OldsCOOL

Kittel is an early phenom, will be one to watch. Froome? Went down yet again with the rain and chicane....bad juju. He has got to be hurting and frustrated.

Pamestique 

Came into work late today becuase I watched the entire program this morning. First off its so hard for me to wrap around my head they did 96 miles in 3 1/2 hrs in the rain and on cobbles. I think it would take me the entire day!

MOD EDIT - NO SPOILERS, PLEASE.

Shamrock

Now that's what I'm takin about! Thanks!

OldsCOOL

Wathching that cyclocross guy ride in his element through rain, mud and cobblestone was poetry in motion. Beautiful.

MOD EDIT - NO SPOILERS, PLEASE.

Gerryattrick

Is that a general statement about the time of day the race is run, or just related to live viewing in the US?

In the UK I go for a ride in the morning, watch the Tour during the day and the football in the evening with a couple of beers - perfect.

PhotoJoe 

Please, no spoilers. Tom posted a pretty clear thread in Road regarding this. Please take a look.

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...do-not-do.html

Doug64

My wife and I made a point, during a 3 month ride through Europe, to be in Paris for the finish of the TDF. My wife is as much of a fan as I am, and we got to our pre-scouted location by the finish line 4 hours early to get a ring-side seat. It was well worth the wait, and when Mark Cavendish, who we had been following on TV, won the last stage my wife was ecstatic.

When my wife's hero, Mark Cavendish, crashed earlier this week she said, "this Tour is just not going to be the same". I'm not worried though; she said the same thing when Robbie McEwen didn't show up one year. She has a thing for sprinters

We don't have a TV so we subscribe to the NBC video streaming and watch it on our computer. We are planning another tour in Europe next summer, and plan on being in Paris at our spot near the finish line.

On the Champs-Elysees in Paris. The riders did 8 laps around the circuit.


My wife patiently waiting at our spot near the finish line, updating our trip journal.


We were right up front at about the point of the little red dot, left of the podium.

Wogster

I try to watch the World Cup games when Germany is playing, missed Yesterdays though.... I can't really watch the tour, as I refuse to spend $50+/month for cable to watch the idiot box. World cup is on a local over the air station.

Zinger

Carnage today gives underdogs an opportunity.

gpsblake

The overall is wide open but I think Kittel could win a ridiculous amount of stages this year. I honestly think he can win 7 or 8 stages in this years tour.

Mod, when it is acceptable to post the results of the race? After the primetime NBCSN coverage that ends at 11pm EDT or after the late night coverage which ends at midnight PDT???

Thanks

OldTryGuy

YES, when is it proper**********??

I just can't wrap my feeble brain cells around the thought that 50+ers are complaining about "spoilers".

Nibali wins TdF........

OldsCOOL

The weather is....and the participants are pedalling. The first 5 stages have been very dramatic.

How's that??

RPK79

No where near as steep as the grade you were standing on when you had that avatar picture taken.

(I thought you were going to fix that?)

fietsbob

Bike Racing Carnage? a few slides and raspberries.

Yesterday I did note they did an aerial shot of just a small part of the WW1 War Graves In Flanders .

There are square miles of them , there . Tyne Cot and others . the City of Ypres is a reconstruction,
It was leveled in the war.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tyne...w=1310&bih=821

Google Image Result for https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4009/4700022331_730efe3d26_z.jpg

Cycle tour in '91 I Visited there ..

OldsCOOL

I'm watching right now! OMG I cant believe it! This is terrible! The carnage!

There's a granny coming out with cookies....oh wait...they are scones! Ohhhh the humanity!!

gpsblake

Everyone was scared of the cobblestones yesterday and it ended up most of the wrecks were on the wet roads, something that would happen on any stage. Or even worse, very wet roads on the mountains, especially coming down hill. It adds to the challenge, do you risk it to go faster on wet surfaces or play it safe?

Zinger

A lot of it is fighting for position before you get to the cobbles because it's a lot harder to do once you're there. And the wet conditions make the positioning riskier. They are likely to take the risks because it's a stage that breaks things up some early on as opposed to the other normal, flat, sprint finish stages.....as evidenced by the day's finishing times.

skidder

My favorite moment so far was an exchange between commentators Phil Ligget and (recently retired pro) Christian Van de Velde last Sunday while they were showing the riders going through a round-about in the English countryside. Phil (in dramatic voice) comments " Christian's right here just wishing he could be out there competing for a top spot". Christian replys "thankfully I'm not in that pack" and proceeds to comment how he doesn't miss the constant days on the bike, followed by nights at a hotel, interspersed with bus rides and team meetings, and never getting to really appreciate the area they're riding through. Kinda put Phil on the spot. I just love when an overdramatic commentator gets put in his/her place like that.

JanMM

Overdramatic? Yes. But I can't imagine watching the Tour without hearing Phil Ligget.

OldsCOOL

....with the constant drone of chase vehicles.

t4mv

Yeah, he and Paul are OK, but I think it'd be pretty cool if NBC or whoever owns the rights to broadcast in my neck of the woods ditched them and stuck Chris Horner in there, if the guy ever decided to retire. Jens would be good too, but, I think he'd rather spend time with his kids.

Zinger

The American GC podium contenders won't be getting there if they keep crashing day after day.

gpsblake

The Vuelta de Espana looks like it could be packed with GC contenders that the TDF could wish for.

You might have Froome, Wiggins, Quitana, Joaquim Rodriguez, and if he can recover, Contador. That is one power packed GC contender race right there that the TDF would love to have.

Zinger

Pretty ambitious healing schedule for the locations of fractures two of those guys suffered, depending on the severity of them.

fietsbob

surgery screws bones together across cracks .. then the Bone knit space is less to bridge the crack ..