The Official 99th Tour de France thread, 2012.

[Pantani]

Chapeau David Millar! Absolutely superb, so happy for him.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

OMG Peel me off the ceiling.......

 

[Stat Brother]

Great words from Dave to Ned, re doping.

 

[Stat Brother]

I've just realised something that that has changed my opinion on The Tour of Francis averts.

Here's riding a bloody dog of a Carrera.

I'd be annoyingly happy if I'd dragged a meccano set on wheels around France

 

[Triggaaar]

Great words from Dave to Ned, re doping.

Which were?

 

[zeetha]

Great to see the Brits doing so well this year, and hopefully Wiggins will hold on to win the Yellow Jersey! Couldn't believe it when I read that some 'fan' by the side of the road scalded him with a flare - not the first idiot by the side of the road this year either...

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I've just realised something that that has changed my opinion on The Tour of Francis averts.

Here's riding a bloody dog of a Carrera.

I'd be annoyingly happy if I'd dragged a meccano set on wheels around France

Oii!! I own a carrera lol. I know they are not the best but I have had mine for about 8 years now.

It cost 399.00 at the time and is still going good now.

 

[Stat Brother]

Oii!! I own a carrera lol. I know they are not the best but I have had mine for about 8 years now.

It cost 399.00 at the time and is still going good now.

t'was more than a little tongue in cheek.

 

[Stat Brother]

Which were?

It's 45 years to the day since Tommy Simpson died on Ventoux.
When that was put to DM, he replied words to the effect of:-

'Well I'm a former doper, today of all days we can't forget where we have come from'.
'4 Brit stage winners all clean, in the cleanest tour'.

 

[Stat Brother]

Great to see the Brits doing so well this year, and hopefully Wiggins will hold on to win the Yellow Jersey! Couldn't believe it when I read that some 'fan' by the side of the road scalded him with a flare - not the first idiot by the side of the road this year either...

It does kind of go with the territory.
The guy was a loon being a looney.

Chris Boardman and other getting maced x amount of years back, is a little more scary.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

t'was more than a little tongue in cheek.

I have thought about getting something a little better later on.

 

[Stat Brother]

I have thought about getting something a little better later on.

There's a pooh load of 'what bike' threads already on NSC, one more can't hurt.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

There's a pooh load of 'what bike' threads already on NSC, one more can't hurt.

I think my next racing bike, I could probably push it to 600.00
If racing bikes depreciate in value like cars then hopefully I could get hold of an older model that would have cost 1500

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Brilliant article by Bradley Wiggens in the Guardian today, well worth reading, frank and clear

Bradley Wiggins: I can never dope because it would cost me everything | Sport | The Guardian

..drug tests have begun to work better, the blood passport has come in, so it's harder for people to dope. The chances of getting caught are far higher than they were. I do believe the sport is changing, if you look at what Ryder Hesjedal did at the Giro and what Chris Froome did at the Vuelta. As that change has happened, my performances have gone up, and at the same time I've begun to work far harder than I did before.

..I am not willing to risk all those things I've got in my life. I do it because I love it. I don't do it for a power trip: at the end of the day, I'm a shy bloke looking forward to taking my son to summer rugby camp after the Tour, where he could maybe bump into his hero, Sam Tomkins. That's what's keeping me going here. What I love is doing my best and working hard. If I felt I had to take drugs, I would rather stop tomorrow, go and ride club 10-mile time trials, ride to the cafe on Sundays, and work in Tesco stacking shelves.

 

[Triggaaar]

There's 4 ways of climbing a 'proper' mountain.

1) Sit there and grind it out, at an even tempo. Wiggins.
2) As above but keep enough back to launch an attack from the point you think you can sustain it to the finish. Nibali, Van der Broeck.
3) Attack from the front, allow the rest to catch and attack again. Keep going all the way up until there's nobody behind you.
4) Don't be so stoopid to ride up there in the first place.

