Tour de France

[TonyTheKray]

Anyone else go see them whizz by today.

I went down to Maidstone. Wish i hadn't have bothered though. Was crowded and couldn't see the riders properly. Much better watching it on the telly.

Was good being there though and soaking up the atmosphere.

Didn't they try to get the tour to start in Southend one year, and finish the stage in London? Now that would be superb if they held the first stage next year or any other year in Essex.

[ldnfatso]

Watched it on telly, it was bloody great! These blokes are monsters, 125 miles + in 4 1/2 hours is awesome. Nice also to see some places i recognised also.

[Genial Harry Grout]

Didn't they try to get the tour to start in Southend one year, and finish the stage in London? Now that would be superb if they held the first stage next year or any other year in Essex.

That was the old Milk Race and it did have a stage in Southend one year. Think that event got the bullet some years ago due to lack of sponsorship.

[Napster]

Saw it in Tenterden - cracking atmosphere, great day out. Only just got back - loads of people, saw the riders, exhilirating stuff. Had a few Pimms, got loads of goodies from the caravan (which was entertaining in itself), chilled in the park to live music. A great day out

TTK - you'd have been better off watching it elsewhere like Goudhurst or Horsmonden.
:)

[Interpol Shrimper]

Anyone else go see them whizz by today.

I went down to Maidstone. Wish i hadn't have bothered though. Was crowded and couldn't see the riders properly. Much better watching it on the telly.

Was good being there though and soaking up the atmosphere.

Didn't they try to get the tour to start in Southend one year, and finish the stage in London? Now that would be superb if they held the first stage next year or any other year in Essex.

TtK, don't be completely inane, although I'm beginning to think from some of your ramblings on here that is unfortunately what you appear to be evolving in to. The Tour de France will NOT come back to the UK before 2015 at the earliest. In 104 years of the tour it has only been to the UK 3 times (1974 for a strangely organised run up & down the yet to be opened Plymouth bypass, 1994 with Dover to Brighton & Brighton to Portsmouth stages and then the grand-depart of London in 2007; honourable mention too, to the grand-depart in Dublin in the ill-fated yet memorable thanks to Marco Pantani winning it, tour of 1998).

I don't know what you expected from a fully-fledged road stage of the tour (let alone any professional cycling race), if the world's elite cyclists whizzing past you at 50kmph+ isn't impressive enough (plus the tour caravan & all the race-support vehicles after the peloton) over a matter of seconds isn't a sight you will carry to your grave then I don't know what is. If you wanted entertainment over hours you should either have gone to the prologue in the centre of London yesterday or in future years go to either a 50km individual time-trial or one of the mountain stages in the Alps (I recommend Alpe d'Huez) or the Pyrennes.

Oh & WHY is this not in the ALL-SPORTS forum?

Rant over...........

EDIT: Toned down as I posted this originally after my share of 4 bottles of wine. Apologies to all concerned for the initial vitriol, not fully intended.

[Uncle Leo]

Oh & WHY is this not in the ALL-SPORTS forum?

'tis now mate ;)

I was in Hyde Park on Saturday and had a great time. Sat by a big screen but close enough to the course to see the riders whizz by too. Couple of things:

1) Unlike Naps, I didn't even see the publicity caravan despite arriving ...no freebies for me :(

2) How come so many people go to watch it dressed head to toe in their cycling gear? London was rammed full of people wearing ill-fitting outfits for teams like 'Northants CC or 'Basildon Roaders'. An adult wouldn't go to a football match in full kit, shinpads and football boots, so why is it de rigeur in cycling?

[Interpol Shrimper]

2) How come so many people go to watch it dressed head to toe in their cycling gear? London was rammed full of people wearing ill-fitting outfits for teams like 'Northants CC or 'Basildon Roaders'. An adult wouldn't go to a football match in full kit, shinpads and football boots, so why is it de rigeur in cycling?

