Tour de France 2017

Deb's,

I am also watching the TT as I type this.Looks pretty dangerous out on the course and Vilvarde has just crashed out.

Would like to see Froome get a 4 th TDF title but  would  also be pleased if Porte ,Contador,Quintana also won it overall.

As long as Peter Sagan wins the Green Jersey that's who I am really rooting for.

Looking forward to seeing how the race unfurls over the next 3 weeks

Also hope Mark Cavendish gets some stage wins...but Sagan for the Green  Jersey 

Great to see Geraint Thomas winning the first stage. Well deserved. 

I'm looking forward to the 107 mile Dartmoor Classic tomorrow. Should be painful.

Drewy posted:

Great to see Geraint Thomas winning the first stage. Well deserved. 

Yes it's wonderful to see a Welshman in Yellow, hope he can hang on to it for a while.

Horrible conditions today, i don't know why they aren't using fatter tyres for better grip, and it's been said over the past few years that 700c x 28 tyres have a lower rolling resistance compared to lighter 23s or 25s, so what would be lost in some aero dynamics and weight would be gained in faster rolling, better grip, and staying upright. IMHO it would be a good idea for the ICU to enforce the use of 'sensible' 28  size tyres in wet conditions that all competitors have to adhere to. Safety first.

Drewy, don't forget to take photos tomorrow, and put a couple up here. Where about on Dartmoor will you be watching?

Meanwhile - in case anyone has missed it, the Stage 1 TdF highlights are on Channel 24 ITV4 19:00 & 01:35

Tomorrow Stage 2 LIVE on Channel 24 ITV4 from 11:00 ~  Düsseldorf to Liége/Luik 203.5km / Flat

Debs

naim_nymph posted

 

Drewy, don't forget to take photos tomorrow, and put a couple up here. Where about on Dartmoor will you be watching?

 

Debs

Debs, I'm riding it. 

It's a sportive ride. Very popular, usually sells out within 24 hrs. Dartmoor on a bike is beautiful but the hills are brutal. 

Tabby cat posted:

 

As long as Peter Sagan wins the Green Jersey that's who I am really rooting for.

No, no, no. Sagan must not be allowed to win the Green Jersey until he has a decent "short back and sides' haircut from the local barber. 

After all, he looks so 70's..........

Peter Sagan :

Peter's dad :

Thanks Wugged Woy,

That's what I love about Sagan is his sence of fun.Also the fact on post race interviews if he's come 2 nd or third he sees that as a good result.Never since Mario Chipollini have I seen a rider who has so much charisma in the peloton.But I think Sagan is a stronger rider than Mario much more a classic specialist.

Crazy guy - A Slovakian treasure !

I think Chris Froome is the best rider and Team Sky probably the best team with Geraint Thomas the best support rider, but a lot of shit happens along the way doesn't it? Last year a lot of bad shit happened to Richie Porte. If he manages to stay off the pavement this year it could be his race, He's at that age where the combination of experience, skill and physical development are peaking. I think Quintana is simply too small to prevail through 21 stages, but it's fun to see him bounce up the mountains. I always root for Cav in the flat stages and think he'll end up the all-time winner of most Tour stages in the next year or two. I like to root for Sagan as well. He brings a refreshing rock-star air to The Tour. Contador? Past his peak and I don't think he can win it if he's clean.

naim_nymph posted:

Drewy posted:

Great to see Geraint Thomas winning the first stage. Well deserved. 

Yes it's wonderful to see a Welshman in Yellow,

Debs

Why? What difference does his nationality make?

winkyincanada posted:

Why? What difference does his nationality make?

Well, I keep tabs on Tejay van Garderen, Andrew Talansky, and Tyler Farrar because they are American and so am I. Tejay is a legitimate contender, Tyler is a decent sprinter that hails from my area, and another American, Taylor Phinney, finished 17-seconds off the pace today. You never know who's going to steal a stage. It's just another way of making the race more fun to follow. Conversely, I'd never root against anyone due to their nationality.

