View Full Version : TdF ends: sadness, joy
Elefantino
07-22-2012, 11:34 AM
I always hate when the Tour ends because, well, because. Three weeks of obsession, over.
However, I've loved the last day of the Tour this year and last because when TV rolls the credits we get to hear the complete TdF theme music composed by fellow forumite Cody Westheimer! :hello:
MattTuck
07-22-2012, 12:24 PM
If the sprint had been another 100 yards, I think Sagan would have had it.
I didn't think this tour was as bad as many people said. Sure, the Brits ran away with it, but there was excitement on many of the individual stages.
Next year, 100th running, with (likely) Contador, Schleck, Hesjedal, Wiggins, Froome, Evans (who I think was sick through most of this tour), Nibali or Basso, and others.
That is probably going to be a much more competitive race. Also, if you believe Bob Roll's comments at the end today, a much more mountainous stage than this year. Should be fun to watch and see who seems well suited to the route.
benitosan1972
07-22-2012, 12:34 PM
I'm not so sure about Schleck(s) for next year, or for anything right now ;)
justinrchan
07-22-2012, 01:00 PM
Really was a snoozer of s tour as far as the GC goes.
Not a big fan of Contador but he does bring excitement to the Tour.
We still have the Vuelta plus the Tour of Utah and Colorado. I was personally a bit disappointed w the Tour but I think this was due to the course. It was also disappointing to have some many good riders crash out.
I watched the Tour of Utah last year and it was very good racing. I don't see Levi winning this year.
Alan
Really was a snoozer of s tour as far as the GC goes.
Not a big fan of Contador but he does bring excitement to the Tour.
He brings more than just excitement. Next year he'll get a hellish reception from the French public.
If the sprint had been another 100 yards, I think Sagan would have had it.
I didn't think this tour was as bad as many people said. Sure, the Brits ran away with it, but there was excitement on many of the individual stages.
Next year, 100th running, with (likely) Contador, Schleck, Hesjedal, Wiggins, Froome, Evans (who I think was sick through most of this tour), Nibali or Basso, and others.
That is probably going to be a much more competitive race. Also, if you believe Bob Roll's comments at the end today, a much more mountainous stage than this year. Should be fun to watch and see who seems well suited to the route.
Sagan always has a chance when the final sprint comes after a tight final corner within 600m of the finish line. Sky knew this and Cav kicked immediately to put Sagan in difficulty. He only closed in because he was drafting behind Goss.
On a classic long straight finish Sagan has no chance against top sprinters.
Oddly - ironically - I enjoyed it for the lack of drama; I felt like I could watch it casually, and if I missed a stage or two, it was okay. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the daily round-up; the gal that read the script just had an oddly off-putting delivery.
And I have to say, I was amazed by Sagan, and really happy for the Brits; now it's on to the Olympics and hopefully they'll shine there, too. With all the probs they've had in the last few years, I think they deserve to feel good about themselves for a change.
Fixed
07-22-2012, 02:42 PM
I heard a lot of guys saying the tour was boring . I don't think so
But one thing we can agree on I think is the photography ,I don't it has ever been better with h.d. T.v. ..outstanding IMHO
Cheers
LouDeeter
07-22-2012, 03:07 PM
Did anyone else find it strange at the podium ceremony that:
1) The U.S. guy, Maurice Greene, who presented the white jersey to TJ looked like he had come from the gym while the other dignitaries were dressed in nice suits or sports coats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAH8LEoEAs
2) A white t-shirt guy got into the ceremony to present the yellow jersey & it appeared that only after he tried to ham it up that Bernard Hinault figured out he wasn't supposed to be there and removed him.
wc1934
07-22-2012, 04:08 PM
I heard a lot of guys saying the tour was boring . I don't think so
But one thing we can agree on I think is the photography ,I don't it has ever been better with h.d. T.v. ..outstanding IMHO
Cheers
+1
road racing on tv (every nite) - I love it.
Seramount
07-22-2012, 04:24 PM
usually, after the end of a stage, my routine is to scroll ahead on the DVR schedule and set it up to record the next one...just realized that I don't have to do that for tomorrow. sigh.
already experiencing withdrawl symptoms...
altho I wasn't a huge Wiggo fan, I didn't dislike him either. good for the Brits to finally win one.
intially, I was put off by Sagan's theatrics, but he kinda grew on me after I watched him in a couple of interviews...a bit of a dufus, but likable.
Cav...meh. he's good, but...
cya Hincapie...nice run.
only 350-ish days until the next one...woohoo.
Climb01742
07-22-2012, 04:38 PM
always go through tour withdrawal. regardless of the level of drama, having cycling on TV for 3-4 hours a day is incredible. while the yellow jersey drama might not have been epic, there were still some really good days of racing, IMO.
and big props to wiggo for rubbing elbows today in the final 3kms to help position cav. there was some danger involved in that (as the crash evidenced). yet he did it for a teammate. pretty cool.
