Le Tour 2017

I was very reticent to starting a thread on the world's greatest bike race. But since nobody else has... I'll pick up the heavy load!!

We started in Germany and we road through Belgium back to France. Lots of tactics and a few crashes in the rain. Froome in yellow. Tylor (Taylor??) giving hippie updates on the day to day racing (funnier than hell).

Today was the first real mountain stage. And wow... it didn't disappoint!!

Three HC climbs, a breakaway, crashes taking out some top contenders, and the Yellow Jersey leads the way to the finish...

What's not to love??!!

Anybody else finally back into Le Tour de France after the doping scandals??

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
I've been watching for years, especially since the disapeearance of Lance Armstrong relieved the monotony (and since I got access to Eurosport).
The complications of team tactics make life very interesting.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

i will be watching tour de pharmacy tonight.
does that count?

originally posted by: TinySickTears
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

i will be watching tour de pharmacy tonight.
does that count?

No it won't count toward enjoying the scenery of the race lanscape, but it will expose how lucrative competitions to win at all costs makes cheating desirable for the cheaters. There should be consequences for their actions but to climb a 6 mile long Mtn with a 10% grade is a feat of human strength with our without PED's.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Sure! I'm not a purist by any means! I walked away for a couple years just because of all the doping going on.

The best way to actually get the best experience is to watch the "live" coverage as it happens. Then you see all the tactics and hard racing as they happen. Then it is accumulating that knowledge on a day to day basis. It is a commitment of time but you get a better overall understanding of the sport.

Watching just the highlight show is soooo American! "Just tell me who won" mentality! JK. I'm saying that because I wake up at 3 am to watch the mountain stages (eat breakfast, have some coffee, then a beer... lol, all from the couch without pants on!! Which is the epitome of lazy American, hehe), but you know, as long as you like it because you like it, I'm no authority, just a fan.

Glad there was a rest day! Now I can set up my DVR to get the stages I'm interested in (some days, I watch the highlight show as well).

Two more weeks to go! You have plenty of time to watch. On the weekend, they show it on MSM station which does a weekly recap show showing highlights of the race day-by-day which is how I started getting into TDF!

a reply to: DISRAELI

Especially when somebody like Geraint Thomas on Sky crashes out! Froome's right hand man.

Wonder how Team Sky will respond?

Still have the Pyrénées and the Alps to go. That is going to be rough without Thomas.

This is why I watch!

Missed yesterday and today's stage (at work).

Kittle took the lead yesterday (think Froome was OK with that. The mountains showing back up in a couple days and all).

But what was the reckless attack at the end?! Singling out a rider and trying to knock them over is total BS! And they gave him a fine! Kick out Sagan but this guy, twice, targets another rider... GAH! Kick his @ss out too!!

Looks like Kittle won today's stage. I will probably watch the highlight show since CONCAF is on tonight as well.

I'm waiting for the roads to kick up again!

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
Kittle took the lead yesterday (think Froome was OK with that.

Froome is still the overall race leader in the yellow jersey. Kittel won the stage, and is also the current leader in the points competition (the green jersey).

a reply to: DISRAELI

Thanks! I stand corrected!

It was rather late and I haven't read the Beebs yet so am a little lost! Thanks for putting me back on track!

Final got my race card all sorted out!

Also caught up on the race as we are now in the Pyrenees. Yesterday, Team Sky lead Froome up the climbs and the last b1tch of a ramp tore apart the race! Froome out of yellow. Polka Dot jersey is almost a lock.

Today, July 14, is Bastille Day! Joyeux la Fête Nationale!!

Three Category 1 climbs in a row. They showed the race from the start! I made it to the bottom of the last climb before having to get ready for work. A very fast race day! Looked like Aru was isolated with no other Astana riders around for support. Team Sky was playing tactics and...

...I had to go take a shower!

Oh well. Hit 'record' on the DVR and will watch the last climb from Masa till the finish with an extra 30 minutes of commercials!! It really was a fast race day!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
OK, I won't spoil the result. Just keep clear of the Bastille Day thread in the meantime.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Gotcha!



I'm also staying away from BBC and anything else to do with sports until later. Good thing I have a bunch of clean up and training materials to slog through today... should kill the last half of the day.

a reply to: DISRAELI

The Bastille Day race was damn interesting!!

Contador messed up. He should have had it but Viva le France!!

Lots of racing downhill. Good stuff!

Team Astana is not up to the task of keeping the Mahon Journ. You can see that the last couple stages.

The next stage Froome got it back. The interview was telling, "Why wasn't Aru with the leaders?" "You're going to ask him that..." What a BS answer!!

Think team Sky will get it done!

Good gracious!

I have the entire race stages from the last two days to watch!! WAY behind.

All is well! It will give me something to do and keep me out of trouble!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
You haven't seen the Alps yet? A lot of hard work being done. Prepare for sympathetic exhaustion. Two very courageous stage winners.

a reply to: DISRAELI

I have missed them!

For me, the race is on at ~3am or 4am to about 8 am. Which is usually when I am sleeping then getting ready for, or going to, work (during the week). So I have the stages on DVR.

Too much beer and pizza the other day to watch the long stage! I made it about an hour in before calling it day!

I'm such a loser!! lol.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Watched up to Kittle's wreck on the big stage. Bummer!

And saw the last climb the next day as it happened. Watched the last 15 or so time trial runners yesterday live.

Just watched the final stage.

I have three great stages on dvr to watch!!

This has been a great Tour! Very dramatic and intense. Lots of racing and strategy going on. Too many taken out by crashes. Great mountain stages!! What a feat to pedal around France!

New teams to watch. Contador probably his last. Others as well. This has been a great race to follow!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
The final verdict is that all the winners of jerseys earned them, though fortune played its part along the way.

a reply to: DISRAELI

It is strange to watch Stage 17 & 18 after you know the outcome!

I've always loved the Alp stages so I will hang onto those for a bit anyway. It makes the boring spaces between what I want to watch and what is actually on tolerable. "Hey nothing on for an hour... back to Stage 17 and HC climbs!"

Hats off to all the riders that made the journey around France! It is a very impressive to finish Le Tour. Nice to see a new team like Sun Web pop up and become a presence. A Frenchman winning on Bastille Day was a nice finishing touch. Sagan being tossed, the crashes in the rain and on the mountain slopes, the breakaways, the time trial at the end...

Definitely not a boring Tour this year!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
It was also good that the idiot spectators in the mountains (e.g. the runners alongside) were comparatively restrained this year.