Tour of Utah

[exapkib]

Surprisingly entertaining stage today--should be a fun finish. 21 Miles to go at the time of this posting.

Here's a link (http://tourtracker.tourofutah.com/) to the tour tracker.

[alyosha_s]

yea, would have been even more interesting had kiel reijnen not been taken out! happy for the canuck Dahl though, they need some new fresh talent, especially after Hesjedal is retiring.

[kramnnim]

The commentators are not awesome to listen to. :crap:

[spookyload]

Todd G. is knowledgeable but flat. Has the other guy doing color commentary ever watched a cycling race?

[spookyload]

Forgot to add that Chris Horner looks like he is going through chemo treatments. Yikes...he looks bad.

[spookyload]

Not sure where the "I hate Paul and Phil" thread was, but holy hell...the FoxSports2 crew of Steve Brown and Todd G. are horrid. The only thing worse is the guy in the car. I honestly think Steve Brown knows nothing about cycling, yet is commentating one of the biggest races in the US. Maybe I should go to India and commentate a cricket match. I would be as effective.

[David Kirk]

I watched the last hour of the coverage last night and enjoyed it.

dave

[txcid05]

Yeah the commentators leave much to be desired....but the racing is solid. Some great talent, and even the scenery is nice. Though my feed is kinda crappy, I can still make out the landscape a bit. The Tour Tracker is a very cool touch too! :D

[scooter01]

what happend to the one bike in the beginning of the race, it looks like ot just broke half?
I could not find anything on the net

[Keith A]

I watched the last hour of the coverage last night and enjoyed it.

daveGreat ride by Carpenter.

what happend to the one bike in the beginning of the race, it looks like ot just broke half?
I could not find anything on the netThe online commentators said something about a wheel, but I don't think that was true. The commentators on the TV show, mentioned a chain or pedal...but they didn't really know.

[Fivethumbs]

I thought his front wheel washed out from under him.

[Keith A]

I thought his front wheel washed out from under him.Watching the start of stage 3 coverage today, they said it was a chain issue???

[drewskey]

Every race that uses the "tour tracker" makes me wish every race licensed this technology.

[txcid05]

Every race that uses the "tour tracker" makes me wish every race licensed this technology.

Absoloutely...I really enjoy the coverage. I had to turn the volume down though...commentators are kinds goofy.

[vertebraille]

For anyone who bought the NBC Sports Gold package, how does the Tour of Utah's tour tracker/coverage compare? Digging this tracker a lot.

[exapkib]

The descent off of Mount Nebo is incredible. Watching these guys roll down so fast is absolutely mind boggling.

[sizzlechest]

Re: The "commentators" for 2016:

Tim Johnson:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Johnson_%28cyclist%29
Don't mind him. Gets it right most of the time. Doesn't talk out his backside. Still wish he wasn't such a "cyclist" when commentating.*
[*Has no one else noticed that cyclists are not the greatest commentators, and commentators are not the greatest cyclists? Hey, broadcasters, that's ok. Specificity is a hallmark of the species. Move on and do it right, you're not going to hurt peoples feelings and you'll have a more... interesting broadcast? which will actually draw people to the sport you're trying to promote? The... goal? I thought?]

Frankie Andreu:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Andreu
(Also known as: "FakieFrankie"(his own twitter handle btw), "Frankie Asterisk", "Frankie Aster-strong", "Marble Mouth", and "The Other Cheater" ...among others)
If anyone doesn't know or remember who this guy is, he's one of the several figures of American Cycling who irreparably trashed the sport and its reputation less than a decade ago during the Armstrong era; and who finally testified against Armstrong after a series of "born-again moments of clarity" ...coincidentally after his wife threatened to leave him if he didn't stop the BS.
Now, those are the facts.
Here's the opinion...

