The Official 99th Tour de France thread, 2012.

[Gregory2Smith1]

Great pictures, are you heading up into the high mountains Wednesday-Thursday, if so you lucky beggar our favourite place to watch it down there...

not this year,beau pere has a place in st lary-soulan,but will be watching on tv this year

 

[Stat Brother]

Prepare for a rest day revelation that will melt the t'internet.

 

[Stat Brother]

But first a musical interlude.

 

[Stat Brother]

 

[Stat Brother]

It' doesn't take long to get to the bottom of the barrel.
Assuming you discount 'motivational' music/cycling editing.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Got to say, I think the Skoda adverts for the tour are brilliant. Not many brands would risk their products being battered for marketing, but it really works.

 

[Badger]

Got to say, I think the Skoda adverts for the tour are brilliant. Not many brands would risk their products being battered for marketing, but it really works.

If only Halfords could follow suit and make half-decent adverts instead of that IRRITATING Tour de Francis nonsense.

 

[Stoichkov]

So boring today I think I skipped through the whole live programme in under an hour.

I'm not so sure

I quite like these stages - watching the break of the day try to get established is always worth a watch and its a bit like Test Match Cricket - you need a bit of down time to set up the next bit of action.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I'm not so sure

I quite like these stages - watching the break of the day try to get established is always worth a watch and its a bit like Test Match Cricket - you need a bit of down time to set up the next bit of action.

That's a good analogy, like a days play when the batting team are happy to sit in, and the bowling side are looking to contain. There were some interesting moments yesterday, like when the lone cyclist trying to catch the breakaway, his director ordered the rest of his team in the Peloton to speed up, then the directors of the breakaway teams told them to slow down to let the lone guy catch up otherwise the Peloton was going to catch them. For someone who's not watched much of it before, all very interesting I thought.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Prepare for a rest day revelation that will melt the t'internet.

Come on then what rubbish have you been reading and believing on twitter, unless its a reliable source people can write anything - especially that Brad is a serial doper....

 

[Stoichkov]

Come on then what rubbish have you been reading and believing on twitter, unless its a reliable source people can write anything - especially that Brad is a serial doper....

This maybe?

Re-tested 2004 Olympic Samples Reveal "adverse Analytical Findings" | Cyclingnews.com

No names or indeed sports yet...

 

[Stat Brother]

especially that Brad is a serial doper....

More shocking than that.

I'll come straight out with it, so brace yourself, this is not a wind up:-


I'm just not getting on with Unkie Phil's commentary, this year.

Him an Paul are obviously contractually obliged to mention The AMGEN Tour of California, which didn't sit well from the start.

But my main gripe is, and I don't know if it's a new thing, or I just never noticed, but he's calling the 'winner' ridiculously early.
Doing it in the sprints, and getting it wrong, is one thing.
But he pronounced Sagan the winner on Sunday, 40kms from the finish.

Sure Phil gets excited and gets it wrong, that's all part of the charm, but he still needs to say what is actually going on.

 

[Stat Brother]

I feel dirty and so am off for a shower!.

 

[Stoichkov]

I feel dirty and so am off for a shower!.

No, no its fine

I love Paul Sherwen's co-commentary. Its so bad its good eg he is incapable of saying 'Lance Armstrong' without preceeding it with 'a certain Mr.'

"It's just all part of the sport of professional bike riding"

"Pilot fish"

"heads of state coming to the fore"

etc

 

[Stat Brother]

No, no its fine

I love Paul Sherwen's co-commentary. Its so bad its good eg he is incapable of saying 'Lance Armstrong' without preceeding it with 'a certain Mr.'

"It's just all part of the sport of professional bike riding"

"Pilot fish"

"heads of state coming to the fore"

etc

I'm OK with Paul, he's always been the voice of reason, next to the loon.

But if Phil carries on, a la Saturday, when he called Greipel on Edvard's wheel, then went on to say:-

'The Yellow jersey is leading B-H to victory here'.

I may have to go to Simon Brotherton, and I never thought I'd be saying that.

 

[perseus]

Any coloured cyclists this year? Yohann Gène in 2011

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Prepare for a rest day revelation that will melt the t'internet.

Bloody hell Stat, have you golf a mole inside Chatenay-Malabry

This will melt the internet

Frank Schleck tests positive for banned diuretic, UCI wants him to leave Tour de France

 

[Worthingite]

Frank Schleck has tested positive on the tour -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/18880417

Terrible news, I liked him as a rider and thought he was capable of winning the TdF at some point in the future....

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Frank Schleck has tested positive on the tour -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/18880417

Terrible news, I liked him as a rider and thought he was capable of winning the TdF at some point in the future....

Just a Directic found so far, B sample yet to be tested, lets hope it easily explainable

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Sky Sports have just said Radio Shack have said Frank will play no more part in this years tour, has been thrown off by the sound of it.