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Tour de France 2013
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Author:  myp [ Wed Jul 18, 2012 16:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Never in doubt - go Wiggo!

Author:  Curiosity [ Wed Jul 18, 2012 17:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Wiggo did well to reel in Nibbles, by all accounts. For all the talk of Froome holding back on this TdF, there's no saying if he'd have been able to make a break stick over Wiggins, and Brad is definitely the better time trialler. I think we should just be happy that we've got a 1-2 for GB!

Author:  MaliA [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Right, here's hoping for something extra-ordinary in the GC today. Hopefully, there'll be some form of pact between Evans and Nibaldi and TeeJay to attack, attack attack, and let Nibbles go for it. i want to see Froome in full uphilll mode. I hope Cavendish gets over the mountains.

I was reminded the other day of Mario Cipollini whose attitude towards the mountainous bits was "fuck this, I'm going to the beach" and his brilliant apparel, and I'm pleased that Cavendish is going up the hills as best he can.


I liked Voeckler's sitting up on the saddle, arms outstretched poses yesterday. I was doing that on Sunday. And, apparently, I was also climbing with my tongue out. So, it clearly isn't an odd thing to do, despite what others say.

Author:  Curiosity [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Big day today in TdF.

Also start of The Open and the Test!

I should have taken the day off!

Author:  Curiosity [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 16:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Gwan Wiggo!

Author:  Zardoz [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 17:03 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

MaliA wrote:
However, we won't know the route until January, so it's all conjecture.

It's not always the same route?!

Author:  Trooper [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 17:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Zardoz wrote:
MaliA wrote:
However, we won't know the route until January, so it's all conjecture.

It's not always the same route?!




Ooooh no, it's been to the UK in the past :)

Author:  Zardoz [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 17:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

WTF

Author:  MaliA [ Thu Jul 19, 2012 18:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Trooper wrote:
Zardoz wrote:
MaliA wrote:
However, we won't know the route until January, so it's all conjecture.

It's not always the same route?!




Ooooh no, it's been to the UK in the past :)


I saw it in London. It was one of the most awesome days ever.

Author:  KovacsC [ Sat Jul 21, 2012 16:40 ]
Post subject:  Tour de France 2012

Just watched the time trial. How fast is Wiggins.

Author:  Wullie [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 15:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOur8qXvpnk

Author:  Cras [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 15:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

KovacsC wrote:
Just watched the time trial. How fast is Wiggins.


You should be able to tell us, you just watched the time trial.

Author:  KovacsC [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 15:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Craster wrote:
KovacsC wrote:
Just watched the time trial. How fast is Wiggins.


You should be able to tell us, you just watched the time trial.


:DD

Author:  Plissken [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 16:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Perfect ending!

Author:  KovacsC [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 17:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

That was brilliant. First time I have watched the TDF

Author:  ApplePieOfDestiny [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 17:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Didnt you watch it yesterday?

Author:  Curiosity [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 18:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.

Author:  Mr Dave [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 18:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.

Worse than Eddie The Eagle.
Better than David Beckham.

Author:  KovacsC [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 18:57 ]
Post subject:  Tour de France 2012

ApplePieOfDestiny wrote:
Didnt you watch it yesterday?

yes yesterday was the first time I watched it.

Author:  Plissken [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 20:58 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.

One thing that did occur to me was this was heavily funded over the last twenty years or so by Lottery money and grants. When you compare the state of cycling now and then, compared to the FA which has had much, much more private money poured into it over the same timescale, it shows just how bad a job the football authorities have done.

Author:  ApplePieOfDestiny [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 21:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Plissken wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.

One thing that did occur to me was this was heavily funded over the last twenty years or so by Lottery money and grants. When you compare the state of cycling now and then, compared to the FA which has had much, much more private money poured into it over the same timescale, it shows just how bad a job the football authorities have done.

