Tour de France 2011 talk

[pll]

I read that Vino's surgery was successful.

Small chuckle about the commentary (don't recall which one said this) - something like "There was a small gap in the trees and off they went!"

Yup - every time I see a gap in trees, I have this urge to just ride right through them. Which is why I live in the desert. With friggin cactus & scrub brush.

That was funny. It was Phil Ligget. On a more serious note, Vande Velde and Contador seemed to agree (separate interviews) that the curve was the issue. Contador said it was not well marked and the road was narrow. Vande Velde said that curve seemed to have no end. This must have been when they saw the alluring gap in the trees...

Regarding the car incident, Luis León Sánchez, the stage winner, said the riders had been grazed by several cars before during the race. A little trivia I read yesterday: Pedro León, a winger in Real Madrid, is LL Sánchez's young brother. "León" was the first name of an older brother they both honor by pointing at the sky.

And Hoogerland was riding this morning: http://twitpic.com/5oipd1
I hope he does well tomorrow.

[rubysoho]

the riders had been grazed by several cars before during the race.

Why is this not unacceptable??? The cars made me nervous even before a rider was hit.

[pll]

Why is this not unacceptable??? The cars made me nervous even before a rider was hit.

I think it is unacceptable, just in case. The first time a rider was grazed by a car or motorcycle, something should have been done. It was very fortunate that Flecha and Hoogerland riders are alive. And the ASO sanction of "excluding the car" (as if the car was to blame... who is the driver, why was that car there?) is ridiculous. On days that the race goes through such narrow roads, there should be no VIP cars whatsoever, and a skeleton, minimal, media crew.

[blue_angel]

I think it is unacceptable, just in case. The first time a rider was grazed by a car or motorcycle, something should have been done. It was very fortunate that Flecha and Hoogerland riders are alive. And the ASO sanction of "excluding the car" (as if the car was to blame... who is the driver, why was that car there?) is ridiculous. On days that the race goes through such narrow roads, there should be no VIP cars whatsoever, and a skeleton, minimal, media crew.

Why don't they use more helmet cams?

[pll]

Why don't they use more helmet cams?

I have no idea. I was thinking of that, too. The cameras they use are sending signals to a satellite, so I assume there is some equipment constraint. However, I'm sure they could rig a camera on a motorcycle that could be controlled remotely, from a truck or office, so they can pan around, and zoom. I suspect that would cause some delays (signals traveling back and forth) relative to someone manually panning or zooming. I can bet, though, that the camera folks would be opposed to a remote solution -- I'm sure it can be fun to spend your working day in the middle of the tour, as opposed to a desk.