I know, I find that a bit wierd too, I can understand it if people have ridden out to see the stage, but I'm guessing this wasn't really the case on Saturday. Maybe as well, it's the whole cycling club "snoberry" mentality? They are very cliquey sort of organisations & from my experience I bet some jobsworth (or should that be hobbysworth? ? ?) official has requested that everyone attending the club trip to see the tour goes bedecked in club colours (I know this was the case in 94 with the club I was riding for at the time, luckily I'd already made my own arrangements to go & stay in Sussex and so didn't have to comply)

[Song of the South Upper]

I went to the Prologue on saturday, I was near Buckingham Palace so I saw the riders go past into Hyde Park. Was a great experience, although the only freebies I got were a miniature Skoda Fabia (sadly not made of cake) and a Go Cycle Kent reflector, which hit me in the neck when they chucked it out.

Really enjoyed the experience, although standing in the sun from 11am to 6pm means I've now got a nose as red as a cartoon drunk.

[C C Csiders]

Bradley Wiggins leads todays stage. His lead has gone down from 16 minutes to around 5, but time is running out for the chasing pack. Would be great to have a British win in a stage.

[Firestorm]

'tis now mate ;)



2) How come so many people go to watch it dressed head to toe in their cycling gear? London was rammed full of people wearing ill-fitting outfits for teams like 'Northants CC or 'Basildon Roaders'. An adult wouldn't go to a football match in full kit, shinpads and football boots, so why is it de rigeur in cycling?

Motorcycling is a bit like that too.

One year at the NEC for the bike show i saw people getting out of a car then putting their leathers on so it would look like they have gone up there on their bikes

[Uncle Leo]

Bradley Wiggins leads todays stage. His lead has gone down from 16 minutes to around 5, but time is running out for the chasing pack. Would be great to have a British win in a stage.

What a shame he couldn't hold on. Still, that was a massive day for him, I think he's really 'arrived' as a road racer now.

Today's stage is one to be savoured. Two Cat 3s, a Cat 4 and a Cat 1 followed by a decent to the finish. Just backed Cadel Evans to win the whole thing, whilst I'm on Leipheimer e/w as well, so I'll be looking out for those two....

[Uncle Leo]

Motorcycling is a bit like that too.

One year at the NEC for the bike show i saw people getting out of a car then putting their leathers on so it would look like they have gone up there on their bikes

:D what a bunch of berks :D

[Napster]

a massive surprise

Vinokourov fails dope test


Astana team withdraw from Tour after leader's test shows two different types of red blood cells

Staff and agencies
Tuesday July 24, 2007
Guardian Unlimited


Alexandr Vinokourov has won two of the last three stages of this year's Tour de France. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

The Astana team have announced that pre-race favourite Alexandr Vinokourov failed a dope test, and they have withdrawn from the Tour.
Vinokourov was tested after he won Saturday's time-trial in Chatenay-Malabry and is alleged to have shown two different types of red blood cells, indicating he received a transfusion shortly before the start of the stage. The Kazakh rider also won yesterday's stage in Loudenvielle-Le-Louron, but lost 29 minutes on Sunday when he claimed he did not feel at full strength.


Article continues

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ICU president Pat McQuaid refused to comment until the result of the B sample's analysis was produced, but British rider David Millar said he was saddened by the news. "Jesus Christ, I'm speechless," he said. "It makes me sad. I have the impression the riders will never understand."
Millar served a two-year ban and was stripped of his gold medal from the 2003 world championships after admitting taking EPO.

[Up the Shrimpers]

Can't believe so many of them take drugs, it seems more cyclists are at it than weightlifters!

[Matt the Shrimp]

a massive surprise

Vinokourov fails dope test
You have to wonder how the Tour is going to survive. Its leader has been banned from his national Olympic cycling team for missing three routine out-of-competition tests - i.e. he has the finger of suspicion hanging over him - and now the pre-Tour favourite, one of its biggest names, and winner of the last two stages has withdrawn because he was having blood transfusions.

It's a huge shame, it's utterly self-defeating, and it's the height of stupidity. Can someone please take the cyclists to one side and ask them:

*What's the point in winning something if you cheated to win it?
*Why the f*** should we care about what you're doing, and about this race, if you're all cheats?

The Tour de Farce is heading towards moral bankruptcy, and I've really stopped giving a sh*t about who's in it any more. Until they stop cheating, they're going to spend three weeks on a bicycle for a competition which is morally bankrupt and meaningless. There really is no point to what they're doing any more.

