bblair

In this year's edition, there is so much talk of "oh, the sponsors won't like this..." or, "...we invested so much in him, it's not paying off...."

As has been said about other professional sports, to the fans it's a passion, to the players, it's a job, to the owners, it's a business."

rsbob 

Read the Jonathon Vaughters, bio which explains how difficult and stressful it is to get/keep sponsors, riders and logistics. For me it was a real eye-opener.

Eric F 

Yep. When you start following the money, and how much that money demands results, you can start to see why riders - and even whole teams - go down the PED road.

HeyItsSara

I posted on my own thread in the Entertainment section but this thread is getting way more attention. Watched the series in 2 sittings! Its very well-done. I think I prefer it to season 1.

What Netflix show does Lance have????

Joe Bikerider

Is this netflix show going to be like the F1 one? That resulted in a wave of newbies who thought they were now "fans" inundating the usual F1 outlets. Mostly just idiots parroting their show's content. Sent some F1 old timers like me running for the exits. I hate newbies.

Iride01 

As long as the newbies that stay are more than the old timers that leave, then that'll be a plus and the sport will have some reason to continue and exist.

Noobs are important to most anything.

Eric F 

Yes, the TDF series is a similar format to the F1 series.

I'm one of those "newbie" fans of F1, drawn in by the first season of the Netflix series. My son got on the train the next season, and follows the day-to-day stories of F1 much closer than I do. We aren't able to watch races together very often these days, but we both enjoy chatting about the races, drivers, and rumors when we get the chance. It's a lot of fun for both of us. It's kind of a bummer to learn that there are elitist attitudes like yours. Maybe you should go outside and yell at clouds for a while to calm down.

I've been a fan of cycling for a very long time. If the TDF Netflix series brings in a bunch of new fans, that's just fine with me. I'm happy to talk about the sport with them, and share what I know. I hope it inspires some of them to start riding bikes.

Eric F 

Netfilx has recently added ESPN's "30 for 30" about Lance (originally from 2020). It's 2 episodes.

howaboutme

I think what's being referred is the 30 for 30 show that originally aired on ESPN during the pandemic. Netflix has the rights now. It's a good watch.

howaboutme

Lance actually discussed this on his The Move Podcast not too long ago. He basically says, he doesn't understand how competitors can hug it out.

Eric F 

Yes. He still can't let go of his "me vs. them" mentality. As I understand it, his respect for his fellow competitors was limited exclusively to Jan Ullrich.

howaboutme

I don't think that mentality is exclusive to Lance. That killer instinct is in a lot of other elite athletes getting to or at the top. His attitude on other things aside,of course.

Eric F 

I agree. With all of that.

Reynolds 

Having seen 6 episodes now, you may be right...

PeteHski

So out of the current generation of riders, who would you say behaves anything like Lance or the numerous Euro snakes of earlier decades? To me the current breed seem more balanced, probably because of the way modern pro teams nurture their riders from an early age. I see the same in most other sports.

Reynolds 

Philipsen is presented as a sort of bad guy, kill'em all if needed, in the documentary.

PeteHski

Yeah, sprinters tend to be naturally more aggressive, fiery characters. I don’t know much about Philipsen off the bike so will watch with interest.

Trakhak

Don't forget the time Lance let Pantani win an important mountain stage. From a quick search:

"Marco Pantani has been fuming since Armstrong let the fiery Italian win the Tour's 12th stage on Thursday after the pair arrived together to the top of Mont Ventoux, one of the Tour's most revered climbs. Pantani did not appreciate Lance Armstrong's Stage 12 concession."

Pantani lambasted Armstrong in the Italian press. That's what prompted Lance's later comment, "No more gifts."

howaboutme

I don't think this generation is the same. There may be some similar examples, as stated above, but I agree that we have moved away from what it was in the past. Just look at basketball. They all love each other and hug it out after a game. I don't think Jordan did that. I mean, he hated Pippen because he was the 2nd best player in the NBA! (Okay, I may be exaggerating on the 2nd best thing, but you know what I mean.)

SJX426 

My wife and I are big fans of the F! series. She doesn't want to know what is going on before the next season. I get new snippets on my phone and have an idea of the turmoil of current season. Looking forward to the next Netflix season.

WRT the TdF series, I love watching the race in July. The Netflix season recaps are a nice supplement to the racing. It is clear that there is a significant effort to sensationalize the back stories, although some of it is raw. My impression of season 2 was how much Jonas was not included.

Clearly teams have different objectives base on the talent they can afford to put on the team. This appears to be common in all sports.

I did find the Lance series fascinating. I don't like is personality, but he has characteristics often found in very successful people, like it or not. In the series he appeared to be very straight forward and unapologetic for who he is.,while still acknowledging his behaviors and attitude. In the end he says he wouldn't change a thing but doesn't explain what he means. I wonder if he takes that perspective because of what he considers his wins at the same time accepting who he has become due to the overwhelming challenges he has experienced. Don't know or care too much. He is still an xxxhole in my book.

In terms of adversarial relationships and competitiveness, I think of Eddie. Such a contrast to nearly anyone since. before him it was Major Taylor.
Sports is a battlefield with competing strategies, some at all costs to obtain a win. Rules are in place to make it "fair." What does that even mean given the diversity of each human in every way?

BTinNYC 

I think the series does a great job of telling stories from within the teams and riders.

squirtdad 

Besides the riders and the teams, I like how the series shows the overall speed of the peloton and how close fans get to the riders.

JK360

very good.

Eric F 

I've gone the other way. The first season of the F1 series got me interested in the racing. Now, I'm more interested in the racing than I am the series, and haven't watched the last couple of seasons. I follow a bunch of different F1-related accounts on social media, so much of the drama in the series isn't new to me.

joesch

I enjoyed this latest TdF series.
Very entertaining and great to get all the cyclist interviews and views on the safety and quality risks with the tour and events. Especially concerning are the sprinting events where the overly agressive physical boxing out attempts where safe lines are not maintained and accidents have thus happened. The green jersey winner for sure used such risks and caused such accidents. As Wout said, if such rules are not enforced then they will become part of the tactics.