Tour De France 2019

guitars4you

No Mark Cavendish this year in Dimension Data - hardly a surprise after the last 2 years or so

Sad in that I don't think he will now get the record of stage wins - Nevertheless a great record - I dare say if it wasn't for the injury in Harrogate and the accident with Sagan, he'd have already beaten the record 

Anyway looking forward to this year 

crunchman

Not sure who will win yellow.  Thomas has a chance, but isn't nailed on, and is prone to crashing.  I'm not sure that Bernal won't end up as Sky's number 1.  With no Dumoulin, that's another obvious contender gone.  I wonder if one of the Yates brothers has a chance.

guitars4you

crunchman said:

Not sure who will win yellow.  Thomas has a chance, but isn't nailed on, and is prone to crashing.  I'm not sure that Bernal won't end up as Sky's number 1.  With no Dumoulin, that's another obvious contender gone.  I wonder if one of the Yates brothers has a chance.

agree it looks like it could be very open this year - Landa maybe or Fuglsang who has had a good year

Blaendulais

thomas nailed on to win!!!

guitars4you

many pundits all suggesting an open race this year - Fuglsang picked up an injury, so early days to know if this is just a scuff or more

littlegreenman

Pretty much a wide open field this year, and could go anywhere. Teunissen showed how taking any advantage can make for surprises. Stage 1 and Yellow all in one day, I doubt if Mike will quite realise quite what he's done for a while.

G's minor crash doesn't seem to be a problem, not sure if the same could be said for Fuglsang. I'm probably going with Bernal for the win come Paris, with G on the podium but I'll be happy to be proved wrong.

I do think Dimension Data will rue not taking Cav though. Doubt they'll get anything from this Tour.

littlegreenman

Anyone watching La Giro Rosa? Van Vleuten and Van Der Breggen losing big time gaps in the TTT yesterday.

AnnieMiek VV still my pick to retain the title. Kasia Niewiadoma can't be counted out though. And of course, Marianne Vos can and has won it all and could do so again.

I'd love to see Cecelie Uttrep Ludwig win it though, just to see her swear on the podium!

axisus

Disappointing that Froome is out, he is a great and possibly under appreciated rider. Thomas, how we all loved last year! I don't actually think he will have a second win in him, but it's what we all want, he's such a great guy. Shame for Cav but he is one of the tour greats certainly the greatest ever rider who wasn't an overall contender.

I remember those days in the early 80s when we got excited because Malcolm Elliott came 7th in a sprint finish, us Brits have certainly stamped our mark on the race since then. We have won 6 of the last 7 with three different riders!!!!

If not Thomas, I'd actually like to see a French winner. It has been so long for them (34 years I think), he would be an instant National hero for them.

SouthpawMark

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

TheBigDipper

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

As a non-sporting cyclist (commuting, bimbles in the countryside and the odd pop to the shops) I came to this thing a bit late and it needed some explanation about tactics from a friend who used to be an amateur road racer.

ITV4 and their highlights programme does a decent job of explaining what's going on. I found I could enjoy the race with their help as I learned a bit more about the subtleties of it all. Eurosport is an interesting alternative to ITV4 and a little more specialist rather than mainstream (IMHO). 

Sitting in front of the entire stage "live" for 5 hours is not for me, but I watch the highlights every night if I can. 

Intermediate sprints in the middle of stages for points (Green jersey), time trials, individual stage wins, General Classification for lowest overall time (Yellow jersey), GC for young riders (White jersey), King of the Mountains, crossing the finish of climbs in the middle of stages for points (Polka Dot jersey) are all competitions within the overall race. Watching how riders and teams set themselves up can be fascinating.

It's more than just a sprint to the line after 200km and 5 hours of riding on a flat road. 

SouthpawMark

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

As a non-sporting cyclist (commuting, bimbles in the countryside and the odd pop to the shops) I came to this thing a bit late and it needed some explanation about tactics from a friend who used to be an amateur road racer.

ITV4 and their highlights programme does a decent job of explaining what's going on. I found I could enjoy the race with their help as I learned a bit more about the subtleties of it all. Eurosport is an interesting alternative to ITV4 and a little more specialist rather than mainstream (IMHO). 

Sitting in front of the entire stage "live" for 5 hours is not for me, but I watch the highlights every night if I can. 

Intermediate sprints in the middle of stages for points (Green jersey), time trials, individual stage wins, General Classification for lowest overall time (Yellow jersey), GC for young riders (White jersey), King of the Mountains, crossing the finish of climbs in the middle of stages for points (Polka Dot jersey) are all competitions within the overall race. Watching how riders and teams set themselves up can be fascinating.

It's more than just a sprint to the line after 200km and 5 hours of riding on a flat road. 

So in short, I’m missing something! 

TheBigDipper

SouthpawMark said:

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

As a non-sporting cyclist (commuting, bimbles in the countryside and the odd pop to the shops) I came to this thing a bit late and it needed some explanation about tactics from a friend who used to be an amateur road racer.

ITV4 and their highlights programme does a decent job of explaining what's going on. I found I could enjoy the race with their help as I learned a bit more about the subtleties of it all. Eurosport is an interesting alternative to ITV4 and a little more specialist rather than mainstream (IMHO). 

Sitting in front of the entire stage "live" for 5 hours is not for me, but I watch the highlights every night if I can. 

Intermediate sprints in the middle of stages for points (Green jersey), time trials, individual stage wins, General Classification for lowest overall time (Yellow jersey), GC for young riders (White jersey), King of the Mountains, crossing the finish of climbs in the middle of stages for points (Polka Dot jersey) are all competitions within the overall race. Watching how riders and teams set themselves up can be fascinating.