:guns:

[grayhound]

Anyone else go see them whizz by today.

I went down to Maidstone. Wish i hadn't have bothered though. Was crowded and couldn't see the riders properly. Much better watching it on the telly.

Was good being there though and soaking up the atmosphere.

Didn't they try to get the tour to start in Southend one year, and finish the stage in London? Now that would be superb if they held the first stage next year or any other year in Essex.

See them on 1st July as we had to take a de-tour on our way back from a Scooter rally in Camber Sands.

When we pulled over on the scooters to try work out a route home one of em thought id be funny to tell us to get a real bike :rolleyes:

[The General]

Bunch of druggie c88nts!

[Alexis_SUFC]

Hardly a shock though is it, cycling is full of drugs.

[Up the Shrimpers]

You have to wonder how the Tour is going to survive. Its leader has been banned from his national Olympic cycling team for missing three routine out-of-competition tests - i.e. he has the finger of suspicion hanging over him

:guns:

Leader Rasmussen has now been chucked out for missing those dope tests and Bradley Wiggins team has also withdrawn after one of its team failed test as well.

[Firestorm]

The tour has often been spoken about as being so tough that it needs drugs to finish it, and has had high profile drugs stories since the 60's and Tommy Simpson, but this year the authorities do seem to have the support of at least some of the teams.
Rasmussen is off the tour because his team have sacked him, not the authorities , so it does show that the threat of sponsor withdrawals if the sport doesn't clean itself up seem to be working.
It does beg the question, although he has not tested positive during the tour , and he will have been tested at least every day he was in yellow, was he saying he was in mexico, when he was in Italy to deliberately evade tests as he was taking drugs at the time to improve his stamina prior to the tour.

Whilst they are illegal steroids, unlike Amphetimines and epo/blood doping are not a quick fix, the just mean you can train harder thus improving, The hard work still has to be done to get the high fitness levels. But its against the rules so its cheating, end of

[Interpol Shrimper]

Bunch of druggie c88nts!


Hardly a shock though is it, cycling is full of drugs.

Talk about a completely blinkered view, if you think this year is bad, you should turn the clock back to 1998, that was a far different and more shocking scenario in terms of banned performance enhancing substances and practices.

The war against doping goes on but in my considered view is one that is being won, oh & good riddance to that **** Rasmussen!

[The General]

TBH i do like the TdF but its completely bent and does spoil it IMO!

[Alexis_SUFC]

Talk about a completely blinkered view, if you think this year is bad, you should turn the clock back to 1998, that was a far different and more shocking scenario in terms of banned performance enhancing substances and practices.

The war against doping goes on but in my considered view is one that is being won, oh & good riddance to that **** Rasmussen!

I don't know whos' view is blinkered as you have quoted two different posts from different people but if its mine then my view isn't exactly blinkered. Last term at uni I did a report about drugs in sport and focused mainly on cycling and the 1998 Tour de Shame. And having grown up in the south of France and going to see the tour every year I was out there (and when I'm on holiday there and its on) my view on this subject isn't exactly blinkered.

Saying that if you meant Kev's view is blinkered then fair enough and ignore all the above.

[Interpol Shrimper]

I don't know whos' view is blinkered as you have quoted two different posts from different people but if its mine then my view isn't exactly blinkered. Last term at uni I did a report about drugs in sport and focused mainly on cycling and the 1998 Tour de Shame. And having grown up in the south of France and going to see the tour every year I was out there (and when I'm on holiday there and its on) my view on this subject isn't exactly blinkered.

Saying that if you meant Kev's view is blinkered then fair enough and ignore all the above.

Sorry, your original one-line post suggested your point of view belonged to all the other doom-mongerers out there who are sliding out of the woodwork. Talk about a slow news day, BBC News 24 did 10 minutes on the drugs affair earlier and it was some of the most one-sided sensationalistic unresearched pieces of journalism I've ever seen! They classed this year as the worst ever, surely that has to be 1998 with 70 plus riders abandoning or being forced out for whatever reasons, followed by last years Operacion Puerto scandal prior to the start.

EDIT: Ooooh work of the devil, this post was 6,666.........

[RobM]

Seems they "wizzed" by in more ways than one.