Tour de France 2012

[IanDG]

T'was ever thus; or have things got worse re the mountain crowds?

Indeed it has been, but generally the crowd were more constrained (most of them)

[токамак]

It's all Didi's fault (the Devil). He was regularly show in his daft costume so people copied him, thinking they'll get on TV too. I suppose it's really the fault of TV, giving airtime to these idiots.

I went to watch stage 3 this year, and found myself next to a woman dressed in a cow costume. She had nice udders. I was in my club kit, and we were seen on TV!

[TimC]

One thing that really makes us flinch when watching is the spectators getting in the riders faces as they climb. I'm surprised no-one has commented on Cav's crash yesterday, when a flag waved in his face by a "fan" wrapped around his bars and brought him down. Perhaps it's time to start looking at some crowd control?
 
https://twitter.com/MarkCavendish/status/226004930098503681

It wasn't mentioned on the live coverage, or hadn't been by the time I turned it off and went for a beer! But I think it's been a risk on the mountains of the Tour for many years, and I guess that the organisers think the risk is worth it to keep the atmosphere of these summit finishes. Notice that in the video accompanying Jens' comments above, some of the numpties are road-side of the barriers, so I don't think barriers are the answer (and probably aren't possible on may of the tiny roads they use). You could try and take alcohol out of the equation, but how? Perhaps the escort motorcycles could just run over the more excitable spectators and remove the risk that way!

[Nuncio]

So they see him the same way we see Eric Cantona, really.

Love the front page of today's Equipe:
http://p.twimg.com/AyOe_YkCYAAg-jx.jpg#twimg

d.

Nice.

[TimC]

Colonel Wiggo!

[mcshroom]

I'm waiting for the picture of Wiggins in the yellow jersey leading out Cav in the rainbow jersey for the sprint in Paris. 

The British cycling system is in a much better place than I can ever remember, and I hope this extra profile has some spill-over into cycling generally in the UK.

[Peter]

Me, too - I just hope it's not the proliferation of side-burns!  (But I expect it will be.)

[simonp]

Me, too - I just hope it's not the proliferation of side-burns!  (But I expect it will be.)

As usual, I'm ahead of the curve.

[TimC]

Me, too - I just hope it's not the proliferation of side-burns!  (But I expect it will be.)

I just wish I could grow some! But, sadly, it's not to be.

[IanDG]

Me, too - I just hope it's not the proliferation of side-burns!  (But I expect it will be.)

As usual, I'm ahead of the curve.

+1

[LEE]

Me, too - I just hope it's not the proliferation of side-burns!  (But I expect it will be.)

As usual, I'm ahead of the curve.

I'm still not sure whether to use you as an example or a warning Simon.

[fuzzy]

I'm cultivating my tribute 'burns as we speak

[citoyen]

I had a decent pair of sidies for many years... until I finally trimmed them off about six months ago. Might have to grow them back in tribute.

d.

[Peter]

My initial remark was a rueful one; I've never been able to grow them.  But I can swear ok and am skinny and have black socks and live in Lancashire!  (Can't ride very well though.)

[Chris S]

Excellent. A YACF Wiggo-based sideburn contest.

Count me in. I know someone who digs men in chops.

Sadly, my DNA blew most of the hair budget on my chin, and Mo. Things get a bit thin & weedy toward the ears (but sadly, less so ON the ears - how fucked up is that?).

My burns don't actually connect with (what's left of) my barnet.

I'd still give it a shot though...

[Cudzoziemiec]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/19/tour-de-france-bradley-wiggins

If that's an accurate report, it sounds like tempting providence to me. All sorts of things can go wrong between now and the Champs Elysées.

Do you actually think that "tempting providence" has any influence on professional world-class sport?
What next - will you be checking they don't tread on any cracks on their way to the start?

I think that Matt has discovered the supernatural chink in the great rationalist's armour. 

[Chris S]

Hmm... just thought. If I grow my burns, I'll have to let my head hair grow too. Sideburns and a shaved head look fucking weird - like one of those magnet/iron filing toys - you know the ones:



Ooh... I saw that and thought of someone... 

[Notsototalnewbie]

I’ve been trying to persuade Rob to cultivate some tribute sideburns in time for when we go to spectate on Sunday but he hasn’t bitten. I will just have to make do with him being tall ‘n’ skinny and having lived in Lancashire for 20-odd years…

[fuzzy]

NSTN, Have a fab time on Sunday and, if you can get close enough to get hold of him, give Wiggo a big wet sloppy kiss from me

[Exit Stage Left]

I reckon Wiggo's 'burns are a tribute to Jonathan Vaughters. Brad's facial hair waxed and waned at Garmin, in the presence of the master of novelty facial fuzz.


I think that most YACFers are better modelling themselves on Froome, whose rapidly receding hairline is tending to a coconut tuft.

I wonder what would have happened if Wiggins had stayed at Garmin? Would he have consolidated on his 2009 result?
In some ways I'd have liked to have seen Froome compete as a Kenyan, as he did when he won bronze in the All-Africa Games in 2007. It might have helped focus some attention on the failure of Eritreans to break through into the big time in world cycling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_at_the_2007_All-Africa_Games

[Notsototalnewbie]

NSTN, Have a fab time on Sunday and, if you can get close enough to get hold of him, give Wiggo a big wet sloppy kiss from me

You never know! Perhaps if I employ my dulcet Kilburn squawking tones…

[Tigerrr]

I reckon Wiggo's 'burns are a tribute to Jonathan Vaughters. Brad's facial hair waxed and waned at Garmin, in the presence of the master of novelty facial fuzz.


I think that most YACFers are better modelling themselves on Froome, whose rapidly receding hairline is tending to a coconut tuft.

I wonder what would have happened if Wiggins had stayed at Garmin? Would he have consolidated on his 2009 result?
In some ways I'd have liked to have seen Froome compete as a Kenyan, as he did when he won bronze in the All-Africa Games in 2007. It might have helped focus some attention on the failure of Eritreans to break through into the big time in world cycling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_at_the_2007_All-Africa_Games

Hes weed himself in that picture. No good having burns to draw attention if you are incontinent.

[Redlight]

Excellent. A YACF Wiggo-based sideburn contest.

Count me in. I know someone who digs men in chops.

Count me out. My stoker says I look like a child molestor with any facial hair 

[Exit Stage Left]

I reckon Wiggo's 'burns are a tribute to Jonathan Vaughters. Brad's facial hair waxed and waned at Garmin, in the presence of the master of novelty facial fuzz.

Hes weed himself in that picture. No good having burns to draw attention if you are incontinent.

His use of Spinacis in 2001 would mean that it's the mountain TT stage, as they were banned for road stages in 1997, helmets weren't compulsory before 2003, and even then were optional for uphill finishes. We haven't seen a mountain TT for a long time in the Tour. They always were a festival of sweating.

[Wowbagger]

Perhaps not the right thread, but it will do.

It struck me yesterday evening how many yoofs and not-so-yoofs there were in the park practising their fupbol and how futile it was. Even though the fupbol season hasn't started yet, there they are, all in their kit, attending orgnised club training sessions and yet England remains stubbornly useless at the so-called Beautiful Game. We cyclists, however, are out in far smaller numbers yet those ladies and gentlemen at the pinnacle of British cycling are indeed the best in the world.

I feel immensely proud of having instigated the WARTY and of its undoubted contribution to the successes of Messrs. Hoy, Wiggins, Cavendish et al, not to mention Mlles. Cooke and Pendleton.