Tour de France 2018

[Exit Stage Left]

I tend to read the tour as if it's an Audax where the the cut-off time is defined by the first over the line, there's no minimum limit, and a massive incentive to be first.

If you combined that idea with lots of climbing, then the full-value riders would be in trouble. They'd either not bother attending those events, or be disappointed when they were eliminated.

Organisers would then seek to fiddle with the cut-off times, to be more inclusive. The full-value riders might also put pressure on the fast group, maybe they should spend longer at controls, so as not destroy the event.

Of course this can't happen in Audax, as the cut-off time is fixed, and times aren't published. The only negative possibility there is if prestige is asserted through Strava, and riders with social media profile ride together, causing controls to be open earlier than otherwise.

[andrew_s]

What a scandalous cock-up...for a GC contender and winner of all 3 tours to be forced out by a broken bone on a stretch where lots of extra security was promised...his season has been ruined by failure to manage an entirely predictable crowd of drunks...what a fucking shambles.

It was an ordinary fan with a camera, rather than a runner or drunk. The camera strap was swinging about, and snagged Nibali's handlebar.

(from here: https://twitter.com/diegoalvarez12/status/1020035493734559749 )

[Nuncio]

It was an ordinary fan...

Shades of Armstrong/Luz Ardiden 2003.


There's a nice story coming out of Wednesday's stage when Edvald Boasson Hagen was left stranded with a broken bike and no team car.  Servais Knaven stopped and gave him a Sky bike, and both were fined. EBH was spotted the following morning before the start seeking out SK to cover his €150 fine.

[Nick H.]

Who is left to contest the Champs-Élysées sprint?

[citoyen]

Who is left to contest the Champs-Élysées sprint?

Andrea Pasqualon, Max Richeze, Roberto Ferrari, Timothy Dupont, Thomas Boudat... All the big names! 

[Mr Larrington]

Who is left to contest the Champs-Élysées sprint?

I'm tempted to put a crisp BRITONS' fiver on Sonny Colbrelli, albeit because he sounds like he ought to be a Mafia hitman.  But given the way the sprinters are dropping like A Valverde after yet another futile break it would probably be unwise to back anyone other than Crazy P.

[Nuncio]

Who is left to contest the Champs-Élysées sprint?

Andrea Pasqualon, Max Richeze, Roberto Ferrari, Timothy Dupont, Thomas Boudat... All the big names! 

... Kristoff, Degenkolb, Demare...

[mcshroom]

I'm hoping Degenkolb, but I think it would be crazy to look past the snotty jumper wearer.

[quixoticgeek]

It's now Powerbar branded.

That's not an overabundance of bottles to hand out. Assuming the bike is symmetrical, it's only 8-10 bottles. I'm guessing there is more in the big box on top, but he'd have to stop to access.

Or is this like the neutral service bikes and he goes from stage to stage often without actually being used. ?

J

[sg37409]

I tend to read the tour as if it's an Audax ....

I love the opening lines to your posts, ESL

[Exit Stage Left]

The Tour de France and Audax share a common root in Henri Desgrange. He's the bloke whose ideal Tour would have only one finisher, and introduced 'Touristes Routiers' into the race to spice it up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Desgrange

The Tour was run with Brevet cards, the cut-off times were fixed, and if you didn't make a controle in time, you were out. The components were essentially the same as a randonee.

Some people judge Audax as a race, I judge the Tour as an Audax. This Tour is like the Pendle 600, as opposed to the Two/Three Coasts 600s. The Pendle assumes a high attrition rate, The Coasts are more inclusive.

I don't want everyone to finish the Tour, it has to be demanding. In the past, with 9 man teams, you could afford to lose a prologue specialist, or a sprinter. The specific circumstances of this Tour are tending to lose too many riders.

[quixoticgeek]

The Tour de France and Audax share a common root in Henri Desgrange. He's the bloke whose ideal Tour would have only one finisher, and introduced 'Touristes Routiers' into the race to spice it up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Desgrange

The Tour was run with Brevet cards, the cut-off times were fixed, and if you didn't make a controle in time, you were out. The components were essentially the same as a randonee.

