Le Tour 2016 - pre race chat
Comments
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Ridgerider wrote:imatfaal wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:/\
nearly as good as the real thing
Do the UCI rules apply to cars as well and Sky can only use that for the Time Trial cos of the arc en ciel
You would have thought that the Tour would be a perfect showcase for electric team cars..low emissions around cyclists, stage length should suit overnight charges..
It crossed my mind as they are/were supporting WWF
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Ridgerider wrote:imatfaal wrote:SpecialGuestStar wrote:/\
nearly as good as the real thing
Do the UCI rules apply to cars as well and Sky can only use that for the Time Trial cos of the arc en ciel
You would have thought that the Tour would be a perfect showcase for electric team cars..low emissions around cyclists, stage length should suit overnight charges..
An electric and/or hybrid Jaguar F-class - I have gone a bit weak at the knees.
I saw a Mercedes S500 plug-in Hybrid a few months ago (I think it must have been highly tweeked) humiliate an Aston at the lights; 2 tonnes of limo jumping away from the lights like a scalded cat - well apart from the fact that it was almost silent. That sort of speed in the best looking car around - wow; they should do it.0 -
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Hi all heading over to take in stages 19,20 of le tour any advice on travelling times places to watch etc were stayin in Saint Jean de sixt0
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I'm right that we won't be suffering Phil and Paul and their suitcase of courage ™ this year? Or was that just a dream? Ned and Holy Dave instead? Does this mean the death of the ITV podcast? Assuming Rendell is busy with Movistar, and Ned all pooped out from commentating? (Hang on I'll ask them)0
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Rendell doesn't work for Movistar anymore.yourpaceormine wrote:I'm right that we won't be suffering Phil and Paul and their suitcase of courage ™ this year? Or was that just a dream? Ned and Holy Dave instead? Does this mean the death of the ITV podcast? Assuming Rendell is busy with Movistar, and Ned all pooped out from commentating? (Hang on I'll ask them)
They're still doing the podcast. The question is what Daniel Freibe's status will be after his recent ITV outings.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Rendell won't be with the ITV4 team either, even though he's left MOV (and I'd love to know the story behind the split - something went wrong). Matt confirmed on Twitter. Too late for him to have been able to get his gig back this year0
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Richmond Racer 2 wrote:Rendell won't be with the ITV4 team either, even though he's left MOV (and I'd love to know the story behind the split - something went wrong). Matt confirmed on Twitter. Too late for him to have been able to get his gig back this year
He went in there for Nairo more than Movistar itself, non? And Movistar seem a fairly Spanish oriented set up, must be hard going in there as a 'foreigner'. Just as Chris Baldwin eventually ditched being at Astana. And I suspect Matt has far less tolerance than Chris...
As a total aside, I was browsing a used bookshop in South Africa the other week and flicked through his book on Lance's 2003 victory - A Significant Other. The words doping or EPO didn't feature once... not an attack on Matt. Just an example of how almost everyone just ignored the big elephant in the room.0 -
yourpaceormine wrote:I'm right that we won't be suffering Phil and Paul and their suitcase of courage ™ this year? Or was that just a dream? Ned and Holy Dave instead? Does this mean the death of the ITV podcast? Assuming Rendell is busy with Movistar, and Ned all pooped out from commentating? (Hang on I'll ask them)
The Suitcase will still be available on NBC apparently...0 -
I asked Ned, Chris and Matt via Twitter. Matt replied "oh, go on then". :-) So maybe he is doing some reporting for them after all?
Must have dosed off and missed him leaving Movistar.0 -
Sun Dodger wrote:yourpaceormine wrote:I'm right that we won't be suffering Phil and Paul and their suitcase of courage ™ this year? Or was that just a dream? Ned and Holy Dave instead? Does this mean the death of the ITV podcast? Assuming Rendell is busy with Movistar, and Ned all pooped out from commentating? (Hang on I'll ask them)
The Suitcase will still be available on NBC apparently...
Oh dear, what a shame, can't get that with my Sky package.0 -
dish_dash wrote:As a total aside, I was browsing a used bookshop in South Africa the other week and flicked through his book on Lance's 2003 victory - A Significant Other. The words doping or EPO didn't feature once... not an attack on Matt. Just an example of how almost everyone just ignored the big elephant in the room.
Odd as he must have been researching the Pantani book around the same time.0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:First week looks very dull have to say.
Wha?? St 2 looks good - off the sprinters radar, St 5 Millar reckons Contador's attack land
'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'0 -
Ref Sky and the Vuelta -
Assuming all goes well at the Tour (or doesn't but he's not injured) Froome will likely line up - also he'll be missing out the post-tour crit season to go to Rio.
Landa will have done half the Giro and all of the tour - would be very surprised if he risks the Vuelta, esp after health issues this year.
Konig is a good foil for Froome if he's back on form, and Inxausti could come in for stage hunting, along with Roche.0 -
And McLay is in for Fortuneo. The sprints could get very interesting (not to mention congested) - lots of teams bringing guys showing good form...0
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I hope whoever takes the responsibility of creating the daily stage spoiler threads, has been working hard to educate and entertain us with those amazing first posts.