54ny77
07-22-2012, 04:41 PM
who on earth is that guy and what was he doing there?
agreed, that was ridiculous!
Did anyone else find it strange at the podium ceremony that:
1) The U.S. guy, Maurice Greene, who presented the white jersey to TJ looked like he had come from the gym while the other dignitaries were dressed in nice suits or sports coats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAH8LEoEAs
merlincustom1
07-22-2012, 06:32 PM
who on earth is that guy and what was he doing there?
agreed, that was ridiculous!
C'mon, doncha know we're the greatest country on Earth? Our Ambassador can dress just as casually as he likes!
hairylegs
07-22-2012, 07:07 PM
Wow - thanks so much for the shout out Elefantino! Means a lot. I am officially depressed the tour is over. Damn it! Only have to wait until Friday for the Olympics though!!!
Fixed
07-22-2012, 07:29 PM
Did anyone else find it strange at the podium ceremony that:
1) The U.S. guy, Maurice Greene, who presented the white jersey to TJ looked like he had come from the gym while the other dignitaries were dressed in nice suits or sports coats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAH8LEoEAs
2) A white t-shirt guy got into the ceremony to present the yellow jersey & it appeared that only after he tried to ham it up that Bernard Hinault figured out he wasn't supposed to be there and removed him.
Maurice green an enbrasament get dressed for the occasion IMHO
Cheers :eek:
If the sprint had been another 100 yards, I think Sagan would have had it.
If the sprint had been another 100 yards, the leadout would have started 100 yards later and Cav would have taken the front 100 yards later. Unless someone blocks or takes down another rider, there are no excuses or what ifs. As some great character in an old Dan Jenkins novel once said, "What could have happened DID happen". Cav won because he was the fastest/smartest/best sprinter in the race today, teams taken into account.
I've never been a big fan of the sprints or sprinters, but I LOVE to see that guy take off. His win the other day when he passed those non-sprinters at the very end was something to behold. The resigned look on Sanchez's face was priceless. Only when you see those guys fly past riders who are only REALLY FREAKING FAST, not the other sprinters who are nearly as fast at THEY are, do you really get a feel for the superhuman speeds they can hit. Cavendish boggles my mind on a fairly regular basis and has since that first year he really hit the scene and started to dominate.
-Ray
maxdog
07-22-2012, 10:01 PM
Not my fav Tour, but I still feel that void now that it's over.
Wow - thanks so much for the shout out Elefantino! Means a lot. I am officially depressed the tour is over. Damn it! Only have to wait until Friday for the Olympics though!!!
Cody,
Great Music/studio/Photos.... Congrats and thanks.
benitosan1972
07-22-2012, 10:06 PM
I didn't watch any of the Tour.
I did catch a few highlights via You Tube & spoilers here,
that being said, it really seemed boring, even with Tack-gate and Sagan-shuffle
DrSpoke
07-22-2012, 11:39 PM
At first I thought it was sort of boring in that there were few attacks in the mountains and none that really put Wiggins under pressure. I still feel sort of that way but in the end the Sky team put on a most impressive display of team cycling. They finished 1-2 in GC and though Cavendish didn't win the green jersay he did win 4 stages with a team non set up for sprinting. And I really loved watching the yellow jersey lead out the sprint on both Friday and Sunday. Such a great team and most will be riding for Great Britain next week. I'm picking Cavendish for Gold.
laupsi
07-23-2012, 05:28 AM
my prediction was stat Wiggo and Team Sky would not hold on to the Jersey; I was wrong and misjudged the strenght of both Winngs and Froome. My hat is off to them, they rode an excellent TDF.
Fixed
07-23-2012, 06:08 AM
my prediction was stat Wiggo and Team Sky would not hold on to the Jersey; I was wrong and misjudged the strenght of both Winngs and Froome. My hat is off to them, they rode an excellent TDF.
Spoken by a gentleman well said
Cheers IMHO
dauwhe
07-23-2012, 06:23 AM
Interesting note over at inrng... Even if you omit all the time trials, Wiggo still had the lowest overall time.
Interesting note over at inrng... Even if you omit all the time trials, Wiggo still had the lowest overall time.
That is interesting. Then again, if you omit all of the time trials, or just reduce their priority and importance in this particular route, the mountain teams would have approached the climbing stages differently, and there'd have been more of 'em, so I doubt he WOULD HAVE had the lowest time.
But so what, the course was the course and he was the strongest overall rider in the race. Maybe Froome could have taken enough time out of him on the climbs if he hadn't been riding in his service to overcome Wiggins' advantage in the TT, maybe not. We'll never know - that wasn't the race they ran.
It was the most boring TDF I've seen since I started following the sport closely in the mid-90s. But the right guy won, as is pretty nearly always the case.
