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Just finished watching the first stage.
What the hell with the bus???? Was the Orica GreenEdge bus higher than all the others?? Was the banner just too low??? So bizarre.
Congrats to Kittel. I hope all the crashers are okay.
I fear I may have jinxed Hoogerland by wearing my HoogerlandTFU t-shirt today.
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Update now that I'm watching the rerun of the prime time show: Seriously, NBC Sports?? A two-minute opening sequence??? TWO minutes????? Get over yourselves and just show the race.
It was one of the most bizarre finishes I've seen! I kept yelling at the TV "let the air out of its tires to create clearance" but I don't think that would have been enough. Why did they wait so long to decide to back it up?
BTW - check out the cool TDF wallpapers on this site: http://www.justeleanor.com/WALLPAPER. I downloaded the sunflower one but it was hard to choose.
Apparently the problem with the bus happened because it arrived late. The banner had been higher earlier in the day.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...rst-day_292623
I think this is the strangest thing I've ever seen at a sporting event. Also it's a great argument in favor of allowing riders to use race radios. Imagine if they had not been able to move the bus and also were not able to notify the riders what was going on. Telling them the finish line was being moved up (and then saying "never mind") certainly caused problems, but it would have been a disaster if they had come barreling down the finishing straight only to find a bus in the way.
That was one of the stranger things I've seen and the bus seemed to have set off a very strange series of events. Then today near the finish a dog got loose and ran onto the road. If you are going to have a dog near the road it really needs to be on a leash and possibly a harness instead of just a collar, that could have been disasterous.
There have been cyclist-dog crashes in races before. Potentially very dangerous for the dog as well as the racers.
Apparently Tony Martin lost consciousness twice after crashing yesterday, but he's still in the race. This seems wrong to me. It sucks to crash out so early in such a big race, but I just don't think it's worth the health risk to continue after a serious crash.
Nice win by Bakelants today. He dug deep at the end.
I just read he had a concussion, a bruised lung, severe hip, back, and knee injuries; the team doctor OK'd him to ride today??? I'm not a doctor, etc. etc., but that kind of effort after a concussion, let alone the other stuff, is definitely a serious health risk.
What a strange couple of days at this TdF... I was definitely disappointed not to see the big sprinters near the finish line yesterday but I'm very happy for both Kittel and Bakelants. Bakelants reaction to crossing the finish line was absolutely incredible to me.
I feel terrible for the Orica-GreenEDGE bus driver :( I heard today that he was in tears over what happened yesterday.
Interesting note on the race radios, ny. On the NBC Sports coverage today they were discussing how towards the end of the race they'll turn the radios off to avoid being distracted by the team car. Couple that with the general noise/commotion/chaos and many of the riders never even knew about the 3km finish line. I think it was Kittel who heard on the race radio "the finish line is at the finish line" (after the bus moved) and responded back "of course it is, where else would it be" or something to that effect because he never heard the 3km finish line move to begin with.
I was screaming at the TV with the dog today!! Was he not on a leash? His owner endangered the racers and his dog. I wanted to slap the pups owner through the TV.
So did anyone watch both the live morning coverage and then the evening coverage of Stage 2? Was it my imagination, or did Phil & Paul call the wrong name of the winner in the morning, and then re-recorded the call with with the right name for the evening coverage?
Nope, you are correct.Quote:
Originally Posted by BikeDutchess
I'm also really surprised Tony Martin is riding. I was under the impression that there was a protocol to be followed for return to racing after a concussion, but perhaps it varies team to team at this point.
re the bus incident- While both my husband and I started saying get out, lower the tires and back up as soon as the coolant started escaping it was pretty typical of the "suits" (ie officials and organizers) to line up in front of the bus on their cell phones. Who did they think they were calling other than each other , other committee members, God? And why did not one of the appatent fire brigade members just step up and open the valves, of for that matter ,since the driver persumabaly knows his bus, why didn't he hustle out of the bus and do it right away indtead of sitting there crying. alternate definition for the organizing committee and all the suits- redundancy and lack of progress in an emergency situation.
Really really stupid, but thankfully it wasn't worse.