I just found it a huge pity to see Valverde crash like that. This will reduce the competition for this Tour de France. As the complete tour has this year a kind of strange setup we might expect also some strange things happening - while I still belief Fromme is the one to beat. As an objective viewer I hope for a lot of excitement and I don't mean doping or crashes. Just honest battling between the different riders. As Tom Dumoulin is not taking part - Dutch success besides a potential day success will be highly unlikely.

Bert Schurink posted:

I just found it a huge pity to see Valverde crash like that.

Metal barriers on a turn like that? A few $5 hay bales and he'd have been up and racing. I guess hay bales have no place in an urban setting. Oh well, the course is the same for all competitors and they meet their fate.

joerand posted:

winkyincanada posted:

Why? What difference does his nationality make?

Well, I keep tabs on Tejay van Garderen, Andrew Talansky, and Tyler Farrar because they are American and so am I. Tejay is a legitimate contender, Tyler is a decent sprinter that hails from my area, and another American, Taylor Phinney, finished 17-seconds off the pace today. You never know who's going to steal a stage. It's just another way of making the race more fun to follow. Conversely, I'd never root against anyone due to their nationality.

Isn't Andrew "they call him pitbull" Talansky rumored to be a bit of a dick? I actually count all three of these riders in my "villain" camp. Talansky for his (rumoured) temperament, Farrar for his long-time insistence that he was a sprinter when he never won much at all (there were also examples of him being quite petulant when he perceived wrongdoing in the sprints, too - although a buddy of mine has met him and says he's a really nice guy off the bike - very friendly and humble), and Teejay both for having the dumbest name in cycling and for being generally over-hyped. I'm very shallow when it comes to choosing my heroes and villains. It never is as shallow as simple nationality which (to me) is the shallowest reason of all to "support" someone in sports.

Hay bales would have made the corner tighter, causing more accidents.

Valverde is a seasoned pro, he chose to take that bend at high speed, it was his mistake. As Thomas said after the race.

It’s not slippery if you don’t go to fast.

I understand that Vaverde has broken his knee cap and ankle, which is a sad loss to the Movistar team and particularly given that this was likely to have been his last Tour. With one less climber in the team it'll also make it tougher for Quintana.

J'aime Le Tour!

winkyincanada posted:

and Teejay .... for having the dumbest name in cycling

That says it all for me with regard to the value of your responses here Winky.

You didn't even bother to spell Tejay's "dumbest name" correctly .

You seem to have some pent-up anger.

joerand posted:

winkyincanada posted:

and Teejay .... for having the dumbest name in cycling

That says it all for me with regard to the value of your responses here Winky.

You didn't even bother to spell Tejay's "dumbest name" correctly .

You seem to have some pent-up anger.

Yeah, I was spelling it from memory. What is the "standard" spelling? That's right, there isn't one because his parents just made it up to make his life hell.

No anger. I choose my heros and villains fairly (very) arbitrarily. Someone's name is as good a reason as any to "support" (or otherwise) an athlete. I've never met Tejay. He might be a nice guy. But I'm 100% sure he couldn't care less about my view of his (silly) name.

You on the other hand seem easily offended. I'll stop now.

fatcat posted:

Hay bales would have made the corner tighter, causing more accidents.

Valverde is a seasoned pro, he chose to take that bend at high speed, it was his mistake. As Thomas said after the race.

It’s not slippery if you don’t go to fast.

I only partly agree with you, yes he should have slowed down, but at the same time protection of the drivers hasn't been taken care of. If it would have, he would have only had a couple of scratches and would have been able to continue...

Bert Schurink posted:

fatcat posted:

Hay bales would have made the corner tighter, causing more accidents.

Valverde is a seasoned pro, he chose to take that bend at high speed, it was his mistake. As Thomas said after the race.

It’s not slippery if you don’t go to fast.

