Tour de France 2012

[spesh]

Very shrewd riding from Millar. Nice one 

Damn straight. 

[aregister]

I'm tempted to scoot up to Look Mum, No Hands for lunch. Anyone want to join me?

Wish I'd seen this earlier. I work just down the road (around the corner from Condor).
Next time!

[jogler]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

& as ever there's nary a shout in the British press

[Si]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

& as ever there's nary a shout in the British press

Having been staying at me mum's for a couple of days I found myself forced to glance at the Daily Wail.  They actually had quite a bit of coverage, and most of it positive.  Of course their reporter made a few gaffs as one might expect from someone who doesn't understand the sport that well, but I'm sure that I'd have done the same if trying to comment on premiership footie.

Likewise, I've read a few copies of 'i' this week and they've had more than usual too.

So not too bad, even if there isn't much on prime time TV news compared to say, the coverage of England putting in a mediocre performance at the euro footie.

[jogler]

or the coverage devoted to the premeirship footballer notaracist ex-England captain whos shags his team mate's partner,parks in a Disabled parking bay role model.
A QC to defend in a magistrates court FFS

[citoyen]

BBC 5 Live have been giving it decent coverage in their breakfast show - talking about it enthusiastically, if not exactly knowledgeably. But it's been a pleasant surprise to wake up to people on mainstream radio discussing something I'm actually interested in. And I have a feeling the level of press coverage will increase over the next week or so too.

On the subject of newspapers, does anyone know where in London I can buy L'Equipe? I really wanted to get the issue the other day with the front page pic of Wiggo drinking from his Union Jack mug of tea. The issue for Monday 23 July is going to be a bit of a collectors' item.

d.

[mzjo]

Don't mistake acceleration for strength. Wiggo has never been one to adapt well to changes in pace. He doesn't have the explosiveness of Froome. However, he is the stronger rider and has a better track record (and 2 mins in hand).

Froome is a better climber, can adapt to changes in pace etc but whether he would do as well against nibbles etc is another thing. Sky are sitting very firmly in the tactic of training for essentially a team time trial up the mountains rather than attack after attack. Would Froome have the discipline of a wiggins in not responding but raising the pace a bit and reeling the attacks back in slowly? When I saw Cadel attack I wondered whether it was a mistake - when he couldn't hold TJ's pace I knew it was. The changes in pace put you into the red and recovery is not trivial.  It is different in the last few K as there is no need to recover - it is essentially a battle for the line then and that is the part where Wiggins will really suffer compared to the real climbers.

I'm pretty sure Froome will get the chance to lead for the Vuelta. Next year could be interesting as Froome will then be capable of leading a TdF team in his own right. What we don't know is how well he would inspire the rest of the team (and we have seen how key the Sky team ethos is). Anyway, for 0.5M Euro a year, you can't really afford to be frustrated at not being the team leader...

I am reminded of a Poulidor observation on Anquetil, that Anquetil frequently didn't bother to follow the attacks in the last 800m of a climb (particularly a finish) because he knew that by riding tempo to the end he would not lose much time in 800m and would take back all he lost just in finishing fresher.

[spesh]

In a similar vein, though it may be apocryphal, Jacques Anquetil once won a race by twelve seconds, and said, "It was eleven more than necessary."

[rogerzilla]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

I suppose it all goes back to Manchester velodrome and Dave Brailsford.  They should upgrade his CBE to a knighthood, really - he's done more for competitive cycling in the UK than anyone else, ever.

[PatC]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

& as ever there's nary a shout in the British press

A lot of coverage in The Times and Wiggins made the back page of The Guardian.

[citoyen]

Definitely time to start the #KnighthoodForBrailsford campaign.

[mattc]

A couple of relevant Hutch tweets (he must be reading this thread):

"Just been booked for BBC Breakfast tomorrow. Shows what an extraordinary Tour it's been: everyone else must have been busy."

and on attacks/tempo/etc :

"Nibali has jump, but doesn't seem to have pace. Jump wins you a stage, maybe, but pace wins a Tour"

[clarion]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

I suppose it all goes back to Manchester velodrome and Dave Brailsford.  They should upgrade his CBE to a knighthood, really - he's done more for competitive cycling in the UK than anyone else, ever.

The Commonwealth Games Legacy.  Let's see the Olympics top that.

[twiddler]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

I suppose it all goes back to Manchester velodrome and Dave Brailsford.  They should upgrade his CBE to a knighthood, really - he's done more for competitive cycling in the UK than anyone else, ever.

Good idea, i was thinking of starting a Brailsford for SPOTY campaign, (although SPOTD would, perhaps, be more accurate).

[Veloman]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

& as ever there's nary a shout in the British press

Try buying a decent paper where there is loads of coverage!

I think saying there is "nary a shout in the British press" is way off.  Must admit I don't read the dross papers so can't comment on those, but the decent ones are good and if you short on cash then buy the i for only 20p and enjoy the reporting.

[Notsototalnewbie]

The issue for Monday 23 July is going to be a bit of a collectors' item.

d.

If I can manage to get hold of one in Paris, I'll bring it back for you.

[mattc]

The issue for Monday 23 July is going to be a bit of a collectors' item.

d.

If I can manage to get hold of one in Paris, I'll bring it back for you.

*Cough* ebay

[simonp]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

I suppose it all goes back to Manchester velodrome and Dave Brailsford.  They should upgrade his CBE to a knighthood, really - he's done more for competitive cycling in the UK than anyone else, ever.

Couldn’t agree more.

[TimC]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

I suppose it all goes back to Manchester velodrome and Dave Brailsford.  They should upgrade his CBE to a knighthood, really - he's done more for competitive cycling in the UK than anyone else, ever.

The Commonwealth Games Legacy.  Let's see the Olympics top that.

There's every chance they might. And Dave Brailsford's the man to thank.

Slightly moving on, I have to say I thought that choosing Millar for the Olympic road race was perhaps one of his (Ok, BC's?) less great decisions - but today shows how much I don't know, and how much he does.

[giropaul]

Dave Brailsford has certainly been fantastic; but don't underestimate Shane Sutton's contribution. Talking to several riders and coaches his is the name that comes up as the one who really makes the difference to the riders.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Bastille Day stage tomorrow, so should be several French breakaways to liven it up.

[Rig of Jarkness]

Definitely time to start the #KnighthoodForBrailsford campaign.

+1 

[Peter]

I agree.

(though I do think there might be some penalty for his team's clothing, which is awful, in what has otherwise been the most colourful TdeF I can remember!)

[Honest John]

Four British stage winners on a single Tour. British World Champion. British yellow jersey. Unbelievable.

d.

& as ever there's nary a shout in the British press

The Grauniad, Independent and Torygraph coverage is good. Haven't seen The Times coz it belongs to Rupert, or any tabloids.

OTOH there's bugger-all (well, 100 words a day hidden at the bottom of an LH page five from the back) in the London Evening Standard, despite Wiggo sometimes being described as a Londoner and having cut his track teeth at Herne Hill.

[rogerzilla]

It's not the worst example of switching I've ever seen (go and watch an average 3rds-and-juniors road race for the full going-home-in-a-meat-wagon experience).  I think it was obstruction rather than endangerment.

On the subject of kit, the one with the brown shorts and blue-and-white top is just