2023 Tour de France Femmes, 23rd-30th July ***Spoilers***

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Comments

  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    blazing_saddles said:

    mididoctors said:

    I enjoyed it

    I didn't. I found it rather underwhelming.
    Waited all week for a GC battle between the big two on the Tourmalet and it lasted precisely 30 seconds. After that: total annihilation of the field by Vollering.

    AvV left her legs in Italy. The rest are in a different league.

    Only Niewiadoma was able to cast some light onto the Tourmalet fog of failed war.
    Soon after Vollering attacked all the contenders were riding solo, and we were essentially watching a TT.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    blazing_saddles said:

    The commentators digging deep into their suitcase full of hyperbole.

    It's like the worst of Kirby's breathlessness combined with Hatch's hyperbole for an astounding level of audio-poo.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,677
    gsk82 said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    poweredbyidris said:

    Is that Dani Rowe on comms? Utterly awful monotone hyperbole

    It is.
    My guess is that Eurosport have told her to try to be more like Kirby and Hatch and she's gone a bit over the top with the superlatives.
    Marty and Dani are always this bad. At least every sentence didn't have the word "watts" in it today.
    The worst combo in commentary.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited July 2023
    A tip for those who had a problem with the commentary. Do what I did. Mute it and listen to the cricket commentary.

    As an aside, this Ashes series has mirrored the men's TdF. England are adopting a full on aggressive 'Bazball' tactic similar to Pogacar, while Australia are adopting a more conservative risk adverse strategy. Unlike cycling, cricket has draws. And rain stops play.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited July 2023
    I hope in the cause of equality in women's sport Demi Vollering gets repeated questions about doping. Preferably from old men who missed Armstrong who write the same article every year for the men's Tour.

    If Jeremy Whittle doesn't write a boring piece about how suspicious he is - have you even won anything?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    RichN95. said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    mididoctors said:

    I enjoyed it

    I didn't. I found it rather underwhelming.
    Waited all week for a GC battle between the big two on the Tourmalet and it lasted precisely 30 seconds. After that: total annihilation of the field by Vollering.

    AvV left her legs in Italy. The rest are in a different league.

    Only Niewiadoma was able to cast some light onto the Tourmalet fog of failed war.
    Soon after Vollering attacked all the contenders were riding solo, and we were essentially watching a TT.

    Isn't that all mtfs?
    "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
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited July 2023
    mididoctors said:

    RichN95. said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    mididoctors said:

    I enjoyed it

    I didn't. I found it rather underwhelming.
    Waited all week for a GC battle between the big two on the Tourmalet and it lasted precisely 30 seconds. After that: total annihilation of the field by Vollering.

    AvV left her legs in Italy. The rest are in a different league.

    Only Niewiadoma was able to cast some light onto the Tourmalet fog of failed war.
    Soon after Vollering attacked all the contenders were riding solo, and we were essentially watching a TT.

    Isn't that all mtfs?
    I have to say that the fog didn't help either.

    Given the point on the climb at which Vollering attacked, the time gaps to those riders she dropped were enormous, emphasising the gulf in class.
    Even Vingegard's demolition job left groups of two or three riders on the road.
    This was single file at intervals resembling an ITT.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 784
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Labous keeps putting in little digs, but none of them particularly hard or well timed.

    RichN95. said:

    Labous is one of the dumbest riders I’ve seen in a long time

    At least Labous tried to do something even if she lacked the kick to make her attacks last. None of the others tried anything till Vollering went. And her attacks did mean Spratt and Ludwig were dropped - before the stage Ludwig was only 1 sec behind Labous in the GC.
    Her biggest mistake was perhaps doing so much of the lead work on the climb when SDW had two riders there.
  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 784
    mididoctors said:

    I enjoyed it

    mididoctors said:

    GC battle from my pov lasted from the aspin to the line or to the point vollering attacked .... The whole stage was more contested than I imagined .

    RichN95. said:


    Soon after Vollering attacked all the contenders were riding solo, and we were essentially watching a TT.

    I enjoyed the stage too, And I didn't find the riding solo for the last 5 km a negative aspect. It (solo) used to be more common than nowadays in men's GT MTFs too (and fun to watch then too).
  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 784
    Two riders didn't make the cut-off, Miss Cool and Alice Barnes.
    White jersey contest remains close; Ella Wyllie closed the gap to Cedrine Kerbaol from 2-45 down to 2-01.

    A word on behalf of Cavalli, Bauernfeind and Wyllie – all did the Tourmalet climb in respectable times, almost the same as Kopecky. All passed Reusser and Spratt (both had been in the Vollering group), and out-distanced the others who had been around them at the bottom of the Tourmalet. Cavalli also passed Ludwig (just) and nearly reached Santesteban.

