Improving the Tour

[rich p]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lappartient-keen-to-curb-team-skys-tour-de-france-dominance/

Whose side is he on?
ASO, provincial France, any others?
Instead of trying to get more money into cycling he seems to be having a dig at the team that reputedly has a budget of £40m pa. Brighton &HA have just spent more than half that on a player I've never even heard of ffs.

 

[Bollo]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lappartient-keen-to-curb-team-skys-tour-de-france-dominance/

Whose side is he on?
ASO, provincial France, any others?
Instead of trying to get more money into cycling he seems to be having a dig at the team that reputedly has a budget of £40m pa. Brighton &HA have just spent more than half that on a player I've never even heard of ffs.

I’m no Sky fanboy, but Lappartient is a cock. The advantage from power meters within a race are IMO marginal (TM Brailsfordcorp) and its a level playing field anyway. Banning race radio? Look how that’s turned out in the past.

Salary caps can be gamed and as we know, if a rule can be gamed them Team Evil will find a way to game it. “Fancy a game of cards Gee? Oh my your luck is in!” (TM mid 80s rugby union).

If Lappartient wants to level the field he’s got two choices, go back to national teams or go full ‘merka with a draft system and standardised equipment. Not going to happen and probably not even legal outside Trumplandia.

 

[rich p]

And I've said before that the accusation that Sky buy all the best climbers/riders is a nonsense too.
Poels, Bernal too, Moscon, Castroviejo were hardly top of the tree. Kwiat maybe but his star was on the wane when they plucked him.
Knees, Kiri etc were all average at best and a lot of the rest were BC produce like Thomas, Rowe, Stannard.
p.s. I'm not a Sky fanboi either!

 

[Crackle]

Lappertient seems to be trapped in a logic circle of his own making. Smaller teams for safety, less teams in the top tier but more teams in the race, presumably safety is OK with more smaller teams than with less bigger teams. A budget cap for teams who rely on sponsorship only to pay riders because the ASO and UCI hold all the rights and the proceeds they make from the races and don't share it out to the teams who make it for them. It's real back to the future stuff and Brailsfords comments about ASO needing to decide if they want an international or local event is beginning to look on the money.

 

[Crackle]

Actually the Inrng did an excellent piece on the finances of ASO which point to the fact that the Tour is their most profitable business, probably. In which case you could see how they would be concerned with falling audiences and with the most racing days on the World Tour calendar, how they're in a position to put pressure on mallible French UCI president

http://inrng.com/2017/11/amaury-sport-accounts-finances/

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The general classification is based on their average power output. So no drafting or hiding in the peloton as that will ruin the effort they are putting in.

 

[rich p]

There's an obvious reason why the last two TDFs have been less gripping than the equivalent Giros and Vueltas and it's because of the parcours. Going back to a sprint heavy first week, and then eliminating the riders that can animate the transition/rest/breakaway stages is shooting oneself in the pied.

 

[Bollo]

There's an obvious reason why the last two TDFs have been less gripping than the equivalent Giros and Vueltas and it's because of the parcours. Going back to a sprint heavy first week, and then eliminating the riders that can animate the transition/rest/breakaway stages is shooting oneself in the pied.

A stage incorporating Cycle Polo.
"Froome. To Bernal. Back to Froome. Geraaaaiiiiiiiint!!!!!!!"

 

[rich p]

A stage incorporating Cycle Polo.
"Froome. To Bernal. Back to Froome. Geraaaaiiiiiiiint!!!!!!!"

I actually watched a game of cycle polo in a local park.
It was shite.
One of the teams had better bikes and errrm sticks. The playing field needed levelling even though it was a pair of tennis courts

 

[Seevio]

In line with my long held belief that there are no sports that couldn't be improved by the addition of a bear, add bears. Obviously one wouldn't be enough as the tour does after all travel quite fast but released at random intervals would be rather effective.

It would also remove the problem of spectators crowding the riders on the mountain stages as only the less Darwinian minded fans will be at the sides of the roads.

 

[lazyfatgit]

If you follow the race via the live tracker while also watching it on telly, it highlights whichever camera view is currently on screen, so you can easily identify who is in the group.

Maybe the commentators should try using this feature rather than doing their usual guessing and getting it wrong. That would certainly improve the experience of listening to their witterings.

I watched some stages live and all of the highlights shows on SBS. I thought Matt Keenan and Robbie McEwan did a great job.

Less twittering than Phil and Gary in years past.

 

[Beebo]

if the French are so angry and winning is so easy why don’t they ensure that FDJ or another team has a €40m budget.
It isn’t that much money in this day and age.
There must be some company in France willing to stump up the cash.

 

[smutchin]

Shorter stages would be my suggestion.

Alternatively, go back to the days of ultra-mega-long stages - 400km through the Pyrenees, that kind of thing - and ban all teams and riders working together, and they have to be self-supported (fix their own punctures etc) ,so it's entirely a solo endeavour. It would be rubbish for TV but you could fit riders with spot trackers and follow their live progress on a map.

Essentially, turn the TdF into the TCR.

(Not a serious suggestion. I actually think this would be a rubbish idea, though I know some people who would genuinely be in favour of it.)

 

[raleighnut]

Have a road circuit that is lapped repeatedly. Not too long, and preferably including a big climb, and maybe some cobbles or other stuff (or a cobbled climb! yay). You could now transfer track events to the road. Madison, elimination, points, Keirin ...

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...tle-Classic-&usg=AOvVaw3MIfEdZaaxXLepOUNSTt0Z

 

[raleighnut]

Do they have Dernys going up cobbled hills? If not, it's rubbish.

There's a right hand (90%) bend with a drain cover right on the apex/racing line, that's pretty exciting (it's where I normally watch from)