I assume that funding will drop off with Sky sponsorship and success generating more commercial returns. What then needs to happen is that the cycling funding is redirected to another deserving sport with similar ambitions.

Author:  Curiosity [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 21:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

ApplePieOfDestiny wrote:
Plissken wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.

One thing that did occur to me was this was heavily funded over the last twenty years or so by Lottery money and grants. When you compare the state of cycling now and then, compared to the FA which has had much, much more private money poured into it over the same timescale, it shows just how bad a job the football authorities have done.

I assume that funding will drop off with Sky sponsorship and success generating more commercial returns. What then needs to happen is that the cycling funding is redirected to another deserving sport with similar ambitions.


Finally Ultimate Frisbee will get the respect and funding it deserves!

Author:  Plissken [ Sun Jul 22, 2012 23:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Wiggins during Lesley Garrett massacring of the National Anthem.

Image

Author:  Warhead [ Mon Jul 23, 2012 0:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Plissken wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.


Eh?

Author:  Pundabaya [ Mon Jul 23, 2012 0:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Plissken wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.

One thing that did occur to me was this was heavily funded over the last twenty years or so by Lottery money and grants. When you compare the state of cycling now and then, compared to the FA which has had much, much more private money poured into it over the same timescale, it shows just how bad a job the football authorities have done.


Ironically, most of the current grant money's been wasted on the Mcdonalds-Coca-Colympics, so...

Author:  Zardoz [ Mon Jul 23, 2012 9:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Plissken wrote:
Perfect ending!

Yeah, I loved it when his bike lifted off the ground with Gaywood in the basket heading towards the Mothership.

Author:  ApplePieOfDestiny [ Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Plissken wrote:
Wiggins during Lesley Garrett massacring of the National Anthem.


I can't believe it was considered a better idea to fly that screeching harpie in than to play a fucking CD. This is the French resenting and punishing us.

Author:  Plissken [ Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Warhead wrote:
Plissken wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Where does this sit in terms of sporting achievements in British history?

Gotta be pretty near the top, with Wiggo one of our best sportsmen ever when you add in his Olympic golds etc.


Very high up there, especially as there is no real tradition of the sport in this country.


Eh?


Badly phrased. We've got a history of it, but then we've got a history of ice hockey since the 1920s as well. It happened, but we didn't do much with it and what we did have was one-offs. We have no real tradition of road racing. Tom Simpson in the Sixties, Robert Millar. In the 90s Chris Boardman and Max Sciandri. Wasn't it as recent as 2005 where there were no British riders in the Tour at all?

I was reading something about some rule that stopped road racing in the UK for a while, so we've always been good at track cycling and time trials because they were only things allowed.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... arges.html

I'm gutted beyond belief about this. Gutted for Armstrong if he's innocent, and gutted for cycling (and sport in general) if he's guilty.

:(

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

A less sympathetic view:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... ed-cycling

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

I'm really torn now. Part of me hopes it isn't true, and it is all a big misunderstanding. The other half is very angry. Again. I feel cheated upon.

However, I did like the tale of him calling up Millar's sister and saying "What the fuck is he doing?" after they ran into each other in monaco and millar was trollied.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:27 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

I can't decide. If he's innocent he should fight it until the end - why give up? But he's never failed a drugs test - it's all based on circumstantial evidence from erstwhile teammates who may or may not bear grudges.

Author:  KovacsC [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Did he fail any tests?

Author:  Curiosity [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

KovacsC wrote:
Did he fail any tests?


Apparently not at the time, but part of the allegations are that he DID test positive, but that the Lance Armstrong Show was big enough to hush it all up.

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

The last paragraph in the grauniad piece sums it up:

Quote:
The moral of the story is that if a cyclist looks too good to be true, then he probably is. But if a cyclist looks too good to be true and has an entourage of lawyers, press flaks, doctors and bodyguards, then he definitely is.


I was listening to this story on R4 this morning. Which is worth a listen again.

