Tour de celeb

mike1-2 · December 2016

As for doubting my credentials Rodrego, I am well versed in all things French and cycling. It was only a couple of months ago I was cycling up Alp De Hueylooey on my Holidays. I then managed to crash descending Col Doo Glampon.

cougie · December 2016

I'm amazed that they finished it with 8 weeks training. Ok Healey turned up with speedplays so he was a keen cyclist already - but the others? Its a big achievement to get round after a short amount of training.

From the footage there were plenty of cyclists around them for the most part. Whats their excuse? ;-)

andy9964 · December 2016

Anyone else notice Angelica's trainer causing a crash on the finish line. As she lifted her bike, he got off and swung the back wheel around. Seconds later you can see him leaning over to help someone on the ground. A different shot at the end of the programme shows the other rider's back wheel sliding as he loses control

bianchimoon · December 2016

Andy9964 wrote:

Anyone else notice Angelica's trainer causing a crash on the finish line. As she lifted her bike, he got off and swung the back wheel around. Seconds later you can see him leaning over to help someone on the ground. A different shot at the end of the programme shows the other rider's back wheel sliding as he loses control

Yup, of all the things that happened, the trainer on the finishing line was the daftest, bet he was embarrassed afterwards

cougie · December 2016

Whats gone wrong with your day that you finished behind someone Who had only been cycling for two months??

itboffin · December 2016

As has already been said I suspect a lot more training went into the prep but was cut from the final footage

How long was the training in the build-up to the race?
“It’s three months of training and we had to go out every day on the bike. When I took the challenge on, I thought being physically fit would get me through it, but it’s the mental side that’s so tough. You hit the wall and you’ve got to get through it. Dancing is short bursts of energy whereas this is all about endurance. They eased us into our training with 5 miles, then 10, then 20 miles and that’s when you really started to feel the pain.”

At any point, did you regret taking part?
“Do you know what, when you hit that wall, you ask yourself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I went to the initial meeting and said, ‘Yeah I can ride a bike, I’m fit.’ But I’ve never done anything so hard, so demanding. When you’re physically exhausted you have to just push yourself to the end, when all you want to do is throw the bike off the edge of a cliff!”

Not a quote that would ever make it onto the telebox

Do you get to eat a lot as you’re burning so many calories?
“Yes, that’s the great thing, we can eat as much as we like. It’s about eating the right foods, of course, and getting the right kind of rest, but it is a 24-hour a day job. I have such admiration for cyclists now. I live in the country and I see people on long cycle rides all the time. I used to be the driver who’d be like, ‘Get out of the way!’ Now you realise how vulnerable they are and how hard it is.”

rolf_f · December 2016

Well, taking into account that it has to be sexed up for TV and I don't believe the half of it I quite enjoyed it and thought it not unworthy. A shame there wasn't a bit of positivity at the end - it all seemed a bit "I'll never get on a bike again" and I liked (was it Angelica) one saying, at the top of the Joux Plane "Worst thing ever" and at the 11km later, in Morzine "best thing ever"?!
I learned that Hugo probably couldn't survive in the real world (though I'm not convinced that they didn't teach them how to change inner tubes. Or that it is an inner tube and not a tyre he was changing) but most of all I learned that the Etape is clearly a horrible event. Contrasting the descent of the Col de la Columbiere with my own descent of it the difference couldn't be more striking. Roads closed so instead of a handful of well behaved cars that could easily be passed you get thousands of dubiously competent, unpredictable cyclists to get around; I know what I prefer. For me, that pass and the Joux Plane were a peaceful joy and the motorised traffic not a problem in the slightest!

Moonbiker · December 2016

Yeah seems the celebs were more competent than half the other cyclists riding.

Only takes ones idiot to take you out no matter how good you are, I think it would of being a pretty stressfull event with all thoose choppers making the descents, dangerous & walking up every hill.

DeVlaeminck · December 2016

I quite enjoyed the programme. I thought Austin Healey would have done better, I reckon I'd have beaten him and given the miles he did at that training camp and the fact he was an international sportsman known for his fitness even within that company I expected more but I guess it shows fitness and ability can be quite specific and I bet in a sprint he'd leave me for dead.

Surprised they all finished, I can't quite get my head round how the model couldn't descend on an empty road the day before but could ride in a bunch on the day. Main surprise though is just how easy the Etape is if you just want to finish - fastest home were inside 4 hours I think hardly worth getting out of bed for!

Next year let's have em on the Marmotte and I'd lose the celeb bit and just have 8 ordinary people - give them a financial incentive but make their fee dependent on finishing time to keep them keen!

supermurph09 · December 2016

Rolf F wrote:

Well, taking into account that it has to be sexed up for TV and I don't believe the half of it I quite enjoyed it and thought it not unworthy. A shame there wasn't a bit of positivity at the end - it all seemed a bit "I'll never get on a bike again" and I liked (was it Angelica) one saying, at the top of the Joux Plane "Worst thing ever" and at the 11km later, in Morzine "best thing ever"?!
I learned that Hugo probably couldn't survive in the real world (though I'm not convinced that they didn't teach them how to change inner tubes. Or that it is an inner tube and not a tyre he was changing) but most of all I learned that the Etape is clearly a horrible event. Contrasting the descent of the Col de la Columbiere with my own descent of it the difference couldn't be more striking. Roads closed so instead of a handful of well behaved cars that could easily be passed you get thousands of dubiously competent, unpredictable cyclists to get around; I know what I prefer. For me, that pass and the Joux Plane were a peaceful joy and the motorised traffic not a problem in the slightest!

