GREAT stage yesterday. Perhaps Andy will pull through?

We should really see a lot of attacking on today's stage. I am really looking forward to it.

WOW.
 

Now THAT was a stage!

I admit to tears in my eyes when I saw Voeckler's pained yet grateful face, crossing that line and holding onto yellow. He also

I am BEYOND thrilled for Andy. "No guts, no glory".

I really respect how hard Cadel pushed himself.

And Contador? Eh...just can't say I am feeling all that bad for him.

More fantastic racing today!

Where the hell is Incubus? I am talking to myself here! :hammer:

Can't wait until tomorrow morning!

Hey, Incubus!

I was seriously just teasing you. You have just been the only one who has really had an interest in engaging about the details of the race, so that is why I was busting on you!

Watching right now. Catador made me a bit nervous yesterday even though I knew it would be very, very hard for him to make up the time.

From moment one I have been rooting for Andy, but Cadel has always been there in the back of my mind. He is a good rider, has never had a great team to support him (until this year..they are much better), and has such a history of choking that he kind of feels like an underdog to me. Being a great time trialest and being only 57 seconds behind Andy, there is a small chance he could make up the time. Andy though, has done better with his time trials the last couple of years, though.

I Big BIG good luck with your gig tomorrow!

Ok, commercial break over!

:-l
 

I have to admit to being a bit shocked, and a bit numb. And a bit bummed.

I never figured Andy would lose like that. :confused:

I suppose the last two days of hard riding was just too much for him.

Congrats to Cadel. He did work hard for it. It was nice to see the first Australian in history to win the Tour.

Great ceremony
 

I loved seeing the Schleck brothers ride with their arms around Cadel.

Seeing Andy grab a photographer's camera to fool around with it, indicates to me that he is really at peace with all of it.

Congrats to all Australians! First win ever in the the history of the tour (108 years!)!

:wine:

See this thread next year! :hangloose:

TOUR 2012
 

Le Tour de France 2012

Here you go folks. The thread is set to discuss the 99th tour. It begins next Saturday (June 30) and ends Sunday, July 22.

Below is info. on the route from the main site.

http://www.letour.fr/2012/TDF/COURSE..._parcours.html

So, who will be watching this year?

oh boy.... a Tour widow again....

hee hee :cheesy:


Poor Jo has no idea what is coming. :seeingstars: ha ha

Tell her it is only 4 hours every morning or 3 hours each evening, depending upon when you watch. That is not TOO much time, is it? :)


I figured I could count on you and Snack to join me!

What a Stage- Tour de France 2012
 

It was great to the French win this stage. It's been awhile since they've had a win like this. Viva France!

Oddly....I'm loving this (totally unexpected). :cheesy:

I'm as glued to the tv as Snack is!

It's quite addictive, isn't it? It is exciting to turn it on each day. I look forward to it all day.

Hey there! I haven't been around on this thread because I think of it when I get home from work, prior to watching the primetime version. I often don't turn on the TV until 10 minutes after the show has started. That way, I don't know who won the stage that day and can be surprised. Subsequently, I stay away from the thread, just in case someone has talked about a stage! I always mean to check the thread in the morning, but always forget.

I knew you would be excited about Brad this year, Incubus! Congrats to your country!

I agree! He takes risks many riders don't. 40 is certainly not young for the Tour!

Whoa!
 

...what a Stage today! It is a shame about Cadel.


Yes, I hope that RadioShack/Nissan will make it to the prodium as a team.

If Andy were around, he is who I would be supporting.

Tour coverage
 

I always look forward to the Tour! I hate to admit I'm not as knowledgeable as I'd like to be about it. I'll blame that on a short attention span. Someone had mentioned in a previous post about waiting until 10 minutes into prime time coverage to avoid stage results until their own viewing. I do the same! Though I'm kind of sad each day to not have been able to watch it LIVE.

I will say also that I miss Versus' coverage. I liked to watch for the word of the day or whatever they called the contest and also the trivia. I'm not one for contests, but I found that fun. *dork* I thought they had better video summaries of the stages - though don't count on my memory for that one. I catch up on bicycling.com. But they usually have just interviews and not much race video.

Anyway - I don't participate much in forums. I just wanted to let y'all know there's another Tour fan out there! :)

Wecome to the thread!

I agree with you about the change (re: Versus). I noticed that the coverage seemed less cohesive...something just seems "sloppy" or doesn't transition well, and also the lack of contests, but didn't put it together.

(oh, and I am the person who delays turning on the TV set!)

stage spoiler free post
 

Anyone else impressed with Chris Froome (hope I'm spelling that right) yesterday? I thought he had worn himself out, but clearly not. I like the team players who do all they can for their teammates.....but part of me would have liked to see what he could have done if he hadn't gone back for Wiggins near the end!

First off, I was very glad to see David Millar win the stage. Garmin has had a rough road of it and David hasn't wone a stage in years (10?). I am also glad just because he has always been a rider I have favored.