It's more than just a sprint to the line after 200km and 5 hours of riding on a flat road. 

So in short, I’m missing something! 

Too verbose on a Sunday morning? Sorry! 

You might be missing something. Or you might not care, even if you get some extra understanding.

My F1-loving friends feel that way about me - I'd rather watch MotoGP than try and understand the tactics behind F1.

bobblehat

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

As a non-sporting cyclist (commuting, bimbles in the countryside and the odd pop to the shops) I came to this thing a bit late and it needed some explanation about tactics from a friend who used to be an amateur road racer.

ITV4 and their highlights programme does a decent job of explaining what's going on. I found I could enjoy the race with their help as I learned a bit more about the subtleties of it all. Eurosport is an interesting alternative to ITV4 and a little more specialist rather than mainstream (IMHO). 

Sitting in front of the entire stage "live" for 5 hours is not for me, but I watch the highlights every night if I can. 

Intermediate sprints in the middle of stages for points (Green jersey), time trials, individual stage wins, General Classification for lowest overall time (Yellow jersey), GC for young riders (White jersey), King of the Mountains, crossing the finish of climbs in the middle of stages for points (Polka Dot jersey) are all competitions within the overall race. Watching how riders and teams set themselves up can be fascinating.

It's more than just a sprint to the line after 200km and 5 hours of riding on a flat road. 

So in short, I’m missing something! 

Too verbose on a Sunday morning? Sorry! 

You might be missing something. Or you might not care, even if you get some extra understanding.

My F1-loving friends feel that way about me - I'd rather watch MotoGP than try and understand the tactics behind F1.

I think the comparison with F1 is spot on. To the casual viewer it can seem extremely dull but a little knowledge of the sport goes along way to improve your experience. eg. tactics,tyre choices etc. Same goes for other sports such as cricket ,American football etc. 
With regards to Cycling Im a big fan but couldnt sit and watch it live for 5 hours. 1 hour Highlights is plenty. I also think ITV4 do a really good job for fans and non fans alike.

crunchman

bobblehat said:

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

TheBigDipper said:

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

As a non-sporting cyclist (commuting, bimbles in the countryside and the odd pop to the shops) I came to this thing a bit late and it needed some explanation about tactics from a friend who used to be an amateur road racer.

ITV4 and their highlights programme does a decent job of explaining what's going on. I found I could enjoy the race with their help as I learned a bit more about the subtleties of it all. Eurosport is an interesting alternative to ITV4 and a little more specialist rather than mainstream (IMHO). 

Sitting in front of the entire stage "live" for 5 hours is not for me, but I watch the highlights every night if I can. 

Intermediate sprints in the middle of stages for points (Green jersey), time trials, individual stage wins, General Classification for lowest overall time (Yellow jersey), GC for young riders (White jersey), King of the Mountains, crossing the finish of climbs in the middle of stages for points (Polka Dot jersey) are all competitions within the overall race. Watching how riders and teams set themselves up can be fascinating.

It's more than just a sprint to the line after 200km and 5 hours of riding on a flat road. 

So in short, I’m missing something! 

Too verbose on a Sunday morning? Sorry! 

You might be missing something. Or you might not care, even if you get some extra understanding.

My F1-loving friends feel that way about me - I'd rather watch MotoGP than try and understand the tactics behind F1.

I think the comparison with F1 is spot on. To the casual viewer it can seem extremely dull but a little knowledge of the sport goes along way to improve your experience. eg. tactics,tyre choices etc. Same goes for other sports such as cricket ,American football etc. 
With regards to Cycling Im a big fan but couldnt sit and watch it live for 5 hours. 1 hour Highlights is plenty. I also think ITV4 do a really good job for fans and non fans alike.

I wouldn't sit and watch the flat stages for 5 hours, but if they have one of the big mountain stages on at a weekend, I'll happily sit and watch the last 2 or 3 hours of that.  The only problem these days is that Eurosport and ITV4 seem to be co-ordinating their ad breaks, so you can't flick between them to watch it uninterrupted.

BigLicks67

SouthpawMark said:

Do any of you chaps watch it on tv? I’ve got some friends who are addicted to it, but I have to admit that I find it the most boring viewing ever... at least until the last 500 metres when there might be a sprint. 5 hours coverage, with excitement for about 30 seconds. 

Am I missing something? 

Watch the highlights package on ITV4 you get the basic action and the interviews before and after the stage. Some of the long stages can be interminable, but you need to develop an appreciation for the tactics to enjoy the sport. I don't think it is like F1 at all, which is indeed the most boring thing in the universe.

duotone

https://youtu.be/pxGSnpjUwFo

guitars4you

Exciting end to stage 3 - Certainly last 30K or so - Stage 4 today looks like it will be more of a traditional bunch finish for the sprinters

littlegreenman

Very impressive win from Sagan today, clearly meant a lot to him. Haven't seen the Hulk celebration for a while. Shame for Eddy "the Boss" Boasson-Hagen to have a mechanical when he did, could have been in with a chance otherwise?

Kebabkid

I hope the winner doesn't do a lap of honour!

thermionic

Looking forward to tomorrow, a big day in the mountains.

littlegreenman

thermionic said:

Looking forward to tomorrow, a big day in the mountains.

Big day indeed. G showing he's up for it right up there on a totally crazy stage. 24% on gravel is utter madness. Closing in on the end of week one it's still wide open but a good first week for Ineos and the bloke from Cardiff.

In other Giro Rosa news, Annemiek Van Vleuten is still beasting the competition at over 4 minutes up with 3 days to go. Marianne Vos getting win number 3 today though, she's still got it in spades.