Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)
  • Le Tour Rest Day thread
  • crikey
    Free Member

    I think you’re all making ‘patron’ into some semi-official job position, to be awarded to the rider most suitable to English speaking Tour telly watchers….

    Times have changed, and even Hinault had little influence outside the Tour and French races. It’s a commercial sport, and a lack of a ‘patron’ is a reflection of that, disappointing as it may be to the romantically inclined.

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    crikey – Member
    I think you’re all making ‘patron’ into some semi-official job position, to be awarded to the rider most suitable to English speaking Tour telly watchers….

    Oh, I thought this was some sort of X-Factor style popularity thing? 😳

    whatnobeer
    Free Member

    I heard Miller on Radio Scotland this afternoon saying that the old ways were dying and that it was a lot more cut throat in the pelaton with less respect now. Maybe the roll of patron is consigned to the past?

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    molgrips
    Free Member

    Well, I can’t contribute to this thread, but I would like to say that I am upset about Vino. He was a hero in that stage.

    It’s Evans for me, now.

    headfirst
    Free Member

    Ok, I think we’ve done all we can with that topic, so, not wanting to boss anyone about or anything 😉 I wish to pose…

    A NEW QUESTION:

    Who is your favourite pro rider who is racing this season? This can include those who have abandoned or didn’t even start the tour. To make it harder for some of you, it can’t be someone the same nationality as yourself.

    I’m gonna get in early with Tommy Voeckler, he’s my favourite Frenchman full stop*. It might seem like I’m jumping on the bandwagon (what with him being in yellow) but I can clearly remember his efforts in the 2004 where he held on with all of his might to the yellow jersey for far far longer than anyone expected. He became the ‘french housewife’s darling’ and, if I’m frank, mine too. You can always rely on li’l Tommy to spark things off at some point, last year he won the overall Combativity prize for the tour and surely he must have one arm in the sleeve of it for this year already.

    *with the possible exception of Inspector Clouseau

    mike_p
    Free Member

    Surely we can do without “heroes” like Vinokourov. I wouldn’t have waited for him either, whether he was injured or not.

    Very surprising that Bertie wasn’t paced back to the peloton by his men, can you imagine what Lance would have done if that had happened to him…!

    Outside of Wiggo & Cav I’d have to go for Philippe Gilbert, he’s been excellent. Always been a massive fan of Jens too.

    crikey
    Free Member

    Cav.
    Heart on his sleeve, talks the talk, walks the walk.

    whatnobeer
    Free Member

    I dont have any one favourite but attacking or hard as nails riders do it for me. Jens “shut up legs” Voigt, Tommy V, Crazy Thomas de Ghent, Johnny Hoogerland and little Amets Txurruka all get my full support. I’ve even come around to supporting Vino in the last two years 😮

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Surely we can do without “heroes” like Vinokourov.

    Yeah, the last thing the tour needs is controversial, exciting, enigmatic riders like Vino.

    Suppose you think the tour is better off without Pantani as well?

    *treading dangerously close to breaking headfirst’s original rule…*

    headfirst
    Free Member

    Oi! 13th!!! Watch yourself now!! and mikeP – don’t you start… 👿

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    I’m leaning towards Cadel Evans, I think he’s really turned himself around in terms of his public image

    Definitely turned his image around with his season in the rainbow jersey, IMO. Would like to see him do well, though suspect the big mountains will be his downfall once more. His diary is usually worth a read, typically updated each day of the tour. Still seems to have more haters than supporters though (maybe an Aussie thing?)

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Karpets.. anyone Russian and still sporting a mullet deserves respect.
    I think Mr Fabulous is too mellow to guide a raging peleton, even Thor had problems keeping them at pace yesterday..

    Gutted to about Vino too, despite his transgression a couple of years ago, he was one of my fave riders, a true baradour. Big up respect to him and Evans in last years Giro, totally brilliant display of riding ability and determination.. You know the stage.