Opinion:
Why the cycling world (including anyone reading this) hasn't completely turned its back on Asterisk as they did with Lance and all others involved in the (ongoing) scandal, remains a complete mystery to many of us. Not only is he allowed to maintain a presence in the sport, but he runs a development team and is allowed to pontificate and extrapolate on TV during the best cycling event in the Country - annually. ...I mean, wha?
I, for one, don't really CARE what he "has to offer" the sport at this point. I would say that - for what he DID to the sport - he shouldn't be expecting ANY acceptance, much less a place within it or a paycheck from it. I would say that he should be flipping burgers after what he pulled.
But then, that would be an insult to burger-flippers everywhere.
(And yeah, that goes for Hincapie and all his "acceptances" and "involvements" and "new contributions" within the sport, too.)
Moreover, he really is just a horrible commentator.
Names, places, timings, tactical theory, pronunciations, events... facts... the English language... He'll find a way to mangle them all. ...And often. I've never seen someone allowed to do a broadcast who makes so many mistakes in a five minute period as Frankie Asterisk. And the marble-mouth thing? Psh. Enough.
This guy has no place in the sport, much less on TV trying to talk about it. And, again, when I hear him "talking shop" and can never divorce his past transgressions from anything and everything he says...
Yeah. Why don't we just bring LANCE in and see what he thinks, too.
Talk to the hand, buddy.
YOU are why I have to MUTE the Tour Tracker.

(Deep breath.... And exhaaaale...)

That said, the Tour Tracker ("powered by Adobe") is simply delightful.
The most live data the cycling community has seen since... the European version of the same name (perhaps harnessed by the same developers/organizers?) covering a decent chunk of the UCI calendar. (...And worth every penny, btw.)
But a FREE app, that covers AMERICAN cycling, ...and works?
Plus about a thousand. +++++

Now... if they could just get commentators worthy of America's Toughest Race.
(What's the cycling schedule look like for Phil Liggett or Carlton Kirby this time of year?)

[coffeecake]

Moreover, he really is just a horrible commentator.
Names, places, timings, tactical theory, pronunciations, events... facts... the English language... He'll find a way to mangle them all. ...And often. I've never seen someone allowed to do a broadcast who makes so many mistakes in a five minute period as Frankie Asterisk. And the marble-mouth thing? Psh. Enough.

I have not heard Frankie on the TOU coverage, but I just listened to him last week commentating on the Intelligentsia Cup Goose Island grand prix. WOW was he mangling words and making mistakes all over the place. The dude was enthusiastic, but it was as if his mouth was moving faster then he could think and gibberish started coming out.

Brad Sohner, on the other hand, was great.

[eBAUMANN]

whoever the "1 to go 1 to go 1 to go 1 to go" dude is...drives me crazy. i cant stand that "ive been smoking cigars and yelling for the past 20 years" announcer voice. pretty much anyone yelling into the mic and freaking out at every possible occasion...not my favorite.

frankie sounds like a total wiener sometimes, mouth definitely moving faster than his brain.

to talk about the racing....holy HELL is today's stage boring. they have seemingly been doing laps up and down the same desert highway for the past 3 hours. talk about a throwaway stage...

[vertebraille]

This stage has got to be taxing mentally for the racers. ~100 miles of highway laps...

[exapkib]

I agree--not sure who was responsible for choosing the route for this state, but it is a huge disappointment. So many interesting, challenging routes they could have chosen, and someone thought it was a good idea to do 100 flat miles in the barren wastelands of Salt Lake county's west side.

Can't win them all, I guess.

[jlwdm]

Tough to watch Tour of Utah after Tour de France. I watch at 4x or 8x fast forward and stop if something happens - which is pretty rare.

Jeff

[sizzlechest]

whoever the "1 to go 1 to go 1 to go 1 to go" dude is...drives me crazy. i cant stand that "ive been smoking cigars and yelling for the past 20 years" announcer voice.

Holy crap I hate that stuff.
I think it's one of these guys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tQLip1ltw
...Brad Sohner I think. (Guy on the right in the vid.)

As a podium announcer, not having something substantial to say is an issue; screaming it does not make it more interesting or important. ...Or exciting. (#hitlerscreaming)
He was doing podiums for USA Pro Challenge last year, too; and does ToC, too.
Who does the casting for this movie? Come ON with the over the top.

