The Pre-Tour de France thread v2.0

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  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    It was all rather stripped back on that front, presumably because of covid protocols and not having to hand round loads of mics etc. Most years they'll talk to at least a couple of riders from each team - not having that made it rather anaemic.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    Don't think anyone mentioned 6 Music's annual pre-tour programme - Gideon Coe's cycling special with songs related to cycling, Brittany and (naturally) badgers. Available on BBC Sounds, if you want a listen.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    RichN95. said:

    The presentation was interesting for who got individual introductions, coming on after their teams - Pogacar, Alaphilippe, Sagan and Froome. No such honour for former winners Thomas and Nibali.

    I felt they were pretty dismissive of Ineos.
    Not a word with former winner and always good for a one liner, Geraint Thomas, yet last year's first best loser, Mr "Errrrr yeah....." Roglic got to chat.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    I half expected Van der Poel to get bored and launch an attack
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    I am sick to death of the pinnerelo f
    "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
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    Don't think anyone mentioned 6 Music's annual pre-tour programme - Gideon Coe's cycling special with songs related to cycling, Brittany and (naturally) badgers. Available on BBC Sounds, if you want a listen.

    Have 5Live had a preview yet? And they're no longer providing commentary - just text commentary on the website. That station really has dumbed down in recent years.....loads of inane banter, classed as coverage.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,147
    andyrac said:

    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    Don't think anyone mentioned 6 Music's annual pre-tour programme - Gideon Coe's cycling special with songs related to cycling, Brittany and (naturally) badgers. Available on BBC Sounds, if you want a listen.

    Have 5Live had a preview yet? And they're no longer providing commentary - just text commentary on the website. That station really has dumbed down in recent years.....loads of inane banter, classed as coverage.
    Heard it being previewed on Adrian Chiles yesterday including an interview with a Slovenia based reporter. Not sure if there's been a full preview.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,332
    Didn't see a preview on five - there's not one highlighted on the cycling page of the BBC website.

    Meanwhile...

    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Gotta be honest, I’ve just bought one of these Merci Poupou jerseys. €80 delivered is pretty good compared to most other kit nowadays.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Have to admit I hadn't realised that MVDP was Poulidor's grandson so didn't get the connection between Poulidor and the team.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    Ben6899 said:

    Gotta be honest, I’ve just bought one of these Merci Poupou jerseys. €80 delivered is pretty good compared to most other kit nowadays.

    Aye that's good value tbf. I would've loved a polo shirt version too.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    Just noticed they won't ship the Jersey to the UK though.

    It literally says "because of Brexit" lol
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    edited June 2021
    Going to leave this here in the hope @RichN95. notices it...
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Trivia for Rich:
    Most world champions at a Tour?
    Road, not TT.
    Here we have Alaphilippe, Valverde, Mads P, Cav, Sagan, Kwiatkowski, Gilbert, Rui Costa.

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    blazing_saddles said:

    rick_chasey said:

    Just looked at the route.

    What a snooze week one is.

    A shocker isn't it?
    First weekend is OK but the mid week stages are coma inducing.
    Predictions that didn't age as well as Cavendish, and about as well as Roglic and Geraint's gc hopes
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Crash fest, 4 sprints, 2 uphill 2 flat and a TT that destroys the GC weren't necessarily golden days.

    Today might be, haven't seen it.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    rick_chasey said:

    Crash fest, 4 sprints, 2 uphill 2 flat and a TT that destroys the GC weren't necessarily golden days.

    Today might be, haven't seen it.

    Best pure racing stage I've seen. Action everywhere
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  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,147
    My prediction was that today might be interesting... at the end after 4 boring hours.

    My plan to watch the break go then come back to it for the finish didn't work out.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    I've been busy at work and unable to follow the Tour, so it seems it's basically over... unless one of the young guns has GC ambitions, Pogacar has already a lead which is hard to bridge...
    What happened to Roglic? He's like 6 minutes behind Pogacar
    left the forum March 2023
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,599
    edited July 2021
    ugo.santalucia said:

    I've been busy at work and unable to follow the Tour, so it seems it's basically over... unless one of the young guns has GC ambitions, Pogacar has already a lead which is hard to bridge...
    What happened to Roglic? He's like 6 minutes behind Pogacar

    Colbrelli barged him off late on in stage 2 or 3 and he lost a minute or so. Plus another 4 mins today because of his injuries and a bit in the TT.

    And Pogacar destroyed everyone to win the TT.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    And how come Nibali is just behind Pogacar? Luck or he did a mega TT?
    left the forum March 2023
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    ugo.santalucia said:

    And how come Nibali is just behind Pogacar? Luck or he did a mega TT?

    Got in the break today.
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  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    bobmcstuff said:

    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.

    He's shown he can be isolated. I think it's going to be interesting
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  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.

    He's shown he can be isolated. I think it's going to be interesting
    I think it is going to be lively.
    Lots of attacks and questions asked.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    pblakeney said:

    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.

    He's shown he can be isolated. I think it's going to be interesting
    I think it is going to be lively.
    Lots of attacks and questions asked.
    Yep. As long as Movistar don't wreck it chasing a top ten and the team competition.
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  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,599
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    pblakeney said:

    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.

    He's shown he can be isolated. I think it's going to be interesting
    I think it is going to be lively.
    Lots of attacks and questions asked.
    Yep. As long as Movistar don't wreck it chasing a top ten and the team competition.
    I suspect Movistar and Garmin will be there to bail Pogacar out whenever needed.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,473
    This Tour has been amazing so far!
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,815
    Is it just me or are we getting less of the actual cycling action on the ITV highlights show than ever before?

    They always used to pad it out with filler on some of the duller sprint stages, but it seems this year on every stage we're getting endless interviews before and after the race plus the other features and analysis. The total racing shown must amount to only about 20mins.

  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    rick_chasey said:

    Crash fest, 4 sprints, 2 uphill 2 flat and a TT that destroys the GC weren't necessarily golden days.

    Today might be, haven't seen it.

    For me a good race is when the GC is always changing. If that's due to crashes or racing is neither here nor there if it adds to the excitement. The return of Cavendish has made what might have been boring sprint stages into a spectacle as well. It's certainly been one of the most interesting Tours so far.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    bobmcstuff said:

    It's been a fantastic first week.

    I'll admit it does look a bit less interesting for the rest of it, unless something happens with Pogacar.

    He's shown he can be isolated. I think it's going to be interesting
    It will depend on how Jumbo responds to Roglic seeming to be out of the picture. They're a big team, along with Ineos, who could throw numbers at Pogacar, but if they've given up on a realistic GC challenge now then it does play into Pogacar's hands.

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