Didn't watch the Tour

[FlashUNC]

Give me the Classics and a gold Monument anyday. More aggressive racing, more chances taken. Far too much defensive riding in the Tour, and thats on the organizers planning a by-the-numbers hum-drum affair.

Giro and Vuelta at least try to mix it up. This Tour was apparently over at Stage 10.

Lombardia and the World's can't get here fast enough...

[rustychisel]

To be honest, lotta jumping at conclusions and very little bicycle racing going on in this thread.

The Tour was neither boring nor over by Stage 10. If you want aggressive riding, check out Bardet's descent of the Glandon, much more exciting than the ascent. But check out Valverde and Quitana and crew trying to kick open the door over 2 or 3 successive stages in the Alps, not to mention Nibali's (did he or didn't he peek?) attack.

You might not like the outcome, but at least allow that they tried. Bardet like dhis chances so much he tried again, and stayed away for a solo win. Now that was racing.

[Llewellyn]

I think I might be done with the Tour now. I just don't like the Sky approach and the predictable pattern of many of the stages. There were a couple of interesting mountain stages but that's it. The scenery was lovely but I don't think that's going to be enough to make me watch it next year.

I'll still watch P - R though

[Ray]

As with every year I watched sporadically during the flat stages, always on DVR, and often skipped large portions before the sprint. Although I watched a lot more in the cobbles and the wind-break stages...

But the mountain stages I watch almost all the way through, for the amazing way these guys climb, for the descents, for the scenery - I love these stages. I usually start watching the recording a couple hours after the stage starts so I can fast forward through the commercials and get to the finish at roughly the same time as the riders.

I don't think there's been a fully clean Tour winner since we started getting decent coverage in the U.S., or probably ever. Possible exception of Cadel - and if that's really true he's gotta be the athlete of the century. I don't think it ever has been or ever will be a clean sport - it's just too damn hard at the GT level. I don't care. I hated Lance because he was an a$$hole, not because he doped. None of the other guys bother me.

I wish the Giro still got that beautiful HD coverage - I'd be glued to portions of that race still too...

-Ray

[Ti Designs]

I'm more worried about the impact of overexposure to media than any problems the race itself may have. The tour is perhaps the worst case for many reasons. People identify with racers, the image quality is always getting better and they make an attempt to put the viewer right in the action. There's a screen in the shop where people can watch the Tour, you can see them all leaning as the peloton navigates turns. The problem is they start taking it in as if it were first person experience - what they know about cycling is based on watching it, not doing it.

I've been studying the Dunning-Kruger effect as it applies to cycling, with my focus on why it happens. Why would someone with no practiced or tested skills assume they are in the 70th percentile? One part of that is ease of assumption - watch the pros in the Tour, does that look hard to you? They're just riding their bikes, it's not a hard assumption for the viewer to make that they could do that too. If there were juggling chainsaws it might be different... Another reason (which Dunning-Kruger covers) is the lack of actual testing. Nobody goes from watching the tour to jumping in a pro race. If they did, the opinions about what happened in the Tour would be very different.

[phcollard]

I did watch the Tour because I had the feeling that as a cycling fan I had to. Most of the time after a few minutes I started doing something else while watching it.

I'm neutral about it. Kinda liked a few epic moments. But in all honesty I found the Giro MUCH more interesting! I'll watch the Tour again though, especially if it's a good excuse to have a belgian beer with my father

[jlwdm]

The Tour is one of the greatest sporting events in the world and far and away the greatest cycling event. Each team brings its best riders as opposed to the watered down teams at the Giro and Vuelta. Every stage has meaning.

I work at home so I record every stage and watch each stage twice although not with my full attention.

I love the scenery and the racing is the highest level of the year. Riders fight hard just to be on the Tour team.

I can understand not liking Sky but you have to respect the fact that Sky is the only team committed 100% to winning the Tour. You don't see riders trying to win stages - everyone is focused on helping the team leader.

For those of you who think the Tour was not very exciting but did not watch much of it your opinions are not worth much. If you don't watch the Tour move on and post about something you like. Don't post over and over again about your dislike for the Tour.

Same for the posters who post about doping over and over again. Give your opinion once and go find something positive to do with your time. Hopefully you will feel better.