[eBAUMANN]

Holy crap I hate that stuff.
I think it's one of these guys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tQLip1ltw
...Brad Sohner I think. (Guy on the right in the vid.)

As a podium announcer, not having something substantial to say is an issue; screaming it does not make it more interesting or important. ...Or exciting. (#hitlerscreaming)
He was doing podiums for USA Pro Challenge last year, too; and does ToC, too.
Who does the casting for this movie? Come ON with the over the top.

Yep.

Honestly, I just feel embarrassed for american cycling that he (or any movie-trailer voice screamer) is the chosen "voice" of such high profile events with international talent present. Its just a bit...much.

Kinda how I feel about CX Vegas as well...what a terrible showcase for "cyclocross in America." Couldnt be further from it.

[shovelhd]

Dave Towle is better, but not by much. Same gravel voice, same hype dialect, same yelling. Towle usually does Nats.

[sizzlechest]

Kinda how I feel about CX Vegas as well...what a terrible showcase for "cyclocross in America." Couldnt be further from it.

Werd.
How does a nighttime grass crit in desert heat reflect cyclocross, again?

CX Vegas is just another extension of the master schmooze-fest of the year: Inter-bike.

I don't mind it as a season opener; as an "exhibition", maybe. But to make it part of the World Cup series seems... weird.

Money.

[azrider]

Great sprint from McCabe to take win on todays stage

[Fivethumbs]

Very anticlimactic after TOF but I liked seeing Gogulski back on a bike though (former rider for Crest, Coors Light and other cool teams).

[azrider]

Very anticlimactic after TOF but I liked seeing Gogulski back on a bike though (former rider for Crest, Coors Light and other cool teams).

ha....funny to hear you say "former rider for Crest." Just yesterday I was looking at Craigslist and saw the below ad and never even knew they had a team. Now here I've heard it twice in two days.

Random.

http://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_dtJDYhhxYlp_600x450.jpg

[Fivethumbs]

Blasts from the past.

[eBAUMANN]

Wow...frankie...cmon man.

It seems like he doesnt even hear what he is saying sometimes, names the wrong stage winner/race leader and just keeps on plowing through his script without acknowledging he screwed up THE MOST IMPORTANT DETAIL OF WHAT HE WAS COMMUNICATING.

Dude needs to slow...it...down, his brain cant keep up.

Also, the way he says "jelly belly..."
He's got a slight case of professor frink (simpsons) going on.

[sizzlechest]

Man, what a bike day.
Olympic Road Race a sufferfest for all, and an anything-but-predictable series of events before the finish. Poor everyone who crashed, but especially poor Rafal Majka. What a heartbreaker of a loss (or Bronze).
I can't think of a tougher way to lose a first place podium than watching it fade away from you... slowly.
...Except, perhaps, for crashing.
...Or finding out someone cheated.
...But enough about Frankie...

Stage 6 ToU a completely different kind of sufferfest today, and Talansky takes GC!
(sorry, spoiler alert)

Man, close business. Twenty-two seconds on Morton and a non-mountaintop finish tomorrow.
In fact, with 9+ MILES of descent (no, Frankie Always-Wrong, NOT "9k" of descent - yes, I made a mistake and un-muted today) from the last summit to an uphill finish, (almost) anything could happen.
Edit: Welp, according to ToU Stage 7 profile from website (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tourofutah-rails/stages/elevation_imgs/000/000/007/original/TOU-2016-Stage-7-Profile-vFINAL.png?1465834549), supposed to be 9 miles to finish, not k. So marbles had it right. ...Guess it happens sometimes.
...With a little help from his teammates, and some wisdom, hopefully Andrew/Cannondale-Drapac will cover the top 4 on GC, and (almost) anything won't happen.

[exapkib]

Sure was a good one today!

I was thinking about earlier comments about how hard it is to get excited about the Tour of Utah, and I realized that the main draw for me is to watch the pros race on roads that I ride all the time. Incredible to get an up close glimpse of what the right kind of genetics and training ;) can do for you. Watching them crank up and over Guardsman and then up Little Cottonwood was pretty inspiring.

