Women's Tour

bobmcstuff
bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
edited June 2019 in Pro race
Starts tomorrow.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racin ... our-311559

Prize pot equal to the ToB.

Also getting the full cycling podcast summary treatment so I'll actually know what's been going on this year :D
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Comments

  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    And for a change I have no commitments on Thursday so can peddle over to watch them flash by on Stage 2.

    Peddle is my way of combining pootle and pedal
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Doesn't appear to be any live coverage but it is getting an ITV4 highlights show at 8 or 9pm every night.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Stage 3 is very similar to Stage 4?? of the ToB
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    Pross wrote:
    Stage 3 is very similar to Stage 4?? of the ToB
    Other way around. Stage 4 of the ToB is very similar to Stage 3 of the Women's Tour. This is the 3rd year running they've done the Women's Tour stage, the authorities involved have presumably decided to branch out into the ToB as well. It comes right past the building I work in, but I'll be on holiday in September when they come through on the ToB :cry:
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Just watching the highlights, there's no KM to go graphics so the whole thing is incredibly confusing.

    Cue angry tweets to ITV
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Poor stage, bunch sprint involving the whole peloton.

    Poor coverage too, no visual indicators as to where the riders were in the race, so it was hard to build tension (and they would wipe to the next bit of coverage without telling you how much ground had been covered in that time). And there was no graphic to say whether you were looking at a chasing group or breakaway, couple of times I thought a break was going when I wasn't paying complete attention. There were no cues that the race was entering the closing stages (nor from the commentators who sounded pretty flat throughout)

    If the rest of the coverage is this wanky I probably won't bother.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    That was a lovely morning. Got onto the Stage 2 route in a village just north of Brackley with a small uphill section. Sun came out, villagers came out and chatted, primary school even preschool children came out to line the pavement and cheer. One of the Btc Ljubljana riders (Boogaard?) 2.45 up the road. Media silence for me now before the ITV4 highlights later...
  • weezyswiss
    weezyswiss Posts: 123
    Saw Stage one as they did the Cat 3 climb (seriously? That small lump is nothing), just about held onto one of the local KoMs I hold, but suspect they were cruising while I was flat out lol.

    ITV4 coverage was the worst bit of TV I've seen in a long time. Haven't seen the Eurosport variant, so will catch up on that later to compare.
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    WeezySwiss wrote:
    Saw Stage one as they did the Cat 3 climb (seriously? That small lump is nothing), just about held onto one of the local KoMs I hold, but suspect they were cruising while I was flat out lol.

    ITV4 coverage was the worst bit of TV I've seen in a long time. Haven't seen the Eurosport variant, so will catch up on that later to compare.

    well sorry Suffolk doesnt have any mountains, weve only got hills like that, and I dont recall much complaining when Cav & G rode it in the mens race, think that was 2011.

    it was designed to be a sprinters stage and I had expected a breakaway to form and then probably get caught, which I guess the teams worked out and decided to save their energy for the rest of the race, I mean last year Niewiadoma broke away on stage 1 and ended up winning the race through that, so I dont think any of the GC teams were going to let that happen again and it was cagier then they might have thought it would be.

    Ive not seen the coverage yet,but Id expect the Eurosport version to be just the same pictures/commentary.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    The stage two highlights are equally gash, such a disappointment.

    The racing hasn't been all that either but some decent coverage would really help.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    I take what I said about the racing back, it was actually quite good today. All went to bits over Newnham Hill, did come back but it was more fun. Last few k was entertaining.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Its good racing so far :)
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    I unexpectedly found myself driving most of the last 20 miles of today's stage as I was visiting a site in Southam but unfortunately couldn't hang around to see it go through. Nice racing roads those, up and down all the way but with no real climbs.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    What happened yesterday?
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    The stage two highlights are equally gash, such a disappointment.

    The racing hasn't been all that either but some decent coverage would really help.

    I think Gash is an unfortunate phrase in the context but I agree we need more than just snatches of the event :lol:
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Today's highlights package had 10 minutes of them rolling through the neutralized zone, and that's in an hour slot with 3 ad breaks.

    The GC was won by a sprinter (Coryn Rivera), which tells you all you need to know about how poor the route was.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,547
    bobmcstuff wrote:

    The GC was won by a sprinter (Coryn Rivera), which tells you all you need to know about how poor the route was.

    She's more of a Sagan than a Kittel.

    But you're point stands, the route was pretty uninspiring this year, with only the second stage really offering non-sprinters much in the way of opportunity.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    andyp wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:

    The GC was won by a sprinter (Coryn Rivera), which tells you all you need to know about how poor the route was.

    She's more of a Sagan than a Kittel.

    But you're point stands, the route was pretty uninspiring this year, with only the second stage really offering non-sprinters much in the way of opportunity.
    Second place was at 11s. The gap between 1st and 10th was only 34s (and I haven't checked but I'm guessing quite a bit of Rivera's lead was bonus seconds).
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    it was a bit of a damp squib finish wasn't it :(
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,115
    That final day was certainly damp. I've not seen a great route for the women's TOB. Audrey Cordon's break on Saturday was pretty good, 90km, but ultimately came to nothing.
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  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    i wonder why cant run the men and the women on the same day an hour or two apart? It would certainly be interesting to compare the two stages to each other.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    The men's route has a pretty mixed record to be fair, while it has produced some good racing in the past it looks like it will be a sprinter's race as well this year.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,598
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    i wonder why cant run the men and the women on the same day an hour or two apart? It would certainly be interesting to compare the two stages to each other.

