Author Topic: Tour de France 2018  (Read 133783 times)

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #325 on: 14 July, 2018, 09:29:28 am »
TdF winner in choir from SE (5,6).
Is that a prediction...?

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #326 on: 14 July, 2018, 10:03:46 am »
It's not possible to race for three weeks without recourse to drugs, and days like today used to be more common, often through the Champagne region. Today's was across the Beauce, known as the bread-basket of Paris.

A wee bit of the western part of the Beauce, but also the southern part of the Perche and the Sarthe et al. as well.  I've crossed the Beauce three times in all, east to west: it begins 100k or more further east and it's Big Ag (arable) all the way with its attendant dust, traffic and "substances" blowin' in the wind. Whereof it may be said that it blows unobstructed for tens of km and usually from ahead. South of Châteaudun the roads were so hammered that they grow this stuff to take the pain away:



I didn't need it to fall asleep yesterday afternoon.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #327 on: 14 July, 2018, 11:00:04 am »
The Beauce is the 'boring bit' of PBP, and is the reason I'd never consider the 84 hour start. I've made an effort to get to grips with it over the years. It's the setting of a Zola novel called 'The Earth', and the tourist authorities have tried to interest people in a wheat-themed route. http://www.tourisme28.com/en/cdt28-uk/route-du-ble-en-beauce-uk

It's similar to parts of Lancashire, with shelter belt woodland dotted in the sea of cereal crops. The Perche and the Sarthe also feature heavily in PBP.

I started my Audaxing with rides from Southport, so the formula of boring flat bit to build up a cushion in a big group, lumpier bits to lose time on, and boring flat bit to recover on, is normal to me. It's also normal for the big domestiques from Flanders, Picardy, Champagne, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Lombardy plain.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #328 on: 14 July, 2018, 11:16:09 am »
Needs must, I suppose. The weaker rider will have to look for opportunities to claw back time they lost through lack of ability on climbs. I suppose that is why you rarely see them on truly challenging events....although of course one person's nice day out is another's challenge.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #329 on: 14 July, 2018, 11:36:38 am »
TdF winner in choir from SE (5,6).

Very good!
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #330 on: 14 July, 2018, 12:01:56 pm »
Needs must, I suppose. The weaker rider will have to look for opportunities to claw back time they lost through lack of ability on climbs. I suppose that is why you rarely see them on truly challenging events....although of course one person's nice day out is another's challenge.

A lot depends on size. Riding all day in the wind is no big deal to a big rider from the plains, the kind who dominate Paris-Roubaix. The cooling effect of the wind enables them to shed the heat that comes with power. I had my highest heart rates bridging to faster groups on flatland Audaxes.

The reverse is true in the hills, as power is accompanied by low speeds, with low cooling effect. Extreme thinness in the likes of Froome brings the advantage of less weight to haul up the hills, but it also brings more blood vessels into closer contact with the skin. A taller rider can't get rid of the heat as well as a smaller one, as volume is a cube function, while surface area is a square function.

So the spectating experience is different for a rouleur. Part of the interest is in seeing how close to cracking the 6 foot + GC contenders come. This year's Tour has the least solo TT miles since 2015, and the second least since 2000. So the Froome model of a strong TT rider who's stick thin to manage the climbs might not suit.

The Peloton contains a number of competing constituencies, and it's partly up to Froome as the Patron to accommodate them all. That's also the role of the UCI rider's rep. Jens Voigt filled those shoes for many years. It's currently Bernie Eisel, who's not riding this Tour. I wonder if anyone deputises for him?

guidon

  • formerly known as cyclone
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #331 on: 14 July, 2018, 01:15:13 pm »
Well I think today is going to be worse than yesterday - according to french commentary one of the breakaway riders dropped back because he's not French and didn't want to spoil the National day....given the lack of substance shown by the majority of French riders thus far in the race and the terror of tomorrows cobbles it's not going to be exciting, despite the threat of echelons....

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #332 on: 14 July, 2018, 02:45:11 pm »
A lot depends on size. Riding all day in the wind is no big deal to a big rider from the plains, the kind who dominate Paris-Roubaix. The cooling effect of the wind enables them to shed the heat that comes with power. I had my highest heart rates bridging to faster groups on flatland Audaxes.

The reverse is true in the hills, as power is accompanied by low speeds, with low cooling effect. Extreme thinness in the likes of Froome brings the advantage of less weight to haul up the hills, but it also brings more blood vessels into closer contact with the skin. A taller rider can't get rid of the heat as well as a smaller one, as volume is a cube function, while surface area is a square function.