I love the Classics and I love the tour - they are not mutually exclusive.

The internet brings out the worst in a lot of people.

I did ride every day of the tour also.

Jeff

[jr59]

Originally Posted by phcollard

it's a good excuse to have a belgian beer with my father

Best reason ever

[Ralph]

Didn't watch any this year. No rider caught my interest. About the only thing my riding has in common with Pro racing is my wheels are round also.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Michael Maddox

This has been the first year in recent memory that I did NOT follow the Tour. Granted, I paid a little attention to online stories and threads, and even saw a few highlights from the early stages, but when Froome took the lead and seemed destined to keep it, I just didn't tune in.

I don't KNOW that Froome is a doper. I don't know that any of them are, but there is something about grand-tour pelotons these days that simply doesn't excite me. Or...rather...it's something that actually REPELS me.

I haven't given up on pro cycling; you'll find me in front of 'cross and classic footage all the time, but the grand tours? Not a chance.

Has anyone else experienced this growing pessimism with this part of pro cycling? Or is it just my crotchety, old-man attitude?

Nope, I didn't watch the SuperBowl, WorldCup, Wimbleton, NBA championship, BCS 'bowl', Stanley Cup finals, only a couple of World Series games, no US Opens, blah, blah...

Cross and classic footage?..no dopers there.

[gemship]

It's a complicated list of reasons why I didn't watch the tour that go beyond this the meaning of this thread but much like other professional sports here in America except for the Olympics....you have to pay for premium sports coverage to watch them. Now there is a very good reason to not watch the Tour!

I am in the minority here I suspect of folks who literally have limited cable tv access by choice and I don't feel like paying to stream it thru my computer either.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Ti Designs

I'm more worried about the impact of overexposure to media than any problems the race itself may have. The tour is perhaps the worst case for many reasons. People identify with racers, the image quality is always getting better and they make an attempt to put the viewer right in the action. There's a screen in the shop where people can watch the Tour, you can see them all leaning as the peloton navigates turns. The problem is they start taking it in as if it were first person experience - what they know about cycling is based on watching it, not doing it.

I've been studying the Dunning-Kruger effect as it applies to cycling, with my focus on why it happens. Why would someone with no practiced or tested skills assume they are in the 70th percentile? One part of that is ease of assumption - watch the pros in the Tour, does that look hard to you? They're just riding their bikes, it's not a hard assumption for the viewer to make that they could do that too. If there were juggling chainsaws it might be different... Another reason (which Dunning-Kruger covers) is the lack of actual testing. Nobody goes from watching the tour to jumping in a pro race. If they did, the opinions about what happened in the Tour would be very different.

Kinda like any sporting event? From powered sports to golf, to ball sports to put name of sport here. It's entertainment, it's escape, it's imagined freedom to 'just ride your bike and get paid'.

"I could do that", feeling..just hitting a little white ball a couple of times to get into a cup. The 'problem', isn't coverage of sport/cycling. The problem is watching it, buying a bike, not liking it, hanging it up and buying a tennis racket. Safer, easier, less stress and strain.

But it's entertainment and escapism..so what. Their time. If somebody gets on a bike, looks like crap, can't climb a hill, but enjoys it..supposed to be 'fun', yes?

Making it into a job, makes it into a job.

[Ti Designs]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

But it's entertainment and escapism..so what. Their time. If somebody gets on a bike, looks like crap, can't climb a hill, but enjoys it..supposed to be 'fun', yes?

Very egalitarian, but I've seen people struggle up hills and I've seen good riders climb, being good at it is way more fun. The "I just do it for fun" is just a slightly more enlightened version of Dunning-Kruger, it's not that they don't know, but they don't care or feel the effort to be better at something isn't worth it. Oddly, the people who don't feel the effort is worth it aren't the people who have made the effort...

I've worked with a lot of people on climbing technique over the years (some of them are here). I've never had anyone say that learning wasn't worth it, or they wish they could erase what they learned so they could just ride and have fun.

[buddybikes]

Who won?

Actually tried to watch few nights but 5 min of blabing during the race then 5 min of ads, click...

[Ti Designs]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

Who won?

.