In completely coincidental and unrelated news, I may have just authorised a fancy new projector for the office. Ahem.

I purchased a Samsung TV that almost matches the monitor on my desk, plus three months ago I left a TV aerial on my desk so now no one even looks twice at it, running the TV with my desktop in PIP mode. Sad I know but I get to watch the tour live and still look like I am working 😛

Never watched any lengthy footage of the TDF. I’m in the middle of Wiggos book, so my interest is hightened somewhat by that. Might try and watch highlights by the day.

Half the enjoyment of road racing on TV is watching the country roll past at a more human pace. It’s what HD TVs were made for.

atlaz

I was at an art installation a few years ago ,it had huge screens showing only the aerial ( helicopter coverage ) footage from sections of one of the tours on a loop.
It was mesmerizing .
As a bonus ,you also got to sit on beanbags that were made up to the exact weight of famous boxers 🙂

Don’t wanna watch it because of the drugs? Strange reason. I’ll be not watching it because it’s the dullest thing it’s possible to do with a bicycle, stretched out for ages. Contrast with the recent DH WC rounds, that are not televised! WTF is up with that?

You have a good point there!! It can be very dull at times but the commentators do a very good job at times.

The aim of this thread wasn’t just to complain or try get attention or troll or anything like that, It just baffles me as to how it still has so many followers, and sponsors. I thought a lot more sponsors would be pulling out.
Don’t get me wrong though, I’ll watch a bit of it mainly for the epic helicopter footage and to see the mountain top finishes, but that’s probably it.

Could not be less interested in “Le Tour”.

Don’t get me wrong though, I’ll watch a bit of it mainly for the epic helicopter footage and to see the mountain top finishes, but that’s probably it.

So which is it? Not at all interested or going to watch a bit of it? 😉

mmmmm, job as dull as ditchwater. check.
Notice soon to be handed in. check.
Subscription to Eurosport for a month. check.
Watched/listened to every race so far this year in build up. check.

Nope not looking forward to it at all. 🙂

Vanman that is some pretty shrewd forward planning, I like!

So which is it? Not at all interested or going to watch a bit of it?

Shusshhh…

I really don’t care who wins or gets in the top ten, I mean whoever wins is probably just the best tactical drug user, but I do like some of the helicopter footage. And the mountain top finishes can be fun to see the crowds, but the race itself, meh.

Op: who are kidding other than yourself? Of course you are going to follow TDF.

I mean whoever wins is probably just the best tactical drug user

I would watch a “dopers” tour, let them have it, Alp D’heuz, big ring 11mins, would be awesome to watch.

it’s awesome, then again I usually only watch the highlights programme but full stages at the weekend

I’d watch it if it went back to how it used to be in early days, stopping off at a cafe for a Martini with brandy chasers followed by Brie and some French bread !

Touring France with no support crews or ego’s ! You stop to mend a puncture not get a new wheel before being pushed on to get you going again, and the Yellow jersey should be made of wool and knitted by somebody’s grandma, the cyclings that boring and predictable the TV crew could pan out and cut to Alberts gran sat in cheadle trying to get her head around the pattern for the polkodot jersey,

That’s television !
I’d gladly watch a tour of France where no one actually wants to win a brightly coloured wooly jumper for fear of being too hot and laughed at !

More Cyclists get caught because more cyclists get tested, its not rocket science.

http://www.usada.org/sport-testing-numbers-2013

When Rugby and Football start testing the players properly, imposing upon them the same conditions as cyclists, its going to expose a lot of people and cause embarrassment. However, because of the vast sums of money involved and the damage it will do to the sport, it will never happen.

The link above includes all tests executed by USADA. That includes those tests initiated, or planned as part of USADA’s U.S. Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American movements testing program as well as those tests completed by USADA at the request of other sport and antidoping federations, events, and organizations.

So, lets take a quintessentially US sport like Ice Hockey, one where you could make huge performance gains from doping or PEDs and there are just 22 out of competition tests and NO tests in competition….

As I said, cyclists get caught because they are tested.

As for le tour, its the best three weeks sport of the year…

Also have no interest in watching it either. Just really don’t get the whole romance/history blah blah blah of it. I will watch the odd stage for the scenery but that’s about it.

Just really don’t get the whole romance/history blah blah blah of it. I will watch the odd stage for the scenery but that’s about it.

I can recommend Jean Bobet’s book “Tomorrow we ride”… 😉

Plus…..can’t stand the Irish chap who drones on in monotone voice. Can’t stand the adverts. Can’t stand cutting to adverts on the only interesting part – the fast downhill sections after the climbs.

It’s like watching snooker or golf, fine in the background, calming, something to help you drift off asleep

As for le tour, its the best three weeks sport of the year…

Why, does it coincide with something interesting?

cant wait, love it, always have – highlights every evening and a bit of live stuff on the weekend if i can.

for the poster up there complaining that the DH is thrilling viewing but not televised….. live.redbull.tv

if it gets proper exciting, will be avoiding STW along with large chunks of the internet/media to avoid spoiling the evenings viewing – but if you dont hear about it, you dont know if its exciting and if it is exciting you have to avoid everything/everyone.

bring it on.

I would watch a “dopers” tour, let them have it, Alp D’heuz, big ring 11mins, would be awesome to watch.

I would like to see road bike racing with a 500W motor allowed on every bike and say 30 mins’ worth of battery. That’d make it tactically interesting. Particularly the sprint finishes of flat stages!

Whoever said they’d rather watch WC DH – I find this dull as hell. The Tour is way more interesting strategically than just ride down as fast as you can.

You have to follow the race though, like cricket. A group of cyclists on a road is not at all an interesting spectacle, but if you know who’s doing what and why, it is much better. Like lots of sports really.

I’d watch it if it went back to how it used to be in early days, stopping off at a cafe for a Martini with brandy chasers followed by Brie and some French bread !

Absolutely; and none of these new fangled ‘gears’ either

There are more drug tests conducted in cycling than in any other sport. The work done in cycling has advanced the capability of drug testing in sport significantly, and it has been mentioned that today, cycling may in fact be the cleanest of all sports today.

What do you think of that? 😯