So the spectating experience is different for a rouleur. Part of the interest is in seeing how close to cracking the 6 foot + GC contenders come. This year's Tour has the least solo TT miles since 2015, and the second least since 2000. So the Froome model of a strong TT rider who's stick thin to manage the climbs might not suit.

The Peloton contains a number of competing constituencies, and it's partly up to Froome as the Patron to accommodate them all. That's also the role of the UCI rider's rep. Jens Voigt filled those shoes for many years. It's currently Bernie Eisel, who's not riding this Tour. I wonder if anyone deputises for him?

That is a quiet staggering amount of bollocks. Even for you!
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #333 on: 14 July, 2018, 02:56:18 pm »
Perhaps you can tell who's acting as the rider's rep in the peloton Bobb?

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #334 on: 14 July, 2018, 03:17:34 pm »
Quote
That is a quiet staggering amount of bollocks. Even for you!

Indeed, and even more quite than quiet I would say.  ::-)

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #335 on: 14 July, 2018, 03:19:44 pm »
Quote
That is a quiet staggering amount of bollocks. Even for you!

Indeed, and even more quite than quiet I would say.  ::-)

Sorry, autocorrect kicked in whilst I was carefully counting my blood vessels and measuring my height...
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #336 on: 14 July, 2018, 03:41:07 pm »
Quote
That is a quiet staggering amount of bollocks. Even for you!

Indeed, and even more quite than quiet I would say.  ::-)

Sorry, autocorrect kicked in whilst I was carefully counting my blood vessels and measuring my height...

I wouldn't bother counting your blood vessels, there'll be the same number no matter what amount of subcutaneous fat you've got. As that fat acts as an insulator, less of it means more blood being cooled by evaporation. The proportion of skin area to muscle mass is less in a larger individual.

The overall effect is that smaller climbers are less at risk of blowing than the likes of Froome, who need to calculate the wattage they can sustain. It's a style of racing familiar from Indurain, who employed the same techniques, with super domestiques controlling the pace on climbs. EPO helped sustain the effort over three weeks, but thermal overload is a problem. Riis was a prime example of the big-boned human skeleton.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #337 on: 14 July, 2018, 03:50:01 pm »
TdF winner in choir from SE (5,6).

Even I got that!
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #338 on: 14 July, 2018, 04:21:56 pm »
TdF winner in choir from SE (5,6).

Even I got that!

Also an anagram of chemo for sir.  Just sayin'
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Samuel D

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #339 on: 14 July, 2018, 07:29:24 pm »
A wee taster for tomorrow.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #340 on: 14 July, 2018, 08:18:33 pm »
Did Cavendish's chain come off in the sprint today?

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #341 on: 14 July, 2018, 08:54:50 pm »
Yes, momentarily. You can see him look down at it

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #342 on: 14 July, 2018, 08:59:55 pm »

Is it me or is there an abnormally high number of crashes in this years race?

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Nick H.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #343 on: 14 July, 2018, 09:10:10 pm »
Tweet from De Gendt:

Quote
I can’t verbally explain how much i don’t want to do the stage of tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas
 

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #344 on: 14 July, 2018, 09:10:35 pm »
Yes, momentarily. You can see him look down at it
He talks about, without Bad Swears, in the post race interview on ITV4.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #345 on: 14 July, 2018, 09:19:25 pm »
Tweet from De Gendt:

Quote
I can’t verbally explain how much i don’t want to do the stage of tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas

Having done the Paris-Roubaix sportiv, I can completely agree with that. Having done it once, I would not wish riding on the Pavé on anyone.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Nick H.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #346 on: 14 July, 2018, 09:37:10 pm »
I'll be rooting for Mathew Hayman. 40 years old, probably his last season, won Paris-Roubaix in 2016, has never tried for a stage win, best result was 135th. Maybe he'll try to do something for Adam Yates or Jack Bauer.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #347 on: 14 July, 2018, 10:10:15 pm »

Is it me or is there an abnormally high number of crashes in this years race?

J
The Tour de France is abnormal, compared to any other stage races, for the amount of serious falls in the first week. Year in year out. Most important race of the year, and such nonsense. Most boring more likely, as a result.

Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #348 on: 14 July, 2018, 10:12:35 pm »
A wee taster for tomorrow.

God, they have to taste it, now?  (Wonders what Salbutamol tastes like....)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Tour de France 2018
« Reply #349 on: 14 July, 2018, 10:22:20 pm »
A wee taster for tomorrow.

God, they have to taste it, now?  (Wonders what Salbutamol tastes like....)

Given the dust, yep, they gonna taste it... and be washing it out of ears, eyes, face, everywhere for days. Not to mention the orange snot.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/