I wasn't really listening during the prime time coverage. But when it was live, they first said Bakelants was in the break, then said that race radio was reporting that it was Irazar (sp?), then said race radio was back to saying it was Bakelants. So I can see why they would just re-do it for later broadcasts.Quote:
Originally Posted by BikeDutchess
Another gripe for me about NBCSN -- they're interrupting the coverage to give updates on other sports. This by itself is annoying to me. But yesterday they announced the outcome of the F1 race, which they had covered live on CNBC but were showing on delay on NBCSN immediately after the TdF coverage. Apparently many people either didn't know to watch CNBC or chose to hold off on watching F1 until they after they watched the TdF, so they learned who won the grand prix before they had a chance to watch it. I chose to watch the F1 first, otherwise I would have been one of those very angry people.
The driver didn't necessarily know anything.... I've heard tell of the people who sometimes staff that type of position.. he may well have just been a friend of someone or a relative, not a professional bus driver.... (in fact I just looked it up... the bus driver was.... Garikoitz Atxa, a Spanish former cyclist who was on his first day working as the Orica team’s bus driver). I guess France is much like here... as long as it's called a motorhome any shmo can drive it... doesn't have to be a professional driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by marni
Yesterday's stage had an exiting finish but... polka dot shorts for the king of the mountains???
Jersey - yes. Bike - yes. Shorts...NOOOOO! He looked like he had measles. Really, really, big measles.
Bakelants reaction at the finish line the other day was priceless, and it demonstrated one of the reasons why Le Tour remains so enduring and fun to watch. Have to say I was rather glad to see Sagan get nipped at the line yesterday. Agree that the all-polka dot kit is just, ... hideous!
lol... my first thought when I saw the back of those polka dot shorts was - gee dear does this make my butt look big? Oh boy, yes it does.....
I haven't seen the end of the TTT stage today but I read that Ted King did not make the time cut. He's been riding with a separated shoulder since crashing in stage 1. So sad. He was so excited to finally be riding in the tour.
Ted's a local here, and I'm really sad to hear that he didn't make the cut today. That said, I can't imagine trying to put in a full on TT effort with a separated shoulder, especially after getting dropped so early. The good news is that now he can heal.Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
IMHO, Geraint Thomas and Tony Martin should both go home too. Thomas has to be helped onto his bike :eek: So HOW ON EARTH did he hang on to the final km today? And Martin riding at such high intensity with a concussion is not so good either.
SheFly
Totally agree about Thomas and Martin. I understand why they would want to continue, but they really should not. Especially Martin.
Anyway now my favorite cyclist is out of the race. I'm still hoping that Sagan beats the pants off Cavendish in the green jersey competition, but it's less interesting for me to watch the stages now. Hopefully once they hit the mountains it will get interesting again. I go back and forth on how much I like Garmin, but maybe Talansky will be worth watching.
Yeah - they push those guys a bit too hard sometimes.... isn't even football instituting mandatory rest rules after concussion... (or is that only for kids). You would think at at time when it's becoming more and more apparent that there can be lasting effects from not healing even a relatively minor head injury properly (much less exposing yourself to the risk or further falls) that they might be a little more careful rather than less with these guys, but it really seems like they are putting them back on the bike more and more these days. I'm not sure I'll ever forget Tommy Danielson not knowing how he got across the finish line that one time.
The general consensus seems to be that Ted should be allowed to stay in race. I tend to agree, since exceptions have been made before for riders who missed the time cut, and especially since the crash was caused by the stupidity with the bus.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...message_293232
update: It looks like the official time chip wasn't on Ted's bike because at the last minute he had to switch from his TT bike to his road bike, so there's confusion about how his official time was determined.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderre...-cruelest-cut/
So, CVV has crashed out of yet another grand tour, after hitting the pavement twice in this one. The first crash loosened a screw in his collarbone, a remnant from an earlier crash, and also caused a blood clot in his neck which they somehow decided was not dangerous. Anyway, I think he has the worst luck of anyone who has ever raced in grand tours. It's too bad.
I haven't finished watching today's stage yet but I heard that Sagan won. Good for him. Cannondale certainly brought a strong team to this tour. Meanwhile Cavendish really needs to work on anger management. Also it was nice seeing Jens in a the break for a while.
I also like seeing "firsts" in the tour, like Impey being the first African to wear yellow.
Really enjoyed today's stage, but I'm looking forward to the mountain stages. I'm in awe of the climbers. The Cannondale team was remarkable today.
I'm watching today's race now...
