT

    And 2005 Giro prologue.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    edhornby wrote:
    what about the logistics of closing the Champs Elysees ?? the barriers go out at something like 2am the night before - if they did an evening finish then the roads would sit empty all day which would annoy the parisiens or try to close it during the day???? that would be mental...

    For the 100th aniversary of the Tour, in 2003, there was an event where people were allowed to ride the course, on closed roads before the pros. By holding the race later on in the day, they would have more time for some sort of event beforehand.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    The tough bit is going to be finding clipless pedals that have reflectors on them.

    Will they not use these?

    122591?$prod$

    No no.. Problem solved:

    Livestrong-armb%C3%A5nd.jpg
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    ThomThom wrote:
    No no.. Problem solved:

    Livestrong-armb%C3%A5nd.jpg

    :D
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Not having done it before, they'd have the chance for a unique spectacle AND not forgetting, they can have one hell of a fireworks display at the end. (or maybe just one bloke throwing a banger judging from all the bad press this week).

    If only all this Lance stuff had happened 5 years ago and Landis and Contadork had been thrown out we'd probably be looking at a good 100th as far as celebrations go, well, the celebrations will of course be good, but the sport will be recovering, and the stories could go on and on and on all the way into the 100th TDF.
  • sketchley
    sketchley Posts: 4,238
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1
    --
    Chris

    Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/5
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Sketchley wrote:
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1

    Just P*ss on all our bonfires why don't you. :lol:
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Just P*ss on all our bonfires why don't you. :lol:

    That might help, it would be a bit darker...
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Just P*ss on all our bonfires why don't you. :lol:

    That might help, it would be a bit darker...

    :lol:
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Hotel is booked for the final stage next year, can't wait, even better now it's going to be an evening finish!
    Road
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    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • Nick Fitt
    Nick Fitt Posts: 381
    Sketchley wrote:
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1

    Dont forget the riders will be wearing dark race glasses, they will be OK to see the fireworks from about 21.00 onwards
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Nick Fitt wrote:
    Sketchley wrote:
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1

    Dont forget the riders will be wearing dark race glasses, they will be OK to see the fireworks from about 21.00 onwards


    Will Tyler Farrar be wearing his Transitions? :)
  • Nick Fitt
    Nick Fitt Posts: 381
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Nick Fitt wrote:
    Sketchley wrote:
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1

    Dont forget the riders will be wearing dark race glasses, they will be OK to see the fireworks from about 21.00 onwards


    Will Tyler Farrar be wearing his Transitions? :)

    I imagine so, a friend of 'Inside Info' told me that Foster Grant will be sponsoring next years finishing straight
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Racing in the dark, eh? How will we see them? Oh, they'll have floodlights. So it will be quite bright. Bit like riding in the day, then. What a rubbish idea.
    Unless they have a morning time-trial :P
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • Insideinfo
    Insideinfo Posts: 107
    This might sound silly but will the riders use lights if its nightime? Only that would look immense with all that lot lit up, like a nightime rally stage! Mental :D
  • Insideinfo
    Insideinfo Posts: 107
    Nick Fitt wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Nick Fitt wrote:
    Sketchley wrote:
    It's not going to be that dark, unless they finish really late. Sunset in Paris on 21st July 2013 is 21:43 civil twilight (when it should be birght enough to ride without lights) ends at 22:23. So to get proper dark add another 10 / 15 mins. So a race finsihing at 22:30 might just have the sprint finish in the dark under floodlights. To be a real night race it would need to finish 23:30 even then it would only be about 5 to 6 laps in the dark....

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... =-13&day=1

    Dont forget the riders will be wearing dark race glasses, they will be OK to see the fireworks from about 21.00 onwards


    Will Tyler Farrar be wearing his Transitions? :)

    I imagine so, a friend of 'Inside Info' told me that Foster Grant will be sponsoring next years finishing straight

    Now now, you know full well its Oakley. :lol:
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    BelgianBeerGeek wrote:
    Racing in the dark, eh? How will we see them? Oh, they'll have floodlights. So it will be quite bright. Bit like riding in the day, then. What a rubbish idea.
    Unless they have a morning time-trial :P

    Millar ought to be OK then
    "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
  • Flexisurfer
    Flexisurfer Posts: 249
    Gutted, I'm going for my 40th and my return flight is at 21:55 from CDG.

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