Le Tour de Femmes, race chat

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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,722
    The last 2 climbs are the identical finish to the Tour stage won by Alaphilippe with a WVA like attack.



    Not much wind forecast to speak of but it's from the North.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,691
    Watched on "highlights" - Couldnt actually see how that group got away?!?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,330
    The group that went for the win? It started pulling away on the climb towards the line, before the final intermediate sprint, and then they just kept driving - there was an exposed section immediately afterwards that really hampered the chase and with the break containing some absolute machines it was more or less a done deal.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,114
    davidof said:



    Interestingly, if I understood correctly, Jeannie Longo may be at the start of the race as a guest of honour. Marion Rousse announced this through clenched teeth but so clenched I had trouble hearing what she had to say.

    https://www.letourfemmes.fr/

    like Banquo's ghost




    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,907
    ddraver said:

    Watched on "highlights" - Couldnt actually see how that group got away?!?

    Counter attacks over the top of intermediate sprint point
    "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
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,907
    davidof said:

    davidof said:



    Interestingly, if I understood correctly, Jeannie Longo may be at the start of the race as a guest of honour. Marion Rousse announced this through clenched teeth but so clenched I had trouble hearing what she had to say.

    https://www.letourfemmes.fr/

    like Banquo's ghost




    Good advert for drug use
    "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
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,595
    The injury to Cavali was utterly moronic. The rider who took her out should be kicked out the race if she hasn't been already. You can't do many things more dangerous than that in a bike race.
    "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
    Was she so cross eyed from trying to bridge the gap that she literally couldn't see straight anymore? The riders were on the ground for a long moment before she came barrelling in at thousand miles an hour.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,330
    Update from FDJ - good news, as far as it goes


    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,330
    edited July 2022
    For those who haven't seen the Cavalli crash, this overhead is the best angle to understand it. It takes a few watches to see everything - there's all sorts of minor madness.

    Edited to add that it's fairly shocking, if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.

    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,473
    Normally race horses only get shot when they break a leg. Here, Cavalli is involved in a drive by shooting.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,461
    gsk82 said:

    The injury to Cavali was utterly moronic. The rider who took her out should be kicked out the race if she hasn't been already. You can't do many things more dangerous than that in a bike race.

    I really don't know what she was doing as she'd already come through the tail end of the incident so it's not like she suddenly happened upon the crash. The pace she was going made me think she'd just been towed up by a car.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    Pross said:

    gsk82 said:

    The injury to Cavali was utterly moronic. The rider who took her out should be kicked out the race if she hasn't been already. You can't do many things more dangerous than that in a bike race.

    I really don't know what she was doing as she'd already come through the tail end of the incident so it's not like she suddenly happened upon the crash. The pace she was going made me think she'd just been towed up by a car.

    She comes through at the same speed and time as the rider that ends up in the field on the left
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
    edited July 2022
    Nicole Frain can't seem to make up her mind on what actually happened. She posted this on social media yesterday evening:



  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,461
    andyp said:

    Nicole Frain can't seem to make up her mind on what actually happened. She posted this on social media yesterday evening:

    Tells us then you tease!
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
    edited July 2022
    But then straight after the stage she spoke to Dutch TV and said this:

    Eurosport NL interview
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
    Pross said:

    andyp said:

    Nicole Frain can't seem to make up her mind on what actually happened. She posted this on social media yesterday evening:

    Tells us then you tease!
    Struggling with the forum software.

    In her written statement she said she'd not seen the crash, but on Dutch Eurosport she said she saw a gap and went for it.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
    On a more positive note, it's good to see engagement like this, it shows the power of an ASO backed Tour de France Femmes.

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,722
    andyp said:

    Nicole Frain can't seem to make up her mind on what actually happened. She posted this on social media yesterday evening:

    She has apologised for being "unaware" of the situation, which had occurred right in front of her eyes.
    I'd say it showed an incredible lack of awareness on her part.
    It's almost as if she had her eyes closed, while barreling along at 75kph. There is little sign of her breaking.
    Looking where you are going falls into that all important bike handling skills category.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,330
    Pretty hard to avoid an accident you don't see coming, that's for sure. That statement confirms that the rider cartwheeling down the bank arrived at the same time. Sounds like Frain was just concentrating on her back wheel - we've seen it often enough in the men's peloton when people haven't noticed splits for road furniture etc. I'm now more interested in why the other rider didn't see it.

    To be clear, Frain's still utterly culpable here - it still looks pretty dumb - but I'm interested as to how she got there.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,195
    Unaware is not a defence; you're a racer, you're supposed to be aware of everything going on around you. In other racing sports you'd be in front of the stewards, and probably getting a ban.

    It's an accident, but there's more to being a good rider than just w/kg.......
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,436
    On the other hand, Nicole Frain passed us riding up the Goyt Valley in the Peak a few weeks ago and said hello so she's not all bad!
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,907
    Lack of experience in the bunch ...transferable knowledge between the riders is less prevalent if the intensity of racing is uncommon. The women's peloton bunches up more at the front in these sudden time outs.

    Just going to have to deal with it

    It looked utterly hectic 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 pm
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    The bunch in womens races seems to have a big difference in levels of ability. It’s a bit like the televised crit series, there is usually a couple of local teams in there with the top teams. Which might be good for publicity but they get dropped as soon as the speed kicks up.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
    r0bh said:

    On the other hand, Nicole Frain passed us riding up the Goyt Valley in the Peak a few weeks ago and said hello so she's not all bad!

    I don't think anyone is saying she's bad. She just made an appalling error of judgement yesterday and took out two of the biggest names in the sport in Cavalli and Spratt, who is a DNS today, and deprived them (and us) of seeing how they fared in this race.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,907
    ddraver said:

    Watched on "highlights" - Couldnt actually see how that group got away?!?

    Counter attacks over the top of intermediate sprint point
    webboo said:

    The bunch in womens races seems to have a big difference in levels of ability. It’s a bit like the televised crit series, there is usually a couple of local teams in there with the top teams. Which might be good for publicity but they get dropped as soon as the speed kicks up.

    What we got is what we get
    "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
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,543
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    With a little luck the program will start on time. Looks like it's due to start at 13:00 BST. Hopefully the nerves will have settled a little today, and it'll be a little less crashy. 🤞
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,330
    JimD666 said:

    With a little luck the program will start on time. Looks like it's due to start at 13:00 BST. Hopefully the nerves will have settled a little today, and it'll be a little less crashy. 🤞

    If nothing else they're thinning out the peloton.

    Squibban looks to be struggling today already, according to PCS - could be a long day out.


    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,461
    andyp said:

    Can't work out if that last sentence is genuine or sarcasm.

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