    Totally agree that this years tour is not the same as last years, or any years previous. It’s too cut throat, too much to loose/gain and too much at stake.. Look at the beefcake Andy has around him every single pedal stroke the lad makes.. All the old skool riders are either retiring or dropping out, whose left but the youngun’s.. change, all change please. Glad to see some new faces ride hard.

    warton
    Free Member

    Gilbert. can only attack, doesn’t know how to do anything else, oh and I’ve got the same bike as him!

    Also a big fan of Boonen, but I fear his best days are a long way behind him

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Ahem. Sorry headfirst 😳

    Back on track. Cancellara for me. Seeing him on the Paris Roubaix battling between just going for it while resisting dragging the other guys along behind him was great entertainment, and when he finally snapped and just bolted for the line, the winner was lucky there wasn’t enough road left frankly!

    messiah
    Free Member

    Tommy Voeckler, ‘french housewife’s darling’

    French housewives like a nice bit of tongue action?

    Klunk
    Free Member

    I said this on another thread yesterday – there’s no one strong team that can control things effectively. Even HTC’s lead-out train, probably the best in the world, don’t always have it their way. Compare it with Cipo’s old Saeco lead out train in the 90’s, nothing ever came close to them!

    ok

    Mario Cipollini

    1993: 1 stage win;
    1995: 2 stage wins
    1996: 1 stage win;
    1997: 2 stage wins;
    1998: 2 stage wins
    1999: 4 stage wins

    Mark Cavendish

    2008: 4 stage wins
    2009: 6 stage wins
    2010: 5 stage wins
    2011: 2 stage wins

    RustyMac
    Full Member

    Don’t really have a favourite tour rider, but I do enjoy watching it and looking out for the British riders, however Johnny Hoogerland is a name I am not going to forget in a hurry after yester day, a particularly super human effort to finish after the accident. I just hope he is able to continue and compete for the king of the mountains.

    RealMan
    Free Member

    Karpets.. anyone Russian and still sporting a mullet deserves respect.

    Maybe when he gets a bike that fits him.

    Regardless of everything else, Vino doesn’t know how to wear a helmet.

    My favourite would be Andy or Cadel, I’m having difficulty choosing at the moment – Andy hasn’t done much so far.

    Although if I could choose from my nationality it would be Cav followed by Wiggins followed by Geraint.

    headfirst
    Free Member

    RealMan:

    Although if I could choose from my nationality it would be Cav followed by Wiggins followed by Geraint.

    But you can’t, that would be cheating. And we know how everyone feels about cheats…

    [For me, it would be Geraint followed by Wiggins followed by Cav].

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    The most interesting TdF for a while.

    More ‘stuff’ going on than for years – controversial riders, bad driving, controversial route choice, no prologue, no mountains for a week and a half.

    Loads to discuss.

    And we’ve got a ‘who’s your favourite rider’ thread?

    So tell me guys, what’s your favourite colour?

    RealMan
    Free Member

    And we’ve got a ‘who’s your favourite rider’ thread?

    Everything else just turns into an argument about drugs..

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    And we’ve got a ‘who’s your favourite rider’ thread?

    David Millar for being plain speaking and not shy about voicing his opinions.
    Geraint Thomas for being under-rated but bloody good. TdF winner in waiting there.

    headfirst
    Free Member

    And we’ve got a ‘who’s your favourite rider’ thread?

    So tell me guys, what’s your favourite colour?

    Should’ve got here earlier IdleJon (living up to your name? 😉 ), page 1 was quite interesting.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Suppose you think the tour is better off without Pantani as well?

