2011 Cycling Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

He'll never get another job in cycling again that's for sure.

Dragsy, when they get into the mountains it get really exciting. Pick a couple of guys you want to win and get behind them. All the attacks, counter attacks, guys running out of power and dropping out of the gorup - it can get your heart pumping pretty hard.

One of the things I like about the sport is that it's such a hard sport that you root for pretty much everyone. You have your favourites but only very few guys who you don't want to win, mainly the drug cheat guys or one specific team...or Contador.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Also, watch the main group coming to the end, Tony Martin nearly gets knocked off his bike by a spectator in blue danging his arms over the guardrail - the kid runs away quickly and Martin swerves massively to the side and nearly takes out those guys behind him.

[maninblack]

He's been sacked.

Good.

That being said, I wonder if they actually added these sort of hazards (bystanders, media vehicles, the occasional stray animal) in the official Tour de France videogame.

[IAceI]

With the mountains too, it's impossible for some of the guys to keep up. Like we were talking about earlier, Cavendish et al will fall of the back because they're sprinters so just allow the climbers to get on with it. Whereas in the flat stages the climbers wanting yellow or whatever ruin the lead outs and cause havoc in the sprint finish because they don't know what the hells going on. All because they want to stay in yellow, or compete for it, for the first couple of days of the Tour.

With the crashing, it must be hard because you see Fletcha, Hoogerland, Boonen etc all taken about by idiots either driving or standing too close to the road, and they have any chance of winning the stage/jersey ripped from them. It's unfair on someone like Fletcha who could have won that stage, to have it taken from him, because look how much each stage win means to Cav - even if he has so many of them, you still want to win every time you can. Plus it fucked up the breakaway, do they wait without knowing the severity of it all, do they keep going at the same pace? Not to mention they lose two extra bodies to work the front of the breakaway.

Edited July 11, 2011 by IAceI

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

That's why Voeckler and Sanchez were discussing whether to wait or not.

[IAceI]

Just as well they didn't really though, because they ended up some sixteen minutes back - and if they saw the severity of the crash I doubt there would have been any worry in their mind as to whether to carry on.

Is there no way, in that situation, a car/bike can't pass on a message to them or is that forbidden or whatever unless they dropped off the back of the peloton? Just it seems daft if they are considering waiting because they didn't realise Hoogerland's nads were ensnared in barbed wire.

[maninblack]

Just as well they didn't really though, because they ended up some sixteen minutes back - and if they saw the severity of the crash I doubt there would have been any worry in their mind as to whether to carry on.

Is there no way, in that situation, a car/bike can't pass on a message to them or is that forbidden or whatever unless they dropped off the back of the peloton? Just it seems daft if they are considering waiting because they didn't realise Hoogerland's nads were ensnared in barbed wire.

According to Wikipedia, they're phasing out the use of team radios in top-level cycling competition. I do not know if the ban is in effect for this season's tours though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_bicycle_racing#Teams

[IAceI]

I don't know if it's in affect yet because I think I heard the commentators mentioning it was still being used. But it can be hard to understand Sean Kelly if you aren't giving 100% concentration.

Also what do some of the riders carry underneath their vests? Is it just like arm warmers/rain vests and things, can't be anything too heavy as they shed every extra pound they don't need usually don't they? And I can't imagine they're porky, so I figured they must be carrying something in their vests. Is it just stuff if it starts raining basically?

[The Quasi Juice]

I remember Sanchez looking back immediately after, he saw the carnage and shook his head, but they were playing for something. They always say "the Tour waits for nobody". Voeckler obviously saw his opportunity to take the yellow jersey.

Also, fuck this day off.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Race radios have been phased out for, if memory serves correct, 2.1 races and below. That means there are still radios for the races on the main World Tour but of course there are hundreds of pro races each year, most of which aren't the very top races.

Riders shorts have built in "suspenders" I guess for pulling up over their shoulders, You can see them under the jerseys. Also they carry radio packs up their backs and into their ears. At the front they have mics to speak into if they need to. Also they often have heart rate monitors strapped around their chests so that they get a readout on their little bike computers which also give speed etc. That way they know how close to their limit they are. If it starts raining mid race then a rider will go back to the cars to grab lightweight jackets for the team. They also may wear arm or leg warmers if it's wet and miserable.

And yes, screw the rest day, but the ITV4 rest day highlights shows are normally pretty good.

[IAceI]

To be honest I think most riders are closer to death than usual this year. I'll allow them a one day rest as long as tomorrow is entertaining.

Although it makes a Monday afternoon at work drag.

[Cactus Drags]

I don't know if it's in affect yet because I think I heard the commentators mentioning it was still being used. But it can be hard to understand Sean Kelly if you aren't giving 100% concentration.

Also what do some of the riders carry underneath their vests? Is it just like arm warmers/rain vests and things, can't be anything too heavy as they shed every extra pound they don't need usually don't they? And I can't imagine they're porky, so I figured they must be carrying something in their vests. Is it just stuff if it starts raining basically?

I'm not sure if this is what you're on about, but a lot of them have little computer things strapped to their chests that spit out heart rate, workrate and such like. There's actually a website this year that live tracks information from this units and plots them on a Google Map type thing in realtime. I'll get the URL from my dad later (he's a massive cycling nut).

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Last year HTC had it available so you could follow them on the net with their position, speed etc. It was interesting to watch.

[IAceI]

Nah I figured they all had them in some form, the gym I go to has cycling/triathlon nuts and they usually train with some monitors and stuff on. It was more like an actual object down at their stomachs, I assume what these suspender things are.

Just interested as theres no racing today and I was curious.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Yumyum, David Millar's elbow:

Hoogerland's hip and leg:

[Lineker]

Police are also set to investigate the collision incident.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Katusha rider Alexandr Kolobnev is the first rider to test positive for drugs at this year's Tour de France. He's quit the Tour and if his B Sample is found positive then his team will fire him and he'll have to pay them FIVE TIMES his salary, which is in the contract Katusha make their riders sign.

[Quom]

Why is his arse covered in needle bumps Seriously though I don't know how else you would get callouses on your arse like that, it's not cellulite and I don't think you can get varicose vains on your bum.

If it's keloid/hypertrophic scarring (which is what it looks like, I get it too ) then the barb-wire scars aren't going to be pretty.

[Cactus Drags]

http://data.srmlive.de/TDF/

That site I was talking about the other day. It's pretty handy, although it gets a bit stuck in the mountains, poor signal I presume.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

http://data.srmlive.de/TDF/

That site I was talking about the other day. It's pretty handy, although it gets a bit stuck in the mountains, poor signal I presume.

Thomas Vaitkus just teleported across a field!