-Ray
oldpotatoe
07-23-2012, 08:06 AM
Did anyone else find it strange at the podium ceremony that:
1) The U.S. guy, Maurice Greene, who presented the white jersey to TJ looked like he had come from the gym while the other dignitaries were dressed in nice suits or sports coats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAH8LEoEAs
2) A white t-shirt guy got into the ceremony to present the yellow jersey & it appeared that only after he tried to ham it up that Bernard Hinault figured out he wasn't supposed to be there and removed him.
Americans have no dress code, even in Paris...
Too bad Hinault didn't punch the guy, I really like Hinault...tough man, perfect for the TdF 'team'.
MadRocketSci
07-23-2012, 10:59 AM
Americans have no dress code, even in Paris...
he wasn't wearing flip flops, so he should be considered "dressed up"...at least by "american abroad" standards :)
phcollard
07-23-2012, 11:17 AM
2) A white t-shirt guy got into the ceremony to present the yellow jersey & it appeared that only after he tried to ham it up that Bernard Hinault figured out he wasn't supposed to be there and removed him.
Removed? Jettisoned you mean :D The Badger like in the good old days!
http://static.m.7sur7.be/art-image/W320H320Q100/81/41/0002814183.jpg
MattTuck
07-23-2012, 11:18 AM
According to this 'tweet', "I have just been asked to be an ambassador for the tour de France today. This is going to be fun. Only I will be in a car not on a bike :) " which according to twitter happened at 1:57am July 22, maybe he was a last minute replacement the night before?
Still, I'd have expected more for an 'ambassador', sports or diplomat.
http://twitter.com/MauriceGreene
torquer
07-23-2012, 11:21 AM
1. No comment on whether this tour was boring or not, but anyone else find it remarkable that only two riders wore the yellow jersey? When was the last time that happened?
2. Maurice Greene: US ambassador to France is Charles Rivkin (http://france.usembassy.gov/ambassador.html), not Maurice Greene. M. Greene is a track & field olympic medalist; "Following his track career he has become an ambassador for the IAAF and a TV personality, appearing on Identity, Blind Date and Dancing with the Stars."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Greene_(athlete)
3. According to Phil & Paul, Sagan needed to win on the Champs to get his Porsche from team management; according to cyclingnews, he already had it in the bag, having won the green jersey and two stages. Who are we to believe? (Rhetorical question.)
1centaur
07-23-2012, 11:55 AM
There were a few sprints/intermediate sprints along the way where Sagan did not go full gas and/or did not pedal all the way as he got blocked off and did not want to risk the full charge, which told me he COULD be a faster sprinter than he is if if wanted to be. However, I hope he does not try too hard to be a sprinter and instead tries to be a better Gilbert - a lot more fun that way. For example, I hope if the Tour has a lot of traditional sprinting finishes one year that Sagan does not try hard to win that green jersey.
I don't think Froome could have gained the time difference on Wiggins, especially if he was riding for another team. He certainly benefited from Sky's dedication to the Wiggins cause.
Wiggins, Evans, Nibali, Menchov, Van Garderen, Zubeldia...so many grinding climbers who are good time trialists, so little excitement in the mountains and so little chance to overcome the most boring stages - time trials - as the arbiters of yellow. How much I missed AC and an anchor-free Andy. When seeing whether TV or Valverde will survive to a high mountains finish is the highlight of the key mountain stages, it's hard to be pinned to the TV.
Please TdF organizers, big mountains early and long descents to the finish are race killers. Nibali is a famous descender and had incentive to attack lots of late descents and got nowhere, so who else is going to do it better? Give me mountain top finishes and medium (Cat 2 and 3) rolling stages as well as uphill drag finishes to break up the sprinting stages and time trials and don't bother with the parade up famous climbs in the first 50k or final descents of more than 4-5k.
Wonder what Valverde promised Nibali to get him to go back to the peloton.
Anybody else think Teejay sounded weasely when discussing almost hearing Cadel need a wheel as he passed him during the tack incident?
Karin Kirk
07-23-2012, 12:32 PM
Anybody else think Teejay sounded weasely when discussing almost hearing Cadel need a wheel as he passed him during the tack incident?
No, I thought he sounded refreshingly real and unpolished. He described what happened and kinda shrugged like he'd wished it had gone differently. But he didn't speculate and he didn't rearrange the story to try to make it sound like he did the right thing. My 2 cents is that is was just hectic and he didn't know what to do, and for that he felt bad afterward.
Teejay has impressed me so much in this tour. Both with his riding and with his humble, honest interviews. Despite the lack of spark in the GC, there were many great moments and fun personalities.
1centaur
07-23-2012, 05:44 PM
He actually seemed off to me all week. Sometimes media training creates an insincere affect that is not accurate. On the tack incident, I got a "whatever" attitude that did not match what I would have expected regarding the team leader (maybe related to media advice to keep smiling no matter what). Hearing him later asked about Cadel helping him, and hearing Cadel asked the same question, I got zero sense of warmth between them.
Hope I'm wrong.
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