    After she was scythed down by another rider last year and had to retire, I had hoped Cavalli would get a good result on the stage - her preparation had included winning the Hautacam stage in the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées in June. And when Vollering, Van Vleuten and Niewiadoma went clear on the Aspin, Cavalli was with the yellow-jersey group. But somewhere between the top of the Aspin and the yellow-jersey group rejoing Vollering and Van Vleuten, Cavalli was dropped. However on the climb, she must have got second wind.
    Bauernfeind and Wyllie were in the white-jersey (Kerbaol) group at the bottom of the Tourmalet, over 3 mins behind the yellow-jersey group, but then didn't really lose any more ground to Kopecky.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Cecilie gets dropped as they hit the foot of the climb. She's breaking my heart, she's shaking my confidence daily.

    She's going to start being called Pinøt soon...

    She's won our hearts but very few races
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,677
    14 pro wins.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,597
    ddraver said:

    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Cecilie gets dropped as they hit the foot of the climb. She's breaking my heart, she's shaking my confidence daily.

    She's going to start being called Pinøt soon...

    She's won our hearts but very few races
    Am I the only one who finds her annoying? I’d compare her more to TV Tommy, always feels like she’s eaten too many E numbers and all the arm waving in breaks.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,271
    AvV getting old now? (Yes I know it's her last season.) Dropping time at intermediate.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    Pross said:

    ddraver said:

    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Cecilie gets dropped as they hit the foot of the climb. She's breaking my heart, she's shaking my confidence daily.

    She's going to start being called Pinøt soon...

    She's won our hearts but very few races
    Am I the only one who finds her annoying? I’d compare her more to TV Tommy, always feels like she’s eaten too many E numbers and all the arm waving in breaks.
    I think she became popular because of the interview after Flanders which seemed really genuine, but had since become a bit of a caricature of herself.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Kasia nearly hung on for 2nd?
    "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
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    I guess the danger of finishing a race on a tt is if the race is already decided then nobody wants to watch...

    AvV dropped off the podium, Kopecky jumped back onto it in 2nd, Kasia down to third
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    AvV just one year too far
    "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: 18,912
    orraloon said:

    AvV getting old now? (Yes I know it's her last season.) Dropping time at intermediate.

    It was a hard race ....
    "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: 18,912
    The ladies have stepped up ..the mountains last year were utterly uncontested
    "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
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    edited July 2023
    mididoctors said:

    AvV just one year too far


    well apart from the Veulta and Giro but yes it appears so :-)
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    jgsi said:

    Juliette Labous speaks English as fast as she speaks French, chapeau.. I couldn't.

    She has a bit of a nasal accent in French but it is not too bad.
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    edited July 2023
    davidof said:

    mididoctors said:

    AvV just one year too far


    well apart from the Veulta and Giro but yes it appears so :-)
    The vuelta she kinda stole or sdworx gifted by stupidity...choose your bias
    "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: 18,912
    Maggy looked happy as Larry ...loads of press time
    "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: 18,912
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    I guess the danger of finishing a race on a tt is if the race is already decided then nobody wants to watch...

    AvV dropped off the podium, Kopecky jumped back onto it in 2nd, Kasia down to third

    You need two mountain stages to get kopecky way off the podium
    "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
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,271
    AvV did say post race that she wasn't feeling 100% health wise (not a quote, paraphrasing).
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Have the tt mid race ..acts as a sort of rest day for the weaker squads
    "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
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    edited July 2023
    mididoctors said:

    davidof said:

    mididoctors said:

    AvV just one year too far


    well apart from the Veulta and Giro but yes it appears so :-)
    The vuelta she kinda stole or sdworx gifted by stupidity...choose your bias
    Pipigate. It was a bit mean but Demi should have gone before the race started or pissed in her shorts if she was that desperate.

    She was lucky not to get a full minute for her slipstreaming in this race but I'm glad she's got her revenge.
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    davidof said:

    mididoctors said:

    davidof said:

    mididoctors said:

    AvV just one year too far


    well apart from the Veulta and Giro but yes it appears so :-)
    The vuelta she kinda stole or sdworx gifted by stupidity...choose your bias
    Pipigate. It was a bit mean but Demi should have gone before the race started or pissed in her shorts if she was that desperate.

    She was lucky not to get a full minute for her slipstreaming in this race but I'm glad she's got her revenge.
    I go with the stupid interpretation
    "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
  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 784
    mididoctors said:

    Have the tt mid race ..acts as a sort of rest day for the weaker squads

    Next year the opening stage is supposed to be TT, perhaps like a double-length prologue, so 14-15 km, like the men's TdF has occasionally used. Don't know if a second TT is planned (but I hope not).

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