Author:  Cras [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

As reluctant as I am to make assumptions, by doing this he's effectively just walked away from his entire lifetime's accomplishments, so that rather suggests he knew he'd be convicted.

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Fuck you, cycling. Again.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Craster wrote:
As reluctant as I am to make assumptions, by doing this he's effectively just walked away from his entire lifetime's accomplishments, so that rather suggests he knew he'd be convicted.

Yes, it looks that way. However, his statement says that it's taken too much of a toll on his family and other pursuits away from cycling (cancer charity etc), so we will never really know the truth, I expect.

Plus he doesn't believe he'd get a fair trial, in any case.

http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/l ... st-23-2012

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Livestrong has been a for-profit company, not a charity for a while, if my recollections are correct.

Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Craster wrote:
As reluctant as I am to make assumptions, by doing this he's effectively just walked away from his entire lifetime's accomplishments, so that rather suggests he knew he'd be convicted.

Yeah. The Guardian took the line that you have to be a master strategist to win the Tour de France, doped or no; this "I'm walking away from the legal hassles for my family's sake" is exactly what a master strategist who knew he was about the get caught would do to save whatever he could of his professional reputation. Obviously none of us know, but to my mind Occam's Razor says he's a cheat (as were, it seems, practically all of them).

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Craster wrote:
As reluctant as I am to make assumptions, by doing this he's effectively just walked away from his entire lifetime's accomplishments, so that rather suggests he knew he'd be convicted.

Yeah. The Guardian took the line that you have to be a master strategist to win the Tour de France, doped or no; this "I'm walking away from the legal hassles for my family's sake" is exactly what a master strategist who knew he was about the get caught would do to save whatever he could of his professional reputation. Obviously none of us know, but to my mind Occam's Razor says he's a cheat (as were, it seems, practically all of them).


Some weren't/aren't. I hope. I really, really, hope.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
but to my mind Occam's Razor says he's a cheat (as were, it seems, practically all of them).

You're probably right. How could someone clean dominate the sport when practically everyone else around them was doping?

It's sad, because his ascent from cancer survivor to sport superstar was an amazing story. I'd give my left bollock just to win the Tour even once.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Anyway, time to look forward; cycling is cleaner now, and if someone who is so anti-doping as Wiggins can win it, most of the field must now be clean.

I hope.

Author:  markg [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

The Last Salmon Man wrote:
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
but to my mind Occam's Razor says he's a cheat (as were, it seems, practically all of them).

You're probably right. How could someone clean dominate the sport when practically everyone else around them was doping?

It's sad, because his ascent from cancer survivor to sport superstar was an amazing story. I'd give my left bollock just to win the Tour even once.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't easy, even with drugs. And anyway if others around him were at it then his achievement still stands really.

Author:  myp [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:59 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

MaliA wrote:
Livestrong has been a for-profit company, not a charity for a while, if my recollections are correct.

Quote:
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support for people affected by cancer, founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong_Foundation

Author:  Cras [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

markg wrote:
I'm pretty sure it wasn't easy, even with drugs. And anyway if others around him were at it then his achievement still stands really.


Oh, I don't deny that he's still an amazing athlete. But the 'cycling star, hero, survivor' gleam he had on him is now irrevocably tarnished.

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

And a bit of a cunt.

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

The Last Salmon Man wrote:
MaliA wrote:
Livestrong has been a for-profit company, not a charity for a while, if my recollections are correct.

Quote:
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support for people affected by cancer, founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong_Foundation


There was something with demandmedia to do with it, which has probably thrown me down the wrong trail.

Author:  MaliA [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:15 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Somebody mentioned the fastest times up Alpe d'Huez.

It's an interesting list....

Author:  KovacsC [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: Tour de France 2012

Curiosity wrote:
KovacsC wrote:
Did he fail any tests?


Apparently not at the time, but part of the allegations are that he DID test positive, but that the Lance Armstrong Show was big enough to hush it all up.



How can one person for the drugs testers to not report it...

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