2013 TdF talk - spoilers allowed!!!

[Crankin]

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.

[mariacycle]

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.

[Aggie_Ama]

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.

[BikeDutchess]

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?

[e3rdpower]

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.


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.

[marni]

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.

[Eden]

......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.

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.

[ny biker]

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?

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.

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.