So, I am still learning about how each rider on a team has a different job, and they are all supposed to protect their leader, or perform a function etc...but still confused as heck :)
Why is Jens riding so far up ahead by himself and not with his team?
Because he's Jens!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny4
Although in most cases breakaways are caught by the peloton before the finish line, sometimes they manage to stay away and then one of the riders in the break will win the stage. For guys who are not sprinters and not great climbers, it's their best chance to win a stage. Equally as important, being in a break gets TV time for the companies that sponsor the teams that the breakaway riders race for. So even if they're caught, they accomplish something positive.
Some guys really love being in the break. Jens is one of them, Thomas Voeckler (sp?) is another.
If someone on Jens' team was leading the GC, he would most likely have stayed in the peloton to protect that rider. If his team had a good sprinter, he would probably also have stayed behind to help set the pace so the peloton could bring back the breakway.
Sometimes a rider from the yellow jersey's team will go up in a break, especially on a mountain stage. That would be to give him a chance to win the stage, but it he's caught, he would be at the front ready to help his team leader when most (or all) of their other teammates have been dropped.
Another reason for a rider to be in a breakaway is to win points in the King of the Mountains competition. Or, they might have the current leader in the KOM or green jersey competition on their team, and they want to win the on-course KOM or sprint points to prevent his teammates' competitors from winning them.
So, if someone is going to break away, does it have to be agreed upon by his team? I get what you are saying above. Sort of. LOL :p
Each team has a meeting before each stage to discuss their goals and strategy for the day. In the meeting they might decide that certain riders can try to get in a breakaway during the stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny4
Here is what Jens had to say about today's stage:
http://bicycling.com/blogs/hardlyser.../jens-attacks/
Cool, thanks for the link!
I'm impressed by Nairo Quintana. And he's only 23.
I guess I want Froome to win because I'm happy that he took the lead today. Funny, because last year I didn't like Sky at all. I think it's because I'm not a big Wiggins fan and I thought Froome deserved to win last year.
It was interesting to see all the top contenders who cracked. Contador, Schleck, Evans, Tejay.
Coverage is not that great on the one channel we can get it on here. We get only one hour this morning, maybe two in the evening... if formula 1 car racing doesn't pre-empt it.
No more F1 races for three weeks, so you shouldn't have that problem anymore (this year).Quote:
Originally Posted by nuliajuk
I finally just finished watching yesterday's stage, because yesterday I was busy with my own somewhat-epic bike ride. (It was a fun group ride but not without some mishaps as well as a few wrong turns due to nonexistent road signs, not to mention the kind of hot afternoon sun that sucks the energy out of you. But, fun nonetheless.)
What do you think? The shoulder Cavendish put out that took the other rider down sure looked intentional to me. The commentators say different though.
Yeah I don't know. Most of what I've read says Cavendish didn't do anything wrong. (Until his little hissy fit while being interviewed.)
Definitely wasn't intentional in my opinion... they crashed on a bit of a turn at speeds of 40+mph and Cavendish should really have moved up his left (like Kittel was it?) rather than his right. I think it looks intentional because you see him sort of throw his shoulder into it but I think that was him sort of protecting himself a bit. I hate these sprint finishes with turns, you can really appreciate their athleticism and raw power when they have a straight sprint finish.
Also a good point made by the NBC Sports commentators was that these guys are racing against each other 30+ times a year and there is absolutely no reason for Cavendish to do something like that, which he hasn't done in the past. Just food for thought.
Haha Cavendish throwing a hissy fit seems pretty normal now... in the past I found Cavendish's riding to greatly outweigh his somewhat crappy personality but this tour he has been somewhat disappointing on both fronts.
I prefer a domestique like Teddy King to a temperamental sprinter any day of the week.....
http://www.iamtedking.com/2013/07/in...h-of-humanity/
Even his team director snorted when one of them suggested Mark was a little upset. I think he said something like "what else is new".Quote:
Originally Posted by mariacycle
This story made my heart hurt for him and his family. He is a very talented writer and cyclist.Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
How many ways does Phil pronounce Valverde's first name? I've lost count. :rolleyes:
As many ways as he pronounced (or mispronounced) Avila Beach in the TOC. LOL. That's okay, we still love him.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobob
Thank you for posting that great article! I agree, I'm not fond of temperamental athletes no matter what the sport. Wishing all the best to Teddy King.Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker