Tour de France 2009

Anyone a cycling fan?

Looks like it could be interesting with no clear favorite going in and ending with a mountain instead of a TT.
Of course Astana is stacked with quality stage racers but that in itself may prove to be their undoing if their professionalism doesn't allow them to keep their egos in check ( also not many big bodies to pull on the flats).

I really like the way that Andy Schleck and Sastre aren't afraid of attacking but of course that is more by necessity than anything.Still hope they both do well.

Contador certainly seems on form and rode one hell of a ITT ( Cancellara is unwordly.To take that kind of time on the descent when everyone is going so fast was ,if not unexpected , still unbelievable)

For now though it's just sit back and see if anyone has the legs to challenge Cavendish.

Oops almost forgot some guy named Armstrong is back too.
Hope he doesn't embarrass himself.

I'm creating a dupe account just so I can talk to myself about this.:dry:

Armstrong is back?! Well, then i have to watch it, maybe a little lol

Thanks for humouring me.:happy:

Btw Armstrong is a dick.True story.

hahaha, didnt expect that coming :lol:

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

I'm creating a dupe account just so I can talk to myself about this.:dry:

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:lol:

I'm not too much into cycling, but I watched two days of the event when I was away visiting some relatives earlier this week.

I had no idea who's good and who's not, but the landscapes were beautiful.

Also it's very relaxing watching others work when you do nothing yourself. :whistling

Not really a cycling fan, but I know how much effort goes into training and then participating in such races. Props to these people.

PS: go Lance!!

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Originally Posted by Zip

I had no idea who's good and who's not, but the landscapes were beautiful.

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Some of nicest scenery that you will see any place and the poor riders ( and the support crews ) because of the constant concentration required barely get to see hardly any of it.

Speaking from somewhat similar experience, if there is a scantily- clad , exceptionally good looking woman at the roadside it has to be really life an death before anyone misses that though.:lol:

Btw it's the third biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the World Cup .And by far the biggest free one.
True story.:yup:

Also of interest all the guys on motorcycles are champions at that sport .
It has to be that way because of the physics involved. Even an average descender could easily ride away from just about any motorized vehicle in the world.
You would be amazed the skill that is required to keep up with a pro cyclist on a descent.

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

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Originally Posted by Zip

I had no idea who's good and who's not, but the landscapes were beautiful.

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Some of nicest scenery that you will see any place and the poor riders ( and the support crews ) because of the constant concentration required barely get to see hardly any of it.

Speaking from somewhat similar experience, if there is a scantily- clad , exceptionally good looking woman at the roadside it has to be really life an death before anyone misses that though.:lol:

Btw it's the third biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the World Cup .And by far the biggest free one.
True story.:yup:

Also of interest all the guys on motorcycles are champions at that sport .
It has to be that way because of the physics involved. Even an average descender could easily ride away from just about any motorized vehicle in the world.
You would be amazed the skill that is required to keep up with a pro cyclist on a descent.

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Having done some cycling (not for many, many years, though) I will concur...on the rare occasion I'd find some decent hills, I always wished I had some absurdly high ratios to push, even considering how easily things can go horribly bad.

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

Fucking cop with nothing better to do.

Anyway...why the animus for old Lance?

It seems you want to be asked.

I find it unfortunate the doping question cannot currently be definitively answered, given the advances in the art of obfuscation.

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Anyway...why the animus for old Lance?

It seems you want to be asked.

I find it unfortunate the doping question cannot currently be definitively answered, given the advances in the art of obfuscation.

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Mostly deserting the wife and kids thing.No doubt she expected him to be more present than his commitments allowed but still I thought that his quick rebound into Sheryl Crowe's arms was a bit in bad taste.
To add the icing to the cake he then up and deserts Crowe while she is battling breast cancer.

Of course he's also got an ego the size of Texas but that is only a minor annoyance because really it's basically a prerequisite for success at the highest levels of athletics.( Rare is the person who doesn't believe that they are destined to win who is actually capable of it).

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Having done some cycling (not for many, many years, though) I will concur...on the rare occasion I'd find some decent hills, I always wished I had some absurdly high ratios to push, even considering how easily things can go horribly bad.

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

Fucking cop with nothing better to do.

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Pro or no pro 65 mph on a bike is pretty fast in anyone's book.
Not to many hills long,steep and straight enough to get up that kind of speed. and just a couple of centimetres of rubber between you and oblivion.
Nice.

The way that I view you just forever changed.:O

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

Mostly deserting the wife and kids thing.No doubt she expected him to be more present than his commitments allowed but still I thought that his quick rebound into Sheryl Crowe's arms was a bit in bad taste.
To add the icing to the cake he then up and deserts Crowe while she is battling breast cancer.

Of course he's also got an ego the size of Texas but that is only a minor annoyance because really it's basically a prerequisite for success at the highest levels of athletics.( Rare is the person who doesn't believe that they are destined to win who is actually capable of it).

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All true; I found his treatment of wife #1 especially galling, but, from the standpoint of pure athletic achievement, I think his TdF run stands more-or-less alone, with Mr.Phelps' Olympic exploits a lagging second...yes, yes, I know there are other astounding feats, but.

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Having done some cycling (not for many, many years, though) I will concur...on the rare occasion I'd find some decent hills, I always wished I had some absurdly high ratios to push, even considering how easily things can go horribly bad.

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

Fucking cop with nothing better to do.

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

Pro or no pro 65 mph on a bike is pretty fast in anyone's book.
Not to many hills long,steep and straight enough to get up that kind of speed. and just a couple of centimetres of rubber between you and oblivion.
Nice.

The way that I view you just forever changed.:O

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Thanks for that, but I never regarded it as exceptional, apart from the fact I was ticketed.

It wasn't even a large hill, just a lowering grade that fed an extreme urge to pull a big gear and give the legs a workout.

The cop pulled me over well down the flat, probably because it was the edge of a semi-residential area.

As far as big hills, they were for finding out how fast you could get your legs moving, because continued acceleration was the best way to maintain control.

Having a machinist buddy with an indexing head helped; someone had to make those big pizza-drive sprockets for me.

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Originally Posted by j2k4

I think his TdF run stands more-or-less alone, with Mr.Phelps' Olympic exploits a lagging second...yes, yes, I know there are other astounding feats, but.

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Given everything working against him - his retirement time off, the lack of proper preparation due to the fractured collarbone he suffered in Spain's Vuelta Castilla y Leon and of course his age - if Armstrong somehow manages to win this years Tour , I think that ( besides being his most fulfilling ) it may well be the greatest feat of athleticism ever.

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Having done some cycling (not for many, many years, though) I will concur...on the rare occasion I'd find some decent hills, I always wished I had some absurdly high ratios to push, even considering how easily things can go horribly bad.

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

Fucking cop with nothing better to do.

It wasn't even a large hill, just a lowering grade that fed an extreme urge to pull a big gear and give the legs a workout.

The cop pulled me over well down the flat, probably because it was the edge of a semi-residential area.

As far as big hills, they were for finding out how fast you could get your legs moving, because continued acceleration was the best way to maintain control.

Having a machinist buddy with an indexing head helped; someone had to make those big pizza-drive sprockets for me.

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I used to do the opposite Once upon a time fixed gear training ( for anyone not aware that means you can't freewheel .Your legs are forced to turn with the wheel like a track bike setup) in the preseason was considered the thing to do. Used to put on a 39 x 17 and go down hills to maximize leg speed and increase suppleness .
Used to max out around 180 rpm .Had a friend though who could do over 220 .He used to be able to go down 20% grades like that.:ohmy:

Another interesting and exceedingly stupid way to die if your legs happen to seize up.No unclipping. No jumping your back wheel to shave off speed at those speeds and on those kind of grades.

Those were the days though.I'd give everything I own if I could have that naive feeling of invincibility again.

Just like to add that I think I've gotten more pleasure from your post in this thread j2k4 than probably anything else that I've read on this site.
I guess when something was once literally your whole life you never entirely let it go.

Gee, thanks.

Would that I had kept up with it...I used to ride a minimum of 60 miles a day in summer, and often over 150, just 'cuz I liked it.

The biggest expense in my life at the time was tubes and tires, and about the only other thing I did was kayaking and canoeing.

Oh, and drinking, I did some drinking, too.

I bought a dirt bike and it wasn't fast enough, so I sent the engine to FMF (the Flying Machine Factory), and when they sent it back, the bike was too fast, and I wrecked both knees during an awkward get-off.

That was more-or-less the end of the cycling thing (I was dejected, as this ended my athletic aspirations), which was unfortunate, because it probably would have been the best rehab I could do.

I bought a new 24-speed all-purpose bike last year, but I'm having difficulty finding the time (and the mental groove) to ride again.

I'm dropping some serious weight at the moment, so time will tell, I guess.

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

Those were the days though.I'd give everything I own if I could have that naive feeling of invincibility again.

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Btw, you said a mouthful there.

Makes me want to cry.

Not to get off-side, but what do you think the typical fan's impression is of all the effort devoted to dirtying him (Lance) up during his absence.

Judging by what I've read little to no impression .To the everyman his worth transcends the sport .
The title of his best selling autobiography It's Not About the Bike make that abundantly clear and also shows that Armstrong himself is not blind to the fact .
People think of L.A. as a symbol of victory over cancer ( in general not just restricted to his own case) first and an person/athlete second if at all.Whatever else he does cannot tarnish that.

True cycling fans on the other hand realize what has gone on ( and despite best efforts continues to go on) and while not happy will the situation considering the widespread abuse still view it as being a fairly level playing field.
So to the tifosi whatever.

And of course to Americans all things are irrelevant against the fact that a Yank was able to show up the Europeans at their own sport.

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

And of course to Americans all things are irrelevant against the fact that another Yank was able to show up the Europeans at their own sport.

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/fixed, though I do not know anyone who thinks that, actually...I mean, ffs, after all, it's just bicycling, right?

Most everyone who has been on a bike has some degree of familiarity with burning quads.

If Americans think anything at all about Lance vis a vis the Tour de France, it's more along the lines of, "seven Tours in a row, when, really, he should have been dead".

The fascination with his story (I think) is this above all else.

Although...I wonder at whether his story might have even been possible had he lived anywhere else.

I think they are all doped. It was a lot of fun watching le tour a few years ago, but now not anymore. I always wonder when they will get the next guy. :/

There was actually a lot more doping going on years ago , there just wasn't a crackdown on it.

The first death attributed to EPO was back in 1960 btw so I think the case was more ignorance was bliss.

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

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That's something new to me. I didn't know speedlimits applied for bikes too. :blink:

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Originally Posted by Zip

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Got me a speeding ticket on a bicycle once - 65mph in a 35mph zone.

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That's something new to me. I didn't know speedlimits applied for bikes too. :blink:

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Believe me, I was willing to argue it, and I did - right into court, where a black-robed fellow (a school-chum of my mother's) added the cost of adjudicating the matter to my penalty, which totalled, as I recall, $135.

Whatta prick.

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Originally Posted by SeedOrDie

I think they are all doped. It was a lot of fun watching le tour a few years ago, but now not anymore. I always wonder when they will get the next guy. :/

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Well cycling has the best and most anti doping checks in sports. My opinion is that in all big sports dope is an issue, just in cycling they're really fighting it.
The operation Puerto there were over 100 bags of blood found. The cyclists were all hunted down and suspended. All other sports didn't.
'On 5 July 2006, Fuentes was indignant that only cyclists had been named and said he also worked with tennis and football players' (source wikipedia)
The top athletes 100m are plenty of doped ones, somehow it all shines down on cyclists ;)

Back on topic, i'm really a cyclist fan (As of a lot of other sports). But the Tour is something special. I tend to play in a lot of poules, sort of gamblin :P You make a selection of 10 riders wich will do great and then count the places were the end in the stages. It's really funny but after playing this with friends over the last 15 years we are pretty hardcore. I have my own database with the results of all riders over the past years, and as an addition what kind of course it was (climbing/sprint etc.) for this year my team Cavendish, Hushovd, Freire, Contador, Kloden, A Schleck, Cancelara, Wiggins, Nibaldi, Pelizotti. Seeing my own list i still don't understand i'm not at the 1st place in the poule :dry: Someone has pretty much the same list but instead of Freire, Farrar and for Schleck playing Armstrong....

Btw my hat of for the results so far for Armstrong, didn't expect him to do so well :)

Oh did some cycling myself too. Once drove a course for fun with friends in the Vosgues de col de la slucht. Biggest mountain i ever climbed on a bike. It was pretty hard climb, and then seeing it in this years tour it's only a 2nd category mountain :pinch: My admiration for these guys is growing with the day....