    It needs double the number of everyone on the same day, police, commissaires etc. Or to run them back to back means two road closures in a day.

    It was a pig for the tour de Yorkshire.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • weezyswiss
    weezyswiss Posts: 123
    awavey wrote:
    WeezySwiss wrote:
    Saw Stage one as they did the Cat 3 climb (seriously? That small lump is nothing), just about held onto one of the local KoMs I hold, but suspect they were cruising while I was flat out lol.

    ITV4 coverage was the worst bit of TV I've seen in a long time. Haven't seen the Eurosport variant, so will catch up on that later to compare.

    well sorry Suffolk doesnt have any mountains, weve only got hills like that, and I dont recall much complaining when Cav & G rode it in the mens race, think that was 2011.

    it was designed to be a sprinters stage and I had expected a breakaway to form and then probably get caught, which I guess the teams worked out and decided to save their energy for the rest of the race, I mean last year Niewiadoma broke away on stage 1 and ended up winning the race through that, so I dont think any of the GC teams were going to let that happen again and it was cagier then they might have thought it would be.

    Ive not seen the coverage yet,but Id expect the Eurosport version to be just the same pictures/commentary.

    Yep, I live in Ipswich so fully aware of the lack of big hills, just the rolling hills and constant headwinds
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:

    The GC was won by a sprinter (Coryn Rivera), which tells you all you need to know about how poor the route was.

    She's more of a Sagan than a Kittel.

    But you're point stands, the route was pretty uninspiring this year, with only the second stage really offering non-sprinters much in the way of opportunity.
    Second place was at 11s. The gap between 1st and 10th was only 34s (and I haven't checked but I'm guessing quite a bit of Rivera's lead was bonus seconds).

    yeah she was picking up most of the bonus seconds on the intermediate sprints, and overall I think it was about 32 seconds in the end that she gained, hence ended up as winner of the sprints jersey too.

    so I was surprised given the gap was fairly static all the way from stage 2, as were the top 3 GC basically, there wasnt more concerted effort to make a break stick or others try more for the sprints, but it shows without those time bonuses she could have been back just hanging on to the top 10. and there were lots of crashes

    as for why the stages end in bunch sprints,and the places it does is the same reason we hit for the ToB, Yorkshire is out of bounds pretty much due to TdY and the councils who pay to host the stage finishes and therefore fund the race to happen in the first place dont pay out for all the ToB, Womens Tour and Tour series events crossing over and want bunch sprints because that is to the average viewer of cycling as a sport, the most exciting type of finish.

    Most of the stages I think are designed to end up like stage 4, so theres the chance of a break if a group want to take it on, but which can get pegged back a few km before the finish and it ends in a sprint, it doesnt always work because races are dynamic, the order of the stages alters the racing, and the aims of the teams racing arent necessarily synched with the aims of making it look an interesting race for cycling fans.

    which is possibly linked again to the wages thing again a team with a jersey may choose to protect that,because they get prize money for it, than risk sacrificing it to try and get a better GC position, other teams may just be trying to hang on to a top 10 position, whilst the reward for 11th-20th is the same and so on

    so I dont think it was a classic this year, but the race is getting more popular, it sounds like they maybe considering a TTT which must mean an extended number of stages/days raced
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    Read that the 2019 tour stage 3 on 12th June is to finish at Blenheim Palace, which would make a good day for us to pedal over there, get the ambience and finish then pedal home.

    Given is a private estate tourist attraction, any idea if race spectators will need to buy admission tickets to the grounds? Wouldn't be the end of the world if did but could see that putting people off.
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    orraloon wrote:
    Read that the 2019 tour stage 3 on 12th June is to finish at Blenheim Palace, which would make a good day for us to pedal over there, get the ambience and finish then pedal home.

    Given is a private estate tourist attraction, any idea if race spectators will need to buy admission tickets to the grounds? Wouldn't be the end of the world if did but could see that putting people off.

    You never used the secret gate to get into the grounds without admission tickets?
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    dish_dash wrote:
    orraloon wrote:
    Read that the 2019 tour stage 3 on 12th June is to finish at Blenheim Palace, which would make a good day for us to pedal over there, get the ambience and finish then pedal home.

    Given is a private estate tourist attraction, any idea if race spectators will need to buy admission tickets to the grounds? Wouldn't be the end of the world if did but could see that putting people off.

    You never used the secret gate to get into the grounds without admission tickets?
    :D That one at the top end of Woodstock? Might be little too obvious to have several of us wheeling our bikes in by the footpath gate.
  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    sometimes womens racing is great but not usually. I used to be very pro but more and more i see it as very definitely second rate and not just different. womens TOB last year was appalling.

    I also get the feeling that this push for equality in prizes and coverage is just a sop and shows the differences even more starkly.

    Anyone who disagrees is welcome to look back at some of the comments that others were making on the threads from last year.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    Wasn't it more that the TV coverage last year was pants, which it was, than the racing itself?

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