[sizzlechest]

Watching them crank up and over Guardsman and then up Little Cottonwood was pretty inspiring.

If I had what it takes to take half to two-thirds less time to climb over such alpine-inclines, I'd be more inspired in general to do them more often, too. :D

But then, if I motored up them at all as often I might be closer to what it takes. :o

...And around the wheel goes.

The guys are animals either way.

[clawhammer]

I was up at the finish line today, and maybe it's just the excitement of watching my first race, but it was pretty exciting. The weather was crazy, but it was fun to huddle under the patio with everyone waiting for the thunderstorm to roll through. There was the amateur challenge happening before the race, so there were a lot of local riders coming through the finish line even just a few minutes before the race.

The podium announcers are definitely crazy- they sounded more like boxing match announcers. Lots of crazy phrases- the one I remember was "A wattage cottage!" :crap: I was waiting for a "Let's get ready to rummmmmble!" In their defense, though, it seems like American crowds don't have the innate energy for cycling races that European crowds do, so maybe the organizers feel the need to have something extra to get them going.

It was fun to watch Adrian Costa—he definitely looks like an 18-year-old. He reminds me a lot of Adam Yates from the TdF. There was also a lot of love for TJ Eisenhart, who hails from Lehi, Utah.

PS: don't let them fool you—Snowbird's only got ski runs open til the 4th of July on a really good snow year. Most years you're lucky to be open past Memorial Day.

[sizzlechest]

Man. What a ride by Morton!
A well-earned win.

And poor Talansky.
And poor Mara Abbot in Rio.
And really poor Annemiek van Vlueten with that horrible crash on the descent. I hope she's ok.

Just completely different levels of riding, yet so dang close all over the place.

[bikinchris]

FS2 is supposed to show the stage right now and it's not playing. Bummer.

[azrider]

Man. What a ride by Morton!
A well-earned win.

here here

way to put it all on the line and go for it in the style he did, attacking at the base of the climb.

I would venture he's not riding for Continental team next year.

[BobO]

here here

way to put it all on the line and go for it in the style he did, attacking at the base of the climb.

I would venture he's not riding for Continental team next year.

As I understand it, he has no desire to move up.

[azrider]

As I understand it, he has no desire to move up.

Millennials......ugh.....








;)

[BobO]

Millennials......ugh.....








;)

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/09/lachlan-and-gus-morton-one-brothers-stepback-anothers-comeback/

[Elefantino]

As I understand it, he has no desire to move up.
You understand incorrectly.

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/lachlan-morton-id-like-to-have-another-shot-at-the-worldtour/

[BobO]

You understand incorrectly.

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/lachlan-morton-id-like-to-have-another-shot-at-the-worldtour/

Ya, as I posted above, apparently he was not well adjusted at the world tour previously and used this year as a career reset of sorts.

[Elefantino]

Ya, as I posted above, apparently he was not well adjusted at the world tour previously and used this year as a career reset of sorts.
The last two years with J-B have been regathering years. He signed for two years only.

He's a good kid. Very honest and open. And funny.

[ptourkin]

As I understand it, he has no desire to move up.

He does and has mentioned it in the media. Dad is tight with Drapac. Look that way.

[Keith A]

I've watched most of the stages on FS2 with Gogo and someone else, and they aren't bad. But wow, I listed to most of the final stage on the Tour Tracker (which is great), and Frankie leaves some room for improvement. He couldn't seem to keep anything straight and often would immediately correct himself after saying something completely wrong. Give me Phil, Paul or Bob any day over Frankie.

As for the race, it was sad to see Talansky not have the legs and kudos to Morton taking the race to Talansky, and coming up with the win.

BTW, what was with Talansky going out early with that break? It seems like he burned up too many matches then.

[clawhammer]

I ran across this article that gives a good behind-the-scenes look into how a bike race like this is funded. Some pretty good insight, and now I don't feel quite so fleeced when I go to his movie theaters.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/08/news/what-can-american-cycling-learn-from-the-tour-of-utah_417619