Tour 2019 Post Mortem and looking forward to 2020

2

Comments

  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    hypster wrote:
    I've always hated Ned Boulting


    :shock: :shock: :shock: wow :shock: :shock: :shock:

    His over-emphasis on the pronounciation of foreign places and riders names is like fingernails on a blackboard to me. His fawning adoration of any of the pros especially David Millar is sickening and his ridiculous hyperbole during commentary is laughable.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    Ridgerider wrote:
    van Aert was a revelation...he could be the next Roglic!
    He is too heavy. He could be the first rider to actually make Sagan work for green though.

    All of this only matters until MvdP commits fully to the road. Then it's game over for everyone else. He is the true unique talent in cycling. Way beyond even van Aert and even Bernal in terms of talent.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • daninexile
    daninexile Posts: 45
    M.R.M. wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    van Aert was a revelation...he could be the next Roglic!
    He is too heavy. He could be the first rider to actually make Sagan work for green though.

    All of this only matters until MvdP commits fully to the road. Then it's game over for everyone else. He is the true unique talent in cycling. Way beyond even van Aert and even Bernal in terms of talent.

    He's definitely something else I watched him win in Euro MTB race yesterday. It wasn't even close.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    ... partly because a few of the other big names weren't there but I see your point...

    I also wouldn't be so sure he'll ever commit fully to the road.
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    So as a former fan of on bike cameras....Did anyone watch a Velon video this Tour?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    https://www.bikeradar.com/features/pro- ... de-france/

    (I'm bored...)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rozzer32
    rozzer32 Posts: 3,923
    Best thing for me was Wiggo on the motorbike. Totally brilliant and of course he wasn’t going to make it the whole way without swearing, although he nearly got there.
    ***** Pro Tour Pundit Champion 2020, 2018, 2017 & 2011 *****
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    rozzer32 wrote:
    Best thing for me was Wiggo on the motorbike. Totally brilliant and of course he wasn’t going to make it the whole way without swearing, although he nearly got there.

    Wiggins is exactly what Kirby thinks he is, when in fact he's the polar opposite.

    As for the swearing, Eurosport have put out clips with a number of F bombs from riders (Sagan included) then just apologized as if they didn't know.
    Besides, shit champagne is, well...............shit. :lol:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    As great as the course was originally designed and forgetting the altered Alps, excluding Bernal, I'm afraid the GC boys combined didn't produce as much excitement as Pinot, never mind Alaphilippe.
    No wonder Kruijswijk had a smile on his face. He must have realized his team got him on the podium with their outstanding TTT, taking almost twice as much time from Bora, than he ended up with over to Buchmann.
    Meanwhile Buchmann's ambition seemed more geared to picking up the Haimar Zubledia award, than the yellow jersey.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    Bardet looked like someone had been firing tomatoes at him.
    http://tinyurl.com/332edp
    http://tinyurl.com/2nu7r3
  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    I think this will go down as a long remembered edition
  • mrfpb
    mrfpb Posts: 4,569
    Has anyone seen Ben Miller's routine about turning up to a hotel and being given Ben Stiller's suite. That was Alaphillipe at this Tour, the opposite of Imposter Syndrome, "I know I shouldn't have all this but I'm bloody well going to keep enjoying it until the real Maillot Jaune turns up"
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,183
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Meanwhile Buchmann's ambition seemed more geared to picking up the Haimar Zubledia award, than the yellow jersey.

    Bora made an error with their kit colour- another black/yellow/red or white combo would have helped him hide better.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    Mad_Malx wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Meanwhile Buchmann's ambition seemed more geared to picking up the Haimar Zubledia award, than the yellow jersey.

    Bora made an error with their kit colour- another black/yellow/red or white combo would have helped him hide better.

    People have short memories. It was Buchmann's attack that put Thomas out the back of the lead group on the Tourmalet, and he went with Pinot and Bernal on the stage to Foix the next day. For a rider stepping up to lead a team in a GT for the first time, I think fourth was an excellent result. He could have possibly done more in the Alps, but circumstances conspired against him.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

    With Thibaut Pinot on the Tour

    https://youtu.be/M3PS-RApBXo

    even if you don't understand French the images speak for themselves
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    andyp wrote:
    Mad_Malx wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Meanwhile Buchmann's ambition seemed more geared to picking up the Haimar Zubledia award, than the yellow jersey.

