My first Tour de France. *No spoilers*
Dippydog2
Posts: 291
This is the first year I have watched.
Here's a newbies impressions, and I guess that's what the sport needs to attract. After all, if it was mainstream it would hardly be almost only on Eurosport.
Made the effort to understand, to the extent that the uninvolved can, what is going on. It's a very complex team sport and more effort needs to be spent on how the teams works.
Fascinating event, far more complex than I had envisioned.
France is a stunningly beautiful place. I go there every year (to different areas from the Tour), and if they were trying to attract tourists they succeeded with me.
Good commentators. (Eurosport). Yes, I have read the winges, but for the audience they currently have they are an almost perfect compromise.
Bad technological support for coverage. Improve this and you would increase the audience.
The pros are very fit, but the vast majority don't work that hard. I guess it's part of the sport but unless you put in a very hard short period you are not really doing anything interesting apart from pushing air out of the way. The Strava suffer scores are lower for most TDF stages than a local club ride. Yes, I know that they do it for days in a row, but unless the coversge includes a detailed explanation of how difficult this is it just looks like people rocking up lots of days in a row for a group ride. As a test see how many people that are racing that you can name. I am sure someone could come up with a scale but I guess if you can name over 10% of the field you are either a commentator or should get out more.
I may be quoting a bad example, but Luca Paolini seems to reside at the back of the group like a sweeper, and then today appeared at the front doing ostensibly a valuable role. Fine, but it wasn't explained why.
Having said that, I will watch every stage and look forward to learning more.
Large numbers of people are interested in cycling, vast numbers watch it live, but for it to become a truly mass interest sport and to grow its TV aaudience it needs to become more understandable. Silly example,but the way F1 drivers are interviewed before the race on the grid shows how things have and can change.
I would bet significant money that in 10 years the top grossing TV sports have players live commenting during an event. You are free to bet your money elsewhere if you disagree.
Here's a newbies impressions, and I guess that's what the sport needs to attract. After all, if it was mainstream it would hardly be almost only on Eurosport.
Made the effort to understand, to the extent that the uninvolved can, what is going on. It's a very complex team sport and more effort needs to be spent on how the teams works.
Fascinating event, far more complex than I had envisioned.
France is a stunningly beautiful place. I go there every year (to different areas from the Tour), and if they were trying to attract tourists they succeeded with me.
Good commentators. (Eurosport). Yes, I have read the winges, but for the audience they currently have they are an almost perfect compromise.
Bad technological support for coverage. Improve this and you would increase the audience.
The pros are very fit, but the vast majority don't work that hard. I guess it's part of the sport but unless you put in a very hard short period you are not really doing anything interesting apart from pushing air out of the way. The Strava suffer scores are lower for most TDF stages than a local club ride. Yes, I know that they do it for days in a row, but unless the coversge includes a detailed explanation of how difficult this is it just looks like people rocking up lots of days in a row for a group ride. As a test see how many people that are racing that you can name. I am sure someone could come up with a scale but I guess if you can name over 10% of the field you are either a commentator or should get out more.
I may be quoting a bad example, but Luca Paolini seems to reside at the back of the group like a sweeper, and then today appeared at the front doing ostensibly a valuable role. Fine, but it wasn't explained why.
Having said that, I will watch every stage and look forward to learning more.
Large numbers of people are interested in cycling, vast numbers watch it live, but for it to become a truly mass interest sport and to grow its TV aaudience it needs to become more understandable. Silly example,but the way F1 drivers are interviewed before the race on the grid shows how things have and can change.
I would bet significant money that in 10 years the top grossing TV sports have players live commenting during an event. You are free to bet your money elsewhere if you disagree.
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Comments
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Does cycling need to become "mainstream" ??
Its got along just fine for the past 100 odd years as it is and the millions that turn out to watch the tour and the spring classics would suggest it does have an extensive following. Im more than happy for it to be on Eurosport and not have to pay an extra £25 p/m just to watch the same coverage on Sky Sports
The effect that mass interest has on sport IMO isnt a good one. Look at Football. The sport itself is now full of corruption, stupid money and the clubs have alienated the everyday fan in search of generating further income and lining the pockets of billionaire owners.0 -
I got into the Tour properly in 2012, it takes time watching road cycling to really get to grips with all of the aspects of it but I would suggest reading a few books around pro-cycling to get a better understanding of it all.