No pressure or anything!!0 -
ITV4 has confirmed their team covering the Tour. Commentary by Ned and Holy David, 'studio' Gary and Chris. Reporting Dan F and Matt. No surprises there. Be interesting to see how Ned and David handle 3 weeks. They are definitely getting betterer at commentating.
Looks like the winning commentary team compared to Eurosport.0 -
Sprints and points jersey.
I wonder how Cav will fare this year? If I was a betting man, he wouldn't be my first choice for a punt. Of course he is Cav, so should not be discounted, so I could never say "he will not win a stage".
Will the current Cav incarnation go for intermediate sprints, and try and hoover up some points? Will his track physique help him with lumpier sprint stages in a Thor Hushovd style, or will his ride be a series of nearly but not quites? The Columbia train is pretty much reformed, although I can't really remember seeing it this year (EBH, Renshaw, Eisel and Cav - have they actually raced together this year?).
Of course sensible money has to be on Sagan for green (all those second places will make a healthy points tally), and I can't see past the German sprinters sharing the stage wins. Nacer will earn himself time on the naughty step for erratic sprinting.0 -
What chance Nibali making the podium if Froome, Bertie and Quintana are still in the race by Paris?
If he manages that, without giving it the whole "I'm here for the team... for Aru (pffft)... maybe a stage win; I'm taking it day by day" bollox, then I might consider not referring to him as a bellend...0 -
OCDuPalais wrote:What chance Nibali making the podium if Froome, Bertie and Quintana are still in the race by Paris?
If he manages that, without giving it the whole "I'm here for the team... for Aru (pffft)... maybe a stage win; I'm taking it day by day" bollox, then I might consider not referring to him as a bellend...
It might take him a while to get a handle on the race0 -
Richmond Racer 2 wrote:OCDuPalais wrote:What chance Nibali making the podium if Froome, Bertie and Quintana are still in the race by Paris?
If he manages that, without giving it the whole "I'm here for the team... for Aru (pffft)... maybe a stage win; I'm taking it day by day" bollox, then I might consider not referring to him as a bellend...
It might take him a while to get a handle on the race
V.Good.
Although a bit slow off the mark- You sure you're not due a software upgrade to RR2.01 in time for the Tour?0 -
OCDuPalais wrote:Richmond Racer 2 wrote:OCDuPalais wrote:What chance Nibali making the podium if Froome, Bertie and Quintana are still in the race by Paris?
If he manages that, without giving it the whole "I'm here for the team... for Aru (pffft)... maybe a stage win; I'm taking it day by day" bollox, then I might consider not referring to him as a bellend...
It might take him a while to get a handle on the race
V.Good.
Although a bit slow off the mark- You sure you're not due a software upgrade to RR2.01 in time for the Tour?
My cycling time is being horribly eroded by time needed on a daily basis to be shared out across the core activities of
taking the wee wee out of Corbyn, planning a hit on Farage, stabbing pins into my Cameron doll, and banging my head on my desk at 5 minute intervals0 -
Richmond Racer 2 wrote:My cycling time is being horribly eroded by time needed on a daily basis to be shared out across the core activities of taking the wee wee out of Corbyn, planning a hit on Farage, stabbing pins into my Cameron doll, and banging my head on my desk at 5 minute intervals
I hear you... with the ongoing shambles cycling seems to have lost its importance... shouldn't Boris be on your list as well?0 -
Carry on with the latter 3 activities, RR - but I'm confused about the Corbyn thing going on right now. It seems that the UK was crying out for a political option operating nearer the Christ/Ghandi end of the spectrum in terms of leadership style (rather than the Thatcher/Genghis Khan end)? Then we get one, and then he's torn to shreds by print and social media which then wonders why we only end up with c**** in suits...0
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Mainly because while he is clearly principled he is a balls public speaker, and also only supported Remain because he thought he had to (contributing less than nothing to the Remain campaign), which should really pee off a lot of Corbyn supporters.0
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This is way OT, but I've been mulling after a debate at the gym this morning.
My beef with Corbyn is as follows:
- He got the charisma of a wet fish and has been utterly ineffective as an opposition leader.
- He has done nothing to reach out to the floating/progressive votes, instead he has battened down the hatches and retreated into the historic territory of unions and the hard left.
- His stance on the referendum was embarrassing, dishonest and part of the reason we are in the position we are in. He provided no leadership and left the Labour party heartlands open to rampaging UKIP propaganda.
- Principled he may be, but that doesn't seem to extend to a clear disassociation with anti-semitic tendencies among his supporters nor their aggressive behaviour towards perceived opponents (His smirk when Laura K from the BBC was hissed was particularly telling).
- The Labour party under Corbyn will be decimated at the next election with UKIP the main beneficiary.0 -
that last point chills me to the bone.0
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FWIW I think the anti-Semitic thing is totally overblown.
Problem is people conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, and the media have no interest in disassociating the two.
Not to say there aren't any Jew haters in Labour, but there's probably a bunch of closet racists in other parties as well (*cough* UKIP *cough*).0 -
Anyway I am very excited for the Tour to take my mind off things.0