3 is the style that is missing in a predominately clean sport.
It's no surprise the riders capable of this massive effort, requiring massive stamina, and more importantly massive recovery, are the ones who are proven dopers.
But that's the style that smashes the 'diesel' engines of 1, and natural climbers of 2.

As someone who doesn't know about these things, I'd think 3 couldn't happen when the playing field is level, which includes if lots were on drugs.

It's 45 years to the day since Tommy Simpson died on Ventoux.
When that was put to DM, he replied words to the effect of:-

'Well I'm a former doper, today of all days we can't forget where we have come from'.
'4 Brit stage winners all clean, in the cleanest tour'.

Thanks. It would be great if that's true. Does he really know the 4 Brits are all clean? I went off the Olympics due to the drugs, and I've been hoping they've improved, which makes me hopeful that the likes of Wiggins are clean. But I really don't know.

For me, sport is more about the competitiveness than the spectacle, and it becomes completely pointless when people are doping.

 

[Stat Brother]

As someone who doesn't know about these things, I'd think 3 couldn't happen when the playing field is level, which includes if lots were on drugs.

Hindsight being the wonderful thing it is, that style of attacking was the hallmark of recent years doping.
I'm thinking of Ricardo Ricco (one of the sadest cases) in the Pyrenees.
It was Contador's signature move, only seriously matched by Rassmusen.
I'm sure the chaps can easily add other examples.

Thanks. It would be great if that's true. Does he really know the 4 Brits are all clean? I went off the Olympics due to the drugs, and I've been hoping they've improved, which makes me hopeful that the likes of Wiggins are clean. But I really don't know.

For me, sport is more about the competitiveness than the spectacle, and it becomes completely pointless when people are doping.

For a start the racing is slower, and has been decreasing in speed for quite some time.
That decrease went some way to poke Lance from retirement.
The mountain climbing is more 'predictable', most riders have only a couple of maximum effects before crumbling.
The climbs being the best indicator because of the exertions required.

The thing with Brad is we have all watched the progression.
He's no surprise.
When Garmin got him to 4th in 2009 (?), it was plain to see in his physic, he'd lost loads of weight but had maintained his power.
But couldn't hold on with the climbing style 3, produced by Contador.

Since then we have all watched Brad chip away, and not only physically but equally importantly mentally improve.

Couple all that with a team with one sole purpose, (Brad to win Le Tour) that is prepared to work, develop, and train to make that happen.
Which also happens to be one of the richest in the peloton.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

As an aside, managed to dig out this photo of a 14 year old me losing (narrowly) to a certain Mr Wiggins!

 

[1066familyman]

In the interests of putting 'your money where your mouth is', I've invested a couple of quid on.
Bak and Iglinskiy both at 66-1.

Anyone can win today, probably Sagan, but might as well take some odds today of all days.

I put my first bet down on this years tour on todays stage (I generally don't bet as I'm useless at it). Went for Albasini. Will I ever learn !?

Kessiakoff for the break again today, I think. The winner will be Sagan if it comes back together, if it doesn't it could really be anyone. I'm expecting low points today as I saved a transfer in the opinion that it really is too hard to call so why waste transfers at a wild stab in the dark.

This is exactly what I should have done, just defend my lead with the one obvious transfer and play safe. I knew it was the common sense approach yet instead I had a mad rush of blood to the head for the big gamble, convinced myself I HAD to have Albasini and even incurred my first penalty transfer to do it Gambling really is a mugs game, for me at least.

Every cloud has a silver lining though... come in David Millar

P.S. I didn't have Millar, just really pleased for him to have won the stage.

 

[1066familyman]

As an aside, managed to dig out this photo of a 14 year old me losing (narrowly) to a certain Mr Wiggins!

Blimey, that's some size legs for a 14 yr old !

What lovely memories though. Nice stuff.

 

[Stat Brother]

As an aside, managed to dig out this photo of a 14 year old me losing (narrowly) to a certain Mr Wiggins!

Fantastic great stuff.