[Other Sport] Tour de France 2020

[Weststander]

Me too, late 80s. I never missed any of it. Fell in love only to become utterly disillusioned with in 2000 following nothing but drug scandals. I’ve never followed it since and still feel a bitter sense of betrayal.

Bjarne Riis and Lance Armstrong were massive heroes to me.

I totally accept that they were cheats (as were other winners of tours and races, some caught, some treated gently, some got away with it), but I still love the Tour de France.

 

[pb21]

Got into it from the Ch4 show. Remember turning it on and it was near the summit of a big mountain stage and seeing all the crowds along the road going mental. The sheer passion and bonkers-ness of the spectators made me think there must be something to it so started watching it a lot. Been over to France to watch stages from the roadside a few times now and always watch stages live on Eurosport if I can.

This is probably me too. I was already just about cycling properly in 2003 and can remember as a relative youngster watching in Crowborough in 1994, but then I watched that years TdF on TV and the Alpe d' Huez stage with Mayo and Armstrong etc. with the mental fans right next to them really piqued my interest. Nothing else really like it.

 

[Weststander]

This is probably me too. I was already just about cycling properly in 2003 and can remember as a relative youngster watching in Crowborough in 1994, but then I watched that years TdF on TV and the Alpe d' Huez stage with Mayo and Armstrong etc. with the mental fans right next to them really piqued my interest. Nothing else really like it.

Including all the little things - The Devil, bike shapes cut into wheat fields, the odd competitor going after a wnkish spectator who knocked them off of their bike, a pair of riders coming to blows, heated words exchanged if a mini breakaway feel that one rider is furtively conserving energy at the back, mass sprints with sharpened elbows.

 

[pb21]

Bjarne Riis and Lance Armstrong were massive heroes to me.

I totally accept that they were cheats (as were other winners of tours and races, some caught, some treated gently, some got away with it), but I still love the Tour de France.

Yep, Armstrong was a hero to me too.

He obviously cheated, but they all did. But to win 7 straight TdFs after having cancer is impressive whatever way you cut it. What sours it now is the fact that he was also a bully and corrupt (beyond 'just' EPO) and used his position to intimidate etc.

 

[Weststander]

Yep, I'm Armstrong was a hero to me too.

He obviously cheated, but they all did. But to win 7 straight TdFs after having cancer is impressive whatever way you cut it. What sours it now is the fact that he was also a bully and corrupt (beyond 'just' EPO) and used his position to intimidate etc.

Totally agree. He got caught.

An english speaking cheat was always going to be hated far more than a continental, not helped by his intimidatory nature. Virenque and Jalabert, to name just two, were heroes whatever they did.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-red-alert-issued-before-grand-depart-in-nice

Tour De France in Doubt

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Sagan's chance to win the Tour


Yet speculation is growing that ASO has made a contingency plan, in the event that the Tour is stopped and that a winner would be declared only after the race had passed the midway point on stage 10. But the current rules of cycling, both those composed by the UCI and ASO’s own regulations, are unclear and do not take into account the prospect of a truncated or cancelled Tour.

 

[Stat Brother]

Do 'they' say 'Everybody has at least one book in them' (ooowww-errr missus)

Well Lance stole my from me.


Stat's tombe was entitled:-

'Cheats Prosper - Winning Le Tour The Easy Way'.


I was going to 'ride' a TdF, but only using the age old tactics of misdemeanor, skulduggery and good old fashioned honest cheating, that was rife in the first 80 ish years of the race.


This hilarious retelling of my escapades and recounting the ingenuity of the days before blood delivered on a moped was gonna win me a Pulitzer.

 

[portlock seagull]

Bjarne Riis and Lance Armstrong were massive heroes to me.

I totally accept that they were cheats (as were other winners of tours and races, some caught, some treated gently, some got away with it), but I still love the Tour de France.

Indeed. But how the mighty have fallen since. It’s sad, I truly loved the Tour in the 80s and 90s. There was also a mystic about it because B4 CB arrived, apart from Yates and Max Schilandri, cycling hero’s were hard to come by from Britain weren’t they? Then I discovered they were nearly all cheats. I still feel dirty for buying Armstrong’s book in 1999 before he was busted. I added to his wealth. Feels a bit like owning Mein Kampf. Or Piers Morgan’s autobiography...!

 

[Stat Brother]

(Probably) One of the defining moments of Le Tour as the race changed hands from cyclists to chemists.




If you can look beyond Pippa's ride, pretty hard to do as it was glorious.
Even Liggett obliviously makes a couple of references to 'how do they do it'.

 

[Weststander]

(Probably) One of the defining moments of Le Tour as the race changed hands from cyclists to chemists.




If you can look beyond Pippa's ride, pretty hard to do as it was glorious.
Even Liggett obliviously makes a couple of references to 'how do they do it'.

Was Indurain ever suspected? All I ever heard was C4 and written press praise of “his incredible resting pulse rate of 28, what a natural athlete”.

As much as I always love the TdF, in that era I can’t see how a lone clean rider could repeatedly beat a Tour of EPO’d riders over 3 weeks.

 

[Stat Brother]

Was Indurain ever suspected? All I ever heard was C4 and written press praise of “his incredible resting pulse rate of 28, what a natural athlete”.

As much as I always love the TdF, in that era I can’t see how a lone clean rider could repeatedly beat a Tour of EPO’d riders over 3 weeks.

Resting H/R of 28 because his blood was like gloss paint.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Was Indurain ever suspected? All I ever heard was C4 and written press praise of “his incredible resting pulse rate of 28, what a natural athlete”.

As much as I always love the TdF, in that era I can’t see how a lone clean rider could repeatedly beat a Tour of EPO’d riders over 3 weeks.

Indurain who rode 6 TdFs without any great distinction then suddenly reeled off 5 straight wins coinciding with the very date EPO is thought to have hit the tour, and he worked with Dr EPO Francesco Conconi whose protege was Michele Ferrari, and then slipped away from the sport hoping to never answer another question? No suspicions whatsoever at 6’2” 180lb rider could do what he did cleanly.

 

[Notters]

Including all the little things - The Devil, bike shapes cut into wheat fields, the odd competitor going after a wnkish spectator who knocked them off of their bike, a pair of riders coming to blows, heated words exchanged if a mini breakaway feel that one rider is furtively conserving energy at the back, mass sprints with sharpened elbows.

Yes indeed, I was about 200 yards from the guy who knocked the leader off taking a photo at Alpe d'Huez in 1999. I do think all the dressing up, smoke bombs, etc, has ruined it a bit now though.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Does anyone know if the TDF has a presentation of the teams tonight and if so is it on the television

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

ASO's token gesture to women's cycling Le Course is underway. About to hit the first climb.

Live on ITV4 and Eurosport 1.

Come on Lizzy Deignan (Trek-Segafredo)

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Yellow weather warning for later today in Nice.

 

[Motogull]

ASO's token gesture to women's cycling Le Course is underway. About to hit the first climb.

Live on ITV4 and Eurosport 1.

Come on Lizzy Deignan (Trek-Segafredo)

I'm watching. As usual I'm rooting for Cecile. I'd love Annemiek to win but after her win a few days ago and not seeing her pushing tells me she is not expecting to win.

Lizzie well placed. Good.

 

[Pondicherry]

Anyone else on this?
https://fantasy.letour.fr

Just signed up.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

GO Lizzie, photo finish with Vos.