Tour de France 2011 talk

[Eden]

There was an interesting comment to the Guardian story, where someone (associated with the Tour, but I don't remember who) said there have been more crashes lately, and thinks it's due to the riders being less careful now that they all wear helmets.

Baloney.... no bike racer *wants* to crash... it hurts - it hurts all over, in lots of places that your helmet doesn't cover and it puts you out of the race, which no one wants. My husband and I have discussed why we think there have been so many crashes. Some of it is just bad luck, but we also think a lot of it is lack of a strong "patrone" and super dominant team in the race. Hate LA if you like, but I think his super strong personality (and before him guys like Eddie Mercxy and Bernard Hinault) and strong team were able to enforce a little more order in the peleton....

[pll]

I suppose if I'd got my brains rattled and the snot wolloped out of me, I'd be craving some McDonald's comfort food, too.

http://twitpic.com/5o76et

Mmm, french fries in France...

Hmm. I'd go for steak and frites, with a nice pichet of red wine. Small bistro with a view.

[Possegal]

TV France should have its filming privileges revoked for this.

The problem with that is that then none of us get to see the Tour. They are the only ones that are filming it.

I'm sure the driver of that car is not only gone from the tour, but likely gone from their job too.

I remember watching the bike race in Philly and marveling at how the drivers were maneuvering the roads through Manayunk. It was some amazing car handling. Which makes this driver's move all the more baffling to me.

[blue_angel]

The problem with that is that then none of us get to see the Tour. They are the only ones that are filming it.

I'm sure the driver of that car is not only gone from the tour, but likely gone from their job too.

I remember watching the bike race in Philly and marveling at how the drivers were maneuvering the roads through Manayunk. It was some amazing car handling. Which makes this driver's move all the more baffling to me.

I think TV France is only one of the stations that actually films, but perhaps I am wrong. [Edited: I just read in a news item that it was a car belonging to France 2 and France 3, which are public channels. So it wasn't TV France.] Even so, there should be a major penalty--perhaps a large fine--that they should incur as a result of this. Apparently that car was chauffeuring network executives and wasn't even filming.

And where is the public apology? I haven't seen a single news item from TV France apologizing for the crash.

[Possegal]

I think TV France is only one of the stations that actually films, but perhaps I am wrong.

They are the only ones doing the filming. All the other stations that are showing the tour, are showing feeds from their filming.

I'm waiting to hear something from them. The silence is rather odd. The replays of that still make me a bit queasy. Could have been so much worse I suppose, but it still was so scary. Hope they are both doing OK after the fact.

[KnottedYet]

Hmm. I'd go for steak and frites, with a nice pichet of red wine. Small bistro with a view.

I don't think you are allowed intoxicants after a brain injury.

Burger and fries, steak and fries... I'd be yearning for red meat and potatoes, for sure! I suppose a burger would be easier to chew with a broken nose than a steak would be. I can't remember what I ate after I broke my nose, but I do remember that it hurt my nose *bad-bad-bad* to chew for a few weeks.

[pll]

L'Equipe and ASO refer to the car as "No. 800 EuroMedia". Channel 2 and 3 are from France Télévisions. They posted on their Facebook that they are distressed and that they hope the riders were not too badly injured, despite their spectacular falls:

https://www.facebook.com/FrancetvSpo...34294873258020

[pll]

I don't think you are allowed intoxicants after a brain injury.

Burger and fries, steak and fries... I'd be yearning for red meat and potatoes, for sure! I suppose a burger would be easier to chew with a broken nose than a steak would be. I can't remember what I ate after I broke my nose, but I do remember that it hurt my nose *bad-bad-bad* to chew for a few weeks.

Ouch.

[Aggie_Ama]

Things are definitely not going Contador's way. He seems tired after the Giro, and it does not look like he has a good enough team. The team has been invisible.

The irony is Contador selected the team! It has been reported team management let him hand select the team he wanted to support him.

Today's stage was sickening. I am shocked at the number of names that were expected to be in the top 25 or even on the podium that are out due to the crashes.

[Tri Girl]

This first week of the tour has been more crash-y than I ever remember. And BIG names/contenders are out. Today's stage was horrible- I've never seen a cyclist hit by a car, and that horrified me. WOW!
Poor Vinny- could not believe how bad off he looked being drug out of that ditch. Oh my!!

[Possegal]

Good heavens Hoogerland took a beating courtesy of that barbed wire. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-f.../photos/181772
His shorts are pretty much not on anymore, just to warn folks, naked butt cheek at the link above. OUCH

[pll]

Good heavens Hoogerland took a beating courtesy of that barbed wire. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-f.../photos/181772
His shorts are pretty much not on anymore, just to warn folks, naked butt cheek at the link above. OUCH

Ouch^2. 33 stitches. But before getting those, he finished the race, collected his polka dot jersey and wept on the podium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJarentZE2g

[Tri Girl]

Good heavens Hoogerland took a beating courtesy of that barbed wire. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-f.../photos/181772
His shorts are pretty much not on anymore, just to warn folks, naked butt cheek at the link above. OUCH

Dear Lord- that's horrible!!! (kinda sexy) but horrible!!! Poor guy. And then he gets back on and finishes. Rodeo men have nothing on these guys! Tough as nails.

[bmccasland]

Good heavens Hoogerland took a beating courtesy of that barbed wire. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-f.../photos/181772
His shorts are pretty much not on anymore, just to warn folks, naked butt cheek at the link above. OUCH

Holy cow! And to think I whimpered after scratching myself on some blackberry vines while mowing the lawn this morning.
Like the tan line

Ouch^2. 33 stitches. But before getting those, he finished the race, collected his polka dot jersey and wept on the podium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJarentZE2g

I liked the red dresses of the podium girls (part 2), those are much nicer than the red pokadot raincoat inspired frocks.

[tulip]

All the cars were directed by the officials to let the Directeur Sportif of Europcar go to the front because Voeckler had requested his team car. This means pull over to the right and let the team car pass. The TV car ignored the directive and went ahead, causing the accident.

From OuestFrance.fr:

«Le véhicule incriminé avait reçu la consigne de la Direction de la course de ne pas passer et de laisser le directeur sportif de l'équipe Europcar apporter à Thomas Voeckler le bidon qu'il réclamait. Ne tenant aucun compte de cette injonction, le véhicule s'est engagé et a provoqué la chute de deux coureurs», a déclaré notamment la direction du Tour dans un communiqué, en qualifiant ce comportement d'«intolérable».

Elsewhere in the article, it says that all media cars have been doubly reminded that the safety of the riders is paramount. I imagine there will be some fallout tomorrow.

Also, Vino has been flown to Paris by helicopter for surgery tonight.