    Bora made an error with their kit colour- another black/yellow/red or white combo would have helped him hide better.

    People have short memories. It was Buchmann's attack that put Thomas out the back of the lead group on the Tourmalet, and he went with Pinot and Bernal on the stage to Foix the next day. For a rider stepping up to lead a team in a GT for the first time, I think fourth was an excellent result. He could have possibly done more in the Alps, but circumstances conspired against him.

    I hadn't forgotten that, but what did he do in the final week, other than follow wheels? Could have, might have but didn't.
    But as you say, he got 4th, which was my point.

    I don't know what you mean by leading Bora for the first time in a GT. He was defacto leader in 2017 Tour and I presume at least co leader in 2016 as he again finished 40 places higher than Konrad.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    ITV coverage has a different feel and I suppose it depends what you like. CK is a bullsh*tter but his commentary does at least feel as if it's part of the coverage - for me Ned's doesn't - there's a disconnect as if he's watching a video of the race back and trying to explain what is going on. Millar has a tendency to over analyse and together they are telling me what I can already see without adding to the atmosphere. I'd actually take Millar but pair him with someone else - I think there is a dry humour in Millar that doesn't get aired enough.

    Eurosport does have a few over analysers themselves - Flecha is incredibly dull as is Contador but we saw very little of them this time - not a fan of Stephens he's more in the ITV style on commentary but as an interviewer he did nothing wrong.

    If by "part of the race" you mean "a totally different race which seems to be occurring mostly inside Kirby's fevered imagination", then I agree with you.

    At least what Boulting says bears some relation to what is actually on the screen.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    The commentary was fine barring CK. The race was awesome. So awesome it's truncated finale failed to make the race a fail.... Imagine another year where that happened.

    1996 tour had a shortened stage due to weather and oddly it was a unpredictable tour too . But nothing on this tour.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    mididoctors wrote:
    The commentary was fine barring CK. The race was awesome. So awesome it's truncated finale failed to make the race a fail.... Imagine another year where that happened.

    1996 tour had a shortened stage due to weather and oddly it was a unpredictable tour too . But nothing on this tour.

    That was unpredictable for other reasons I suspect.
    _
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,613
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/change- ... rformance/

    Ahem.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • poweredbyidris
    poweredbyidris Posts: 848
    Some great photos here: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/28/blood-rain-and-cheers-tour-de-france-2019-in-pictures

    This is a belter:

    2560.jpg?width=1920&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=63db3ca56b3dd19e588b90abc9ceafc4
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,270
    Gweeds wrote:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/change-in-sports-drink-blamed-for-uaes-poor-tour-de-france-performance/

    Ahem.
    :D Poor team performance nothing to do with riders, management, organsiation, tactics, all down to what we drank... aye right.
  • meursault
    meursault Posts: 1,433
    That is a classic image above, thanks for posting and the link.
    Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

    Voltaire
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,270
    Some belting images in that Guardian set.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    COWS!

    3170.jpg?width=1920&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=03fef8816fc7928a8e5526e239dc713e
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Fookin hell. That Guardian link. Thanks for sharing.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    orraloon wrote:
    Gweeds wrote:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/change-in-sports-drink-blamed-for-uaes-poor-tour-de-france-performance/

    Ahem.
    :D Poor team performance nothing to do with riders, management, organsiation, tactics, all down to what we drank... aye right.

    I don't see what's so unusual here. I quite often suffer poor performance caused by what I drank.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    Some great pics in that Guardian gallery. Cheers.
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  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    More photos here...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2019/07/the-201 ... 00-frames/

    and here...

    https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tou ... 27591.html

    85C_6110.jpg
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    The commentary was fine barring CK. The race was awesome. So awesome it's truncated finale failed to make the race a fail.... Imagine another year where that happened.

    1996 tour had a shortened stage due to weather and oddly it was a unpredictable tour too . But nothing on this tour.

    That was unpredictable for other reasons I suspect.

    It was about 60% more unpredictable.

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