Tour de France 2017 ***SPOILERS***

[400bhp]

Could you imagine the Giro without the steep stuff.

 

[hoopdriver]

Some of the riders are using 36x32. Ludricrous on a professional racing bike.

Ludicrous? Really? Some of the gradients have been up to 20%

These guys are racing, not smirking into any imaginary mirror trying to look a part.

 

[jarlrmai]

I smell trolling.

 

[roadrash]

This is all about allowing the unfit and often overweight sportive riding masses to 'look the part', to allow them to ride bikes that look pretty much identical to the ones used by the pro's. Routing a Grand Tour over such steep climbs forces the pro teams to fit the same granny gears as the sportive riders. But it comes at the cost of ever more treacherous descents.

I don't know where to start

 

[rich p]

I don't know where to start

Don't descend into a defensive debate of the decent descents...

 

[MikeG]

This is all about allowing the unfit and often overweight sportive riding masses to 'look the part', to allow them to ride bikes that look pretty much identical to the ones used by the pro's. Routing a Grand Tour over such steep climbs forces the pro teams to fit the same granny gears as the sportive riders. But it comes at the cost of ever more treacherous descents.

Not macho enough for you if they have to turn a low gear, eh? Quite clearly anything other than a bunch sprint on a flat course is pandering to the great unwashed, and you won't be truly satisfied until they're all forced to ride single speed bikes.

 

[smutchin]

Routing a Grand Tour over such steep climbs forces the pro teams to fit the same granny gears as the sportive riders.

Inrng did a good piece about the Mont du Chat a while back: http://inrng.com/2017/06/roads-to-ride-mont-du-chat/

He reminds us that this year isn't the first time it has featured in the Tour - back in 1974, it was only regarded as a 2nd category climb. Poulidor climbed it in a 44x23 gear, apparently.

But it comes at the cost of ever more treacherous descents.

Fabio Baldato was quizzed about the final descent after the stage yesterday. He refused to say it was dangerous and mentioned that the team had reconnoitred it four times before the race. What made it dangerous was Richie Porte taking too many risks to keep up with more accomplished descenders, and Baldato more or less admitted as much.

 

[smutchin]

Could you imagine the Giro without the steep stuff.

Looking at the profile, Mont du Chat would appear to be a piece of piss compared to the Mortirolo or Zoncolan.

 

[400bhp]

Looking at the profile, Mont du Chat would appear to be a piece of piss compared to the Mortirolo or Zoncolan.

I've done both of those Italian monsters. Both ridiculously hard. I have no idea how you "race" up the Zoncolan.

 

[smutchin]

"Le freewheel, sur un velo de racing? Zut alors, c'est ludicreux" They were saying. Probably.

Henri Desgrange famously said that variable gears were only for people over 45.

 

[400bhp]

Shall we move the conversation on to the race again

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

What made it dangerous was Richie Porte taking too many risks to keep up with more accomplished descenders, and Baldato more or less admitted as much.

So you consider it justified for your sporting entertainment that Grand Tour contenders be put in the position of life threatening danger in order to compete ? There has always been an element of this but not to the same extent as exists now. As TCP noted recently, in the 80's and 90's not much ever happened on the descents, the descents used to be the periods in the race to cut to the adverts.

 

[MikeG]

So

Look out! Straw man alert........

you consider it justified for your sporting entertainment that Grand Tour contenders be put in the position of life threatening danger in order to compete ?

And there it is, right on cue.

There has always been an element of this but not to the same extent as exists now. As TCP noted recently, in the 80's and 90's not much ever happened on the descents, the descents used to be the periods in the race to cut to the adverts.

To make any of your premise stick, you'll have to come up with some evidence. Can you demonstrate in a verifiable / falsifiable manner that the Tour goes over steeper hills than it used to?

No, I thought not.

 

[smutchin]

So you consider it justified for your sporting entertainment that Grand Tour contenders be put in the position of life threatening danger in order to compete ?

These are highly experienced and skilled professional riders who are capable of making their own judgment as to how much risk to take. As mentioned earlier, Porte made a point of taking it easier on the opening stage time trial because he didn't want to risk crashing out of the race. He made an error of judgment by not applying the same principle yesterday.

Froome, Aru and Uran, by contrast, had the sense not to try to chase Bardet on the descent.

I'm far from being convinced the Tour is more dangerous now than it was in the past. And riders pushing themselves beyond their limits on descents is certainly nothing new.

 

[jarlrmai]

bad luck lad, no-one else can be bothered with break today.

Oh spoke too soon.