Tour de France 2012 (with SPOILERS)
- Thread starter Flying_Monkey
- Start date
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Boris Bajic
Guest
I have no idea what Froome will do next, but he has been impressive in a nearly-there kind of way for quite a while.
I am uncomfortable with this 'next champion' talk or mention of someone 'deserving a win'. I know that's not what people are saying, but some of the media tip-toe in that direction with Froome and get quite close to saying it. I am reminded of Colin Welland getting a little jingoistic after Chariots of fire won an Oscar...
(I should say at this stage that after a podium and a bad fall in the last two years, i was one of the many who didn't see BW as a TdF winner.)
Froome clearly has the needful, but many riders have served a long apprenticeship. The likes of Contador and Schlek bursting to the top at a young age are not really the norm.
Although Lemond showed class at a young age, he did his time supporting a couple of top Johnny Frenchman types.
Indurain was extraordinary, but he did his support jobs (and did them rather well) before he got into his Schumacher years.
I will not be at all surprised if Froome has a win ahead of him, but I do not see him as someone who is being held back by the role he has with Sky. He is part of a long and proud line of racers who earn their ticket.
I like it that way.
Which other sport still considers you young at 25?
Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
It's unfortunate that this years tour coincides with the London Olympics. The BBC has the latter and are doing everything they can to whip up interest so everything else is pushed backwards.
Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Bowling.
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I'm not too bothered by this - it's just how the mainstream media work. For non-cycling fans, the sport begins and ends with the Tour de France. It's certainly how I got into pro cycling - I've been watching the Tour since the mid 80s when C4 started covering it, but I've only spread my interest wider in more recent years since I've had regular access to Eurosport. We're a long way off getting mainstream coverage of things like Milan-San Remo. We should count ourselves pretty lucky that there was any coverage at all of Cav winning the World Championships last year. And chapeau to ITV for bringing us coverage of last year's Vuelta and the Revolution series. If they're now putting TdF coverage on ITV1, that's a seismic shift in public appreciation of the sport - for a commercial station to give its main channel over to a minority sport is quite exceptional.
As for the quality of the coverage.... meh. What do you expect? The papers can't even offer decent coverage of mainstream sports (most football writing in the mainstream press is pretty awful), so I wouldn't expect any great insight into minority sports.
If I want in-depth, perceptive writing on pro cycling, I'll read Lionel Birnie in Cyclesport. CW is good for news coverage. The discussion on twitter is interesting too, if you sort the wheat from the chaff - Inner Ring and Irish Peloton are well worth following.
d.
Chuffy
Veteran
- Location
- On the banks of the Exe
Never trust a crown green bowler under 30.
Does such a thing exist?
Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
For Christ's sake Brad, don't tempt fate...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/19/tour-de-france-bradley-wiggins
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/19/tour-de-france-bradley-wiggins
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
Yes, all this talk about Froome as the next TdF contender makes it seem like it's already done and dusted. Let's hope BW's dreamy moment near the top of Peyregudes will serve as a timely reminder not to count his poussins...
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Twitter is great - half the peloton are on there too.
3 things I've enjoyed:
1) the Heidi Swift blog about cycling the TdF one day ahead of the race. Truely awesome : http://www.pelotonmagazine.com/Swift/content/22/1679/REVE-Stage-13-Friday-the-13th
2) The offerings on the Bicycling site, like Daily Tour Talk with James Startt and Frankie Andreu and also the Chris Horner diaries. He's had quite an epic race himself. But they don't ask the nasty questions
3) The daily round table Cycling Central podcasts.
There is so much good reportage out there if you're really interested.
GB may be only 2 behind the USA in the near future
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Bernard Hinault interview (in French) : http://tourdefrance.blog.lemonde.fr...-arretons-de-surproteger-les-jeunes-coureurs/
Une réaction sur l'affaire Fränk Schleck ?
Non, pas de réaction. J'en ai plein le cul, c'est tout.
Which I think translates to "No reaction. I've had an arseful of it, that's all."
(just in case, he's not saying he's had an arseful of drugs btw....).
Une réaction sur l'affaire Fränk Schleck ?
Non, pas de réaction. J'en ai plein le cul, c'est tout.
Which I think translates to "No reaction. I've had an arseful of it, that's all."
(just in case, he's not saying he's had an arseful of drugs btw....).
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
Doesnt like radios either, does he!