Some people judge Audax as a race, I judge the Tour as an Audax. This Tour is like the Pendle 600, as opposed to the Two/Three Coasts 600s. The Pendle assumes a high attrition rate, The Coasts are more inclusive.

I don't want everyone to finish the Tour, it has to be demanding. In the past, with 9 man teams, you could afford to lose a prologue specialist, or a sprinter. The specific circumstances of this Tour are tending to lose too many riders.

Isn't the arguement that the races are too hard one of those used by the dopers to justify why they did it? If you make the race too hard, then only those who are either genetically super human, or those who are pharmacologic-ally super human will be able to compete?

I must admit that the TCR/IPWR/TABR seem to be closer to the ideals of the original TDF than the modern race is. I came to follow pro bike racing as my housemate is in to it, and it fills the gaps between the proper races... (hence my naïve questions.)

J

[Beardy]

The Tour de France and Audax share a common root in Henri Desgrange. He's the bloke whose ideal Tour would have only one finisher, and introduced 'Touristes Routiers' into the race to spice it up.

I was thinking the other day as they were discussing the abandonments that they could 'cull' those that drop off the back like they do the stragglers in Stephen King's The Long Walk. You'd soon run out of sprinters after a few mountain stages, but by bringing the cut-off point closer and closer to the winning time you'd ensure a single winner. 

[Exit Stage Left]

If you're following an event through media, then those media define the event.
The Tour was designed to sell a sports newspaper in a slack time, which is why 'L'Equipe' is still important.

Amaury Sport Organisation is a company that owns, designs and organises top international sporting events. Specialised in the ‘non-stadia’ events, it has in-house knowledge of professions linked to organisation, media and sales of sports events.

A.S.O. organises 250 days of competition per year, with 70 events in 21 countries.

A.S.O. is involved in 5 major sports including cycling with Le Tour de France, motor sports with Le Dakar, sailing with Le Tour Voile, mass events with the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and golf with the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

Amaury Sport Organisation is a subsidiary of the Amaury Group, media and sport group that owns the newspaper L'Equipe.

It's mainly consumed through TV, but print coverage is still extensive, The Telegraph is best in the UK.

I've never got into 'dot-watching', although it was useful when I was filming Wheels of Fire's recent record, apart from between Pitlochry and Inverness, where the signal is absent.

I do have a tip for watching the Tour live on TV. L'Equipe's principal photographer is ferried around on a 1990s BMW K75, it's red, with a white radiator surround. It has the most privileges of all the motos, so it's seen where the action is.

This photo is from 2013, it must have been dropped since, and they haven't painted the replacement radiator surround.

[Nick H.]

It's now Powerbar branded.

That's not an overabundance of bottles to hand out. Assuming the bike is symmetrical, it's only 8-10 bottles. I'm guessing there is more in the big box on top, but he'd have to stop to access.

Or is this like the neutral service bikes and he goes from stage to stage often without actually being used. ?

J

He gets used a lot. But you don't see it unless one of the leaders is on a stretch which team cars can't get to.

[Nick H.]

a 1990s BMW K75

More like '80s! He must love that bike. It's in some very old Tour photos. Wouldn't be surprised if he's had it from new. The mileage must be colossal.

[Exit Stage Left]

It's a late one, maybe even 1994 like my K75RT. The seat has been modified, and the ABS removed, but that ABS was unreliable, so it's a common enough mod.

There are lots of K's at PBP, K75s are more favoured, as they are smoother. Here we are prior to PBP 2015.

[quixoticgeek]

I've never got into 'dot-watching', although it was useful when I was filming Wheels of Fire's recent record, apart from between Pitlochry and Inverness, where the signal is absent.

Most racers user Irridium based trackers so no issues with absent signal.

