Have we just seen best back to back 3 days racing for a decade
Bora and the echelons
Peters solo win over sack of potatoes descending, Pinot & Ala pop, team leaders battle
The never forming break, Pinot pops, then attacks then pops, the heads of state battling it out on Col MB... and of course that young swiss wonder kid who was just a pure joy to watch from first attempt at a break to saying good morning to the motorhome folk, to that bunny hop, to the moto overtake, to the sprint finish.
When was the last time we witnessed 3 such thrilling days of racing back to back ?
Both TdF and other GTs.
Peters solo win over sack of potatoes descending, Pinot & Ala pop, team leaders battle
The never forming break, Pinot pops, then attacks then pops, the heads of state battling it out on Col MB... and of course that young swiss wonder kid who was just a pure joy to watch from first attempt at a break to saying good morning to the motorhome folk, to that bunny hop, to the moto overtake, to the sprint finish.
When was the last time we witnessed 3 such thrilling days of racing back to back ?
Both TdF and other GTs.
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Last year's Tour.0
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No ."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 pm0
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Depends what you want out of sport, of course, but the lack of a satisfying narrative framework within which to view it counts against it. At the moment the patterns of this tour aren't clear enough to know what those stages really meant.
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I’d rather just enjoy it for what it is rather than try endless comparisons with the past.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.0
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Good point.gweeds said:I’d rather just enjoy it for what it is rather than try endless comparisons with the past.
I didn't have high hopes for this tour, but with the exception of one long dull sprint stage that resulted in a time penalty it has been good. But the past three days have been pure entertainment from flag drop to finale.
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Only one person on the forum can make this call..........."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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blazing_saddles said:
Only one person on the forum can make this call...........
It's not Iain is it? He rated today as an 8/10 which I think is a record.Twitter: @RichN950 -
I did and he did?RichN95. said:blazing_saddles said:Only one person on the forum can make this call...........
It's not Iain is it? He rated today as an 8/10 which I think is a record.
Well, there you go."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Just enjoy it. It's not a competition.
Oh! 😉The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
It's been very entertaining certainly.
I think that's an impossible comparison though.
As above it doesnt have a good narrative yet, maybe in hindsight it will gain something else.0 -
The roller coaster of the BR Forum's relationship to the Tour never ceases to amaze.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0
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I'm gonna say no - I couldn't pick out any consecutive 3 days better but I'm not really one for memorising that stuff.
3 decent enough stages - Saturday was ok - nothing special - so a stage with echelons, a routine mountain stage and yesterday which was exciting without really being one that will live in the memory.
The starter has been appetising but now let's have the main course.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
People love death match comparasions . 2018 giro Vs 2019 tour ..... Etc .tailwindhome said:The roller coaster of the BR Forum's relationship to the Tour never ceases to amaze.
"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 pm0 -
This was the worst tour ever according to most till s7 . Others are complaining it's not proper because the GC guys are just sprinting for bonus secs . It's not the 2018 giro yet but it's decent racing ... different too. Surprising at times"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 pm0
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Stages 13, 14, 15 last year were pretty good.0
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We should run a head to head poll... Grand tours from different years...mididoctors said:
People love death match comparasions . 2018 giro Vs 2019 tour ..... Etc .tailwindhome said:The roller coaster of the BR Forum's relationship to the Tour never ceases to amaze.
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Given the starting point was the slightly hyperbolic "is this the best three day's racing we've seen this decade?" it's not surprising the majority are going with "no". That's not the same as saying that it hasn't been a reasonably decent first week by the standards of the tour, even if the GC race has yet to really kick into gear.mididoctors said:This was the worst tour ever according to most till s7 . Others are complaining it's not proper because the GC guys are just sprinting for bonus secs . It's not the 2018 giro yet but it's decent racing ... different too. Surprising at times
The big worry about the GC race is that it'll remain a sprint contest for bonus seconds on the line. Those of us who are frustrated by the majority opinion that long, flat stages for sprinters are an abomination will enjoy the irony of this - if not necessarily the racing...
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I think this bonus sprint thing over looks you have to be able to climb to be in a position to sprint . So you could argue it tests several abilities"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 pm0
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mididoctors said:
I think this bonus sprint thing over looks you have to be able to climb to be in a position to sprint . So you could argue it tests several abilities
I liked an idea that I saw yesterday that the climbing bonus sprint should be midway on the climb, say 70% of the way up, not at the topTwitter: @RichN950 -
Excellent idea ...Or at least set back a km or a half from the summit making people blow up short of the crest ... I like itRichN95. said:mididoctors said:I think this bonus sprint thing over looks you have to be able to climb to be in a position to sprint . So you could argue it tests several abilities
I liked an idea that I saw yesterday that the climbing bonus sprint should be midway on the climb, say 70% of the way up, not at the top"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 pm0 -
You could stick a bunch in on a long climb. Wtf not. I supposed it might devolve into its a Knockout UAE are playing their joker"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 pm0
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The big worry about the GC race is that it'll remain a sprint contest for bonus seconds on the line. Those of us who are frustrated by the majority opinion that long, flat stages for sprinters are an abomination will enjoy the irony of this - if not necessarily the racing...
Edit......Sorry the above was a quote from Lanterne Rouge, but I mucked it up
I can’t escape the feeling that The Grand Colombier and the Col de la Loze are gonna be the only climbs that will really see large time gaps. The CdlL could see huge gaps. Whichever GC candidate is best on those two climbs wins the tour.
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I don't disagree that it still tests all the things a GC rider needs (you could argue that by adding sprinting power to the list it actually widens the test).mididoctors said:I think this bonus sprint thing over looks you have to be able to climb to be in a position to sprint . So you could argue it tests several abilities
It doesn't make for great TV though - everyone keeps some of their powder dry and any excitement is left for the last 100m. It feels like it's neutralising the racing at the moment.0 -
It's still selective . You see groups forming at different levels"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 pm0
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Neutralising? After yesterday?Lanterne_Rogue said:
I don't disagree that it still tests all the things a GC rider needs (you could argue that by adding sprinting power to the list it actually widens the test).mididoctors said:I think this bonus sprint thing over looks you have to be able to climb to be in a position to sprint . So you could argue it tests several abilities
It doesn't make for great TV though - everyone keeps some of their powder dry and any excitement is left for the last 100m. It feels like it's neutralising the racing at the moment.0 -
It actually says consecutive days which I think makes a big difference. It feels quite rare to have 3 good days back to back as it tends to be that after a big day the riders have one where they take it easy.Lanterne_Rogue said:
Given the starting point was the slightly hyperbolic "is this the best three day's racing we've seen this decade?" it's not surprising the majority are going with "no". That's not the same as saying that it hasn't been a reasonably decent first week by the standards of the tour, even if the GC race has yet to really kick into gear.mididoctors said:This was the worst tour ever according to most till s7 . Others are complaining it's not proper because the GC guys are just sprinting for bonus secs . It's not the 2018 giro yet but it's decent racing ... different too. Surprising at times
The big worry about the GC race is that it'll remain a sprint contest for bonus seconds on the line. Those of us who are frustrated by the majority opinion that long, flat stages for sprinters are an abomination will enjoy the irony of this - if not necessarily the racing...
It's been quite an odd one. There hasn't been a huge amount of attacking when you think back but the leaders have been exposed for much longer than we became accustomed to in the Sky days. If we can get the same on the big Alpine stages it could be real fun.
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