I only partly agree with you, yes he should have slowed down, but at the same time protection of the drivers hasn't been taken care of. If it would have, he would have only had a couple of scratches and would have been able to continue...

Any simple to do common sense thing that improves rider and spectator safety has got to be a good thing, i bet Valverde would of rather of hit a hay bale, but perhaps in this day and age some purpose designed [with commercial advertisement] rubber matting to line the metal barriers on the outside-corners would suffice. 

Although i still say the ICU could stipulate a rule for 700c x 28 tyre choice for all competitors in flat time trails, and this would also lead to fast track development of this tyre size which would come available for all at the local bike shop : )

Debs

winkyincanada posted:

naim_nymph posted:

Drewy posted:

Great to see Geraint Thomas winning the first stage. Well deserved. 

Yes it's wonderful to see a Welshman in Yellow,

Debs

Why? What difference does his nationality make?

It makes a difference to me personally as I'm also Welsh. 

I saw padding on some other corners of the course. He just misjudged the corner,  by the time he realised he was going in too quick it was too late. Any road bike will leave you on the floor in the blink of an eye and it makes little difference what tyres you're using. I came off myself at the end of last year, front end went and I couldn't do a thing, it bloody hurt!

I hate stages like today. Whatever happens during the day, you will be waiting for a sprint at the end of the stage.....

Bert Schurink posted:

fatcat posted:

Hay bales would have made the corner tighter, causing more accidents.

Valverde is a seasoned pro, he chose to take that bend at high speed, it was his mistake. As Thomas said after the race.

It’s not slippery if you don’t go to fast.

I only partly agree with you, yes he should have slowed down, but at the same time protection of the drivers hasn't been taken care of. If it would have, he would have only had a couple of scratches and would have been able to continue...

Safety barriers are not always safer. Same with more grip. The effect can be just higher risks taken, and higher speeds. What matters is consistent safety and design; no nasty surprises etc. That dreadful Olympic road race course with a deep concrete gully was a horror though. A haybale is pretty unforgiving-and just catapults you over the top!

In the end if you are hooning along and hit a padded barrier you may well also still come to grief, not least from your bike flying around your ears too! I think barriers should protect big drop offs or other such severe hazards but I don't want to see them racing down a padded tunnel.

In the end riders have to balance the risk/reward of speed etc. Bike handling, control and judgement are part of the sport as well as heart, lungs and legs.

As for the race; I think Richie Porte can win if his team can give him the back up. I'd like him to win too-he had dreadful luck last year and was a loyal Sky second man for several years. Same applies to Geraint Thomas too so good to see him in yellow and enjoying that before once again he settles down to sacrifice himself for the team.

Bruce

As an aside the nature of the route this year may mean that descending skills and risk-taking is pretty important in the overall GC.

Bruce

Bert Schurink posted:

I hate stages like today. Whatever happens during the day, you will be waiting for a sprint at the end of the stage.....

I don't mind stages like today's. Makes the mountain stages all the more sweet to appreciate. Plus, once in a blue moon   something happens along the way and the breakaway wins. Froome hit the pavement today, seems fine. Nevertheless, a toll has been exacted.

Drewy posted:

winkyincanada posted:

naim_nymph posted:

Drewy posted:

Great to see Geraint Thomas winning the first stage. Well deserved. 

Yes it's wonderful to see a Welshman in Yellow,

Debs

Why? What difference does his nationality make?

It makes a difference to me personally as I'm also Welsh. 

A riders' nationality makes no difference to me. I'm 'strayan but that's not why I want Porte to do well. I want to see someone take it to the 'dawg.

The reason I can't stand Matthews is not because he's 'strayan but because he's a wheel sucker that never ever makes any race exciting. I laughed a while back when they talked about Matthews being on an aero bike. He has clear road in front of him for what, 30 seconds total in a whole season? Same with Gerrans who thankfully isn't riding this year.