    I still miss him and still the fastest time up Alpe Huez [ I will let RM correct me on the spelling whilst reminding us he did it twice etc ]
    Great guy back in the day when you knew it was fair as you knew everyone was cheating [but LA ]- Wades in with joke hoping ot get away with it and not let it descend into the dreaded drug one
    Cav – honest and great interviews
    Wiggos out “shit” for example brutally honest
    Millar I like redemption and he has class IMHO

    RealMan
    Free Member

    Alpe d’Huez.. and I’ve only done it once, and I shaved a massive 8 minutes off Pantanis time 😉

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    The first time man split the atom was when the atom tried to hold Realmans wheel, but cracked.

    Shamlessly plagarised from http://www.jensvoigtfacts.com/

    RealMan
    Free Member

    To be fair, I was in a Mondeo. Will hopefully get a chance to ride d’Huez in a few weeks, and although I’m not fit at all at the moment, I’m hoping for a reasonable time. Sub 55 would be nice, sub 50 would be awesome.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Doing it next year with my brother we have been since 1987 😉
    His refusals not mine

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Ah yeah.. a Welsh tour winner.. that’d be something 🙂

    Cav.
    Heart on his sleeve, talks the talk, walks the walk

    Yeah – top man is Cav. I was talking about CG contenders though.

    tom84
    Free Member

    all this ‘lack of respect’ ‘more cut throat now’ stuff really reminds me of the last season of the wire. whose gonna shoot prop joe? who is the marlo in the peleton?

    what we are (were) asking is, ‘who is bunny to all the new kids? right?’

    cav has got to be be michael. jens maybe omar? Lance’s old crew all had a shot after he’d gone didn’t they? george hincapie is slim charles NO DOUBT!

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    After seeing what he went through yesterday and how he responded to it – Hoogerland is my favourite rider. Absolute hero of a man.

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Meanwhile in other rest day news…

    http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/9037/Tour-de-France-Alexandr-Kolobnev-positive-for-banned-diuretic.aspx

    First positive doping test. 🙁

    oldgit
    Free Member

    Not Cancellara, he was a bit snide last year and is he even a big player in the Tour?
    Evans has gone up in my estimation since the World Champs and seems to be the only GC contender racing, the plucky Ozzies always there. And he gained some nail award points last year climbing with only one good arm. Plus he has and will be up there all race long, and you can’t say that about Cancellara.
    He just needs to kick that ****ing stupid little mutt off a mountain and buy a Rotwieler and wear some looser pants and his the man.

    We were talking a bit about this earlier today, and there just aren’t the aggressive riders like Merckx, Hainault and Armstrong anymore. Evans is the closest we have.

    LapSteel
    Free Member

    @tom84
    Dont mention the wire after yesterday 😯

    bainbrge
    Full Member

    I’m just surprised it took this long for one of the cars to knock out a competitor – if anyone has had the misfortune of being on the road between the stage finish and the location of the hotels in recent years they would know what I mean.

    The drivers of the cars in the caravan get so hyped up by being in convoy and having the roads closed for them that they go absolutely mental. I’ve seen the convoy screaming along an alpine road after the race has finished at about 70mph when thousands of people/families etc are squeezed up against the barriers trying not to get wiped out as they walk back to their cars.

    It was so bad coming back from Alpe d’Huez a couple of years ago that I smashed a rear quarterlight with my umbrella as one went past. It felt good.

    tom84
    Free Member

    LOL!

    mrlebowski
    Free Member

    Miller might be as good as any. He does have a little of that “Elder Statesman” about him..

    atlaz
    Free Member

    Do we really want someone like Lance running things again? I’ve been reading some books recently about his control of the peloton and it really does seem like his influence wasn’t that positive and was more about him and his team controlling the race for themselves than managing the race as per the “unwritten rules”.

    I also don’t buy the thing about it being just money that’s making a difference. Baseball has a LOT of money in it but the rules are still fairly ruthlessly enforced and players are often thrown out of games for settling scores etc. Looks more like the riders don’t really give a shit any more.

    mrlebowski
    Free Member

    The politics of the peleton must be extremely complex is all I can say so from the outside looking in picking a patron isn’t mch more than a matter of guesswork..

Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)

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