Dot watching is really addictive. When we had TABR, TAWR, and Tour Divide all going at once, I had the tracker pages for them all open, and jumping between them. It seems my excitement at following the dots was contagious enough that a friend who had no interest in cycling now dotwatches the big races.

It's a different style of race following, and I think it helps to have some sort of social media feed of the race to, following the dots, as well as the updates on twitter is a really good pairing. As with most things, you get out what you put in.

J

[Mr Larrington]

I don't know what *** & Nice C had for lunch today, but I want some.

Edit: and that was before Nice C gave us his thoughts on women's racing. Stop being so bloody right all the time, Nice C, it makes the rest of us feel inadequate 

[Exit Stage Left]

I've never got into 'dot-watching', although it was useful when I was filming Wheels of Fire's recent record, apart from between Pitlochry and Inverness, where the signal is absent.

Most racers user Irridium based trackers so no issues with absent signal.

I was being relayed the position by text from home. I had to be in position to film, so it was important to know how much WOF had slowed climbing to Drumochter. It was 11 degrees and throwing it down, so I wasn't going to hang around without knowing where he was. I went and shot some moody time lapses at the first point I could get phone signal.

Trackers are usually about 10 minutes out. That means nothing to dot watchers, but if you're trying to get a drone shot of them arriving, and the drone has 20 minutes of flight time, it's better to rely on line of sight, and a pair of binoculars.

You're right about only getting out what you put in.

[Nick H.]

It's a late one, maybe even 1994 like my K75RT. The seat has been modified, and the ABS removed, but that ABS was unreliable, so it's a common enough mod.

There are lots of K's at PBP, K75s are more favoured, as they are smoother. Here we are prior to PBP 2015.

Mine's a 94 K11LT, out of commission because a fox ate the wiring. As it's a cool day and a flat stage I'm now declaring radio silence and going outside to tinker with it.

[Exit Stage Left]

I've got a 1984 K100RS as well if you want, I've not done much with it since I got the K75.

[T42]

Finally sussed out that that black blurg on the Skies' backs is an orca.

Dead boring stage otherwise.

[TheLurker]

Word is that Nibbles suffered a fractured vertebra and won't be starting tomorrow.

Spectidiots are not a new thing: ...

Hmm. P'raps the UCI should introduce fines for spectators?  Can you imagine the fun they'd have making up the rules for that?  Why they could use up 3 good size forests just for variations on, "Running beside a rider without due care and attention." 

It did cross my mind that one or two of the riders forced to abandon because of spectidiot (as neologisms go that's a good un) stupidity (tautology?) might consider suing said spectidiot(s) for medical costs and, where the rider is a serious contender for a prize in the race, "lost earnings".   

I also happen to think a rider punching the lights out a spectidiot who's impeding the race or imperilling rider safety should automatically win that day's combativity prize, a 10s time bonus and E1000 in used twenties.

[spesh]

Hmm. P'raps the UCI should introduce fines for spectators?  Can you imagine the fun they'd have making up the rules for that?  Why they could use up 3 good size forests just for variations on, "Running beside a rider without due care and attention." 

It did cross my mind that one or two of the riders forced to abandon because of spectidiot (as neologisms go that's a good un) stupidity (tautology?) might consider suing said spectidiot(s) for medical costs and, where the rider is a serious contender for a prize in the race, "lost earnings".   

It doesn't have to be that complicated.

There can be a charge of spectidiocy, where there is no malice aforethought (simply a lack of consideration of potential consequences), which covers running alongside riders in fancy dress/with fondleslab on a selfie stick, and waving regional flags...

And then there is a charge of being a wanktator (wanker + spectator), which covers deliberately malicious actions such as spitting, throwing cups of piss and trying to hit or deliberately physically impede a rider.

I also happen to think a rider punching the lights out a spectidiot who's impeding the race or imperilling rider safety should automatically win that day's combativity prize, a 10s time bonus and E1000 in used twenties.

Nah, keep the combativity prize for the rider who animated the stage the most - appropriate acts of pugilism by riders get put forward for consideration for Le Prix Bernard Hinault.