I know you love your Wiggo, Incubus, but I have just never taken to him for some reason (prior to this Tour).

What do you think about the talk of him having these moments of disrespect toward other riders and also his refusal to speak in French to the French press?

I know what you are saying that it reminds you of the Tours with Lance. I thought the same thing. (of course, the feeling attached to that thought was sadness that Lance is no longer riding).

I know what you are saying about wanting to see what Froome can do. Especially when I first starting watching the Tour I would have the same thoughts when I saw riders who appeared stronger than their leader. Froome will have his day, though. Some team, or Sky will at some point pick him up to take on that role.

No doubt, we will see the same happen to Tejay. He is young so I am hopeful that he might be our new Lance! (ok, one can dream, right?) He does well on both the flats and the mountains, so he really may be a Tour contender some day.

Ok, I will stop rambling...stage 13 is on!

I was pleased to see Millar win a stage; it's been quite some time since he did. Infact I think he was still doping when he last did. What I like about him is that he is now an anti-drug activist after coming back from his drug ban. However I have a little problem with the Brit Olympic folks making an exception for him (and Dwayne Chambers I think) in their policy of proven drug cheats never being allowed to compete for Team GB in any Olympics.



Bradley comes across as a really nice chap when in conversation and has been a fabulous ambassador for the sport here. As regard to his refusal to speak French - I remember when Lance Armstrong did the same despite being able to speak French - but I think it's no big deal really, except to those who think 'tradition' means never changing anything..anyhoo, not so sure the peleton all speak Italian for the Giro or Castillian for the Vuelta.

As regards 'disrespect'; egos clash, petty squabbles break out, personalities get in the way...such is life when you spend 24/7 with the same people for weeks on end :cheesy:

I understand you lot miss Lance, he was talented but didn't ride in or win any of the other major races sadly, so isn't in my personal top 5 riders. I miss Big Mig. Wiggo has the potential one of the great riders but we shall see if he can handle the potential and deliver.


Froome, van Garderen and Sagan are all young guys to watch in the years to come. I can't wait to see their stories unfold.

Time for me to settle down to today's stage which I haven't heard even a glimmer about so it'll all be a surprise. It's a cracking tour this year. I'm glad y'all are enjoying it too. cheesy:

Personal bests/break aways
 

Okay... so I know The Tour showcases cycling as mostly a team sport. I appreciate that aspect and the skills and strategy involved. I find myself waiting for someone (Froome, etc) to really bust it out on their own. They all have their jobs to do in the team - to protect and bring forward their captain. As we've seen, the others may actually be stronger than their captains. Eh... it would just be fun to watch.

Also... I imagine many of you have wondered over the years about female professional cyclists participating and/or having an equivalent tour. Alas, we know how that goes...

I just found this interesting article, about the 6 women cyclists that are currently riding the entire Tour course, ahead of the men. They are working cooperatively rather than racing...which naturally changes things. However, it shows that women can ride this course...and I love that they're doing it.

The goal is to raise awareness about women's cycling...and the need for sponsorship equivalent to the men's in order to help young cyclists develop and grow.

http://reve.cc/blog/archives/351

Another article. I saw advertised during the tour the site through Cannondale, but didn't find it when I went on the site and don't have time this morning to search.

Searching
 

for more info on the Reve Women's team. Thanks much to Dapper and JustJo for links to those articles. While watching The Tour a couple days ago, I saw a commercial for the team of 6 women. I enjoyed Heidi Swift's interview in the article JustJo posted. She seems so down-to-earth and makes me really excited for their adventure and what a real possibility women's cycling could hold in the future. Kudos to them!

I haven't had a lot of time on the internet today, so I haven't been able to talk about the Reve Women's team blogs that have been mentioned...

48 cycle tire punctures yesterday! Plus 3 of the 5 media motorcycles and some portion of police motorcycles. Terrible.

I've got the prime time version of today's stage on right now. ;-)

I hope y'all are having fun today!

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/roa...rance-winner-0

Well Lordy! The boys did it :cheesy:

Team Sky were disciplined and rode so damned well. Every man played the part he'd been given and the executed the job perfectly.

I can only applaud their collective achievement. Bradley has already spoken of riding in a team supporting Froome. Watch this space. There's more to come from this bunch.

Loads of guys rode well. It's been a cracking Tour all round.

2012 Tour de France
 

I full filled one of my "bucket list's" by being physically present for the last stage of the tour. It was everything I dreamed it would be. It was great to be around so many cycling enthusiasts, the energy, the floats, the different teams, it was great. I'm thinking of returning in two years and catching the last four stages.

Holy crap, no way! I am so glad you got to experience that. That is on my bucket list, as well!

I'm sure everyone has seen this, but....
 

http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/st...6pLid%3D196452

I don't even know what to think. I know one thing, it makes me sad. If it is true, it makes me sad. If it is not true and he lost his titles for no reason, it makes me sad.

Nothing good here....