I've never ridden a closed road mass event but I'm with you, I'd rather contend with 500 cars than 1000 cyclists.

supermurph09 · December 2016

DeVlaeminck wrote:

I quite enjoyed the programme. I thought Austin Healey would have done better, I reckon I'd have beaten him and given the miles he did at that training camp and the fact he was an international sportsman known for his fitness even within that company I expected more but I guess it shows fitness and ability can be quite specific and I bet in a sprint he'd leave me for dead.

Surprised they all finished, I can't quite get my head round how the model couldn't descend on an empty road the day before but could ride in a bunch on the day. Main surprise though is just how easy the Etape is if you just want to finish - fastest home were inside 4 hours I think hardly worth getting out of bed for!

Next year let's have em on the Marmotte and I'd lose the celeb bit and just have 8 ordinary people - give them a financial incentive but make their fee dependent on finishing time to keep them keen!

I think to be fair to Healey (admittedly could have been said for dramatic effect) but the crashes he saw (if he did) clearly rattled him. I can fully appreciate staying on the brakes a bit more to preserve your own life.

itboffin · December 2016

in 2013 I did the marmotte for the first time so got seeded at the back and boy did i see some nasty crashes, which really knocked back my descending this year I was in the first wave, no crashes and more than 30 mins faster overall.

Its unnerving being surrounded by clearly inexperienced riders especially when you've already witness multiple high speed crashes and at least one death.

That's my main reason for not wanting to take part in large events any more. I agree though forget the etape stick a bunch on the marmotte with 2-3 months of training and I'd doubt they'd even make it up the col du galibier let alone ADH

fenix · December 2016

They didn't mention that the route was shortened and a climb taken out ? They should have as I doubt a couple of them would have finished had it not been for that piece of luck. Angellica even had her minder pushing her bike uphill as she walked. Who says celebs are pampered ? ;-)

rolf_f · December 2016

Fenix wrote:

They didn't mention that the route was shortened and a climb taken out ? They should have as I doubt a couple of them would have finished had it not been for that piece of luck. Angellica even had her minder pushing her bike uphill as she walked. Who says celebs are pampered ? ;-)

Yep - they knocked off Ramaz. Which I would think makes all the difference. What they did was two decent climbs to make the ascent of Joux Plane (which is hard but still well under an hour for me) a tough challenge (albeit one that you know you just have to survive and you're done) - which is a fine ride but not a serious TdF stage. Ramaz I think would be the second hardest on that route and it does go on a long way even if it is mostly not too brutal and the gradients mostly variable. Anyone would find that a challenge. Most of the TdCeleb riders would have walked most of Ramaz and probably, sensibly, rolled into Morzine via Les Gets missing out Joux Plane altogether! Even Austin would have had a hard time on the full route.

Angelica should be ashamed for not pushing her own bike. Louis at least did his own pushing even if he did cut the corner off (which was probably much harder than following the road anyway!)

Moonbiker · December 2016

I'd rather contend with 500 cars than 1000 cyclists.

11,471 cyclists doing the etape

fenix · December 2016

That's a huuuuuge amount of cyclists. Never appealed to me - not keen on sharing the road with the numpty celebs that we've seen. I'd much rather ride a quieter route even if there are cars - but each to their own.

kingstongraham · December 2016

Andy9964 wrote:

Anyone else notice Angelica's trainer causing a crash on the finish line. As she lifted her bike, he got off and swung the back wheel around. Seconds later you can see him leaning over to help someone on the ground. A different shot at the end of the programme shows the other rider's back wheel sliding as he loses control

He wasn't helping someone on the ground, that was angellica's bike. Still almost caused a spill though.

Just watched it and really enjoyed it. Not quite convinced that it's in the spirit of it to not even try to cycle the climb, and really not to push your own bike...

You can't fail to enjoy the scenery though, can you?

MJS_67 · December 2016

I think it's fine to push your bike up a steep hill that's beaten you.
It's not ok to push it immediately you see it go up a bit.
Just my opinion natch.

DeVlaeminck · December 2016

Supermurph09 wrote:

I think to be fair to Healey (admittedly could have been said for dramatic effect) but the crashes he saw (if he did) clearly rattled him. I can fully appreciate staying on the brakes a bit more to preserve your own life.

True, I guess years of lower cat road racing has inured me to the misfortunes of fellow competitors.

cougie · December 2016

MJS_67 wrote:

I think it's fine to push your bike up a steep hill that's beaten you.
It's not ok to push it immediately you see it go up a bit.
Just my opinion natch.

Where do you stand on walking up the hills and letting your mate push your bike for you?

surrey_commuter · December 2016

Walking up a hill means that fatigue has has overcome your shame. If you are so tired your mate has to push your bike for you then you need to re-evaluate your shame settings.

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