The commentary on both Eurosport and ITV in my eyes is pretty good, it does in some cases assume some knowledge of racing but I think it does a good job of giving background to the race and the history of the sport, I have managed to get a few of my friends into it this year too and they have all enjoyed it, I now spend a lot of time explaining terminology, the rules and other parts of the sport to them, next year I will get them all watching the Spring Classics too.
And 10% of the field is only about 22 people, I would be surprised if people watching the tour were unable to name more than that?0 -
The pros are very fit, but the vast majority don't work that hard. I guess it's part of the sport but unless you put in a very hard short period you are not really doing anything interesting apart from pushing air out of the way. The Strava suffer scores are lower for most TDF stages than a local club ride.
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Glad you're enjoying it, but I think the above is a bit off...if it was that easy, then why aren't these riders on local club rides doing the Tour?0 -
Make up a team of the best club riders you have in your local area. Put them at the start of the Tour de France. As soon as the race reaches the 0km marker, they would be spat out of the back and never seen again.0
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Cav - sorry Cvndsh said similar to one of his training partners on the IOM - he'd be spat out the back as soon as they de-neutralise. And thats a guy that trains with Cav !
If the Strava suffer score says a stage of the tour is easier than a club run - then frankly its b*llox.
Anyone who knows anything of cycling can see this. Anyone who doesnt know cycling thinks its all tough anyway.0 -
Laurens ten Dam's power distribution from stage 16 -
http://www.strava.com/activities/169422 ... stribution
234.6km and 3,700m of climbing in 6:16:34 hrs.
Weighted avg power of 282w, with 2 hours at over 300w, 1 hr at over 361w, and 38 minutes at over 421w.
That's having already done 15 stages, and then having to do a couple of big mountain stages on the next couple of days.
Superhuman when compared to us club run heroes I'm afraid.0 -
thread of the year...0
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msbirkinshaw wrote:And 10% of the field is only about 22 people, I would be surprised if people watching the tour were unable to name more than that?
Its 19.8 people (riders) in fact, well it was on the roll out from Leeds on day one.Ribble Ultralite Racing 7005, Campagnolo Veloce groupset, Campagnolo Khamsin G3 wheel set0 -
Imposter wrote:thread of the year...
Not yet!.... but it has potential."You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
Charlie Potatoes wrote:Imposter wrote:thread of the year...
Not yet!.... but it has potential.
I dunno, I think the OP nailed it with the first post...
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Dippydog2 wrote:
Large numbers of people are interested in cycling, vast numbers watch it live, but for it to become a truly mass interest sport and to grow its TV aaudience it needs to become more understandable.
The Tour de France is the annual sport event with the widest worldwide audience... that means more than the Champions League final, F1 grand Prix, Wimbledon etc.
If you then include events which are not ran every year, then it features at no. 3, after the Olympic games and the Football World Cup...
Mass interest enough?left the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:Dippydog2 wrote:
Large numbers of people are interested in cycling, vast numbers watch it live, but for it to become a truly mass interest sport and to grow its TV aaudience it needs to become more understandable.
The Tour de France is the annual sport event with the widest worldwide audience... that means more than the Champions League final, F1 grand Prix, Wimbledon etc.
If you then include events which are not ran every year, then it features at no. 3, after the Olympic games and the Football World Cup...
Mass interest enough?
3.5 billion apparently - that number surely cannot be right0 -
Typically those sorts of viewing figures include every time there is even 5 seconds of footage shown on a news broadcast etc.0
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Also watching every stage counts as 21 views.
That 3.5bn also doesn't include Eurosport (I think)
It also doesn't include everyone watching illegal streams.0 -
Did any of them take weights off the bike to add a Brooks saddle?
I bet not.
Its the first thing I would do, take that 90g carbon saddle off, put on a 567g Brooks Colt, take off 477g of weights.0
