2014 TdF - Telecast

[jonovision_man]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contado ... ne-descent

Van Den Broeck's account:

“I was very lucky. Contador crashed but it was his own mistake. Everybody was at ease. I was riding behind my teammates who were leading the peloton. I left a bit of a gap to keep things safe. Apparently he felt the need to overtake me. It was in his typical style, standing on the pedals. He hits a pothole and goes over the handlebars. His head was next to my front wheel. He could’ve taken me with him. I can’t understand why you take that many risks to move up one spot,” Van Den Broeck said after crossing the finish line.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s out of the race by the way I saw him crashing. It happened just next to me. It was a terrifying crash. I was surprised he managed to continue. He took risks, especially at that moment in the race. He was completely isolated. If you’re then going to sprint by everyone on a descent full of potholes and you hit one, then you go over the handlebars.”

jono

[La]

"It was in his typical style, standing on the pedals."

On a descent?

[Joe Dwarf]

Lots going on in today's stage. If you are PVRing, be sure to watch the 99K to go through 94K to go, there is something there not to fast-forward through.

Thanks for the tip! And I'm going to stay off social media until after I've had a chance to watch the stage so that it's not spoiled.

Be sure also to watch at 24.5K to go - before 24K comes explanation of an unidentified flying object that we did not know impacted the stage earlier on.

I like that Contador got back on his bike with a fractured tibia, but soccer players stay on the ground when someone breathes in their general direction. Nice contrast.

jono

You can bet that cyclists would act the hell out of that situation, were it possible to win the race by doing so as is the case in soccer.

[La]

[jonovision_man]

Talansky out due to previous crashes. Too bad after yesterday's gutsy survival ride. And another crash today, another rider out... it's been nuts this year.

Watching this crash-fest you have to have a certain awe that Lance managed to win* 7 straight. To avoid calamity through 3 weeks is not easy, to do it 7 times in a row is next to impossible. No drug in the world for that! The team was a machine and they protected Lance, but he was also sharp enough to know where to be when to avoid all the madness. And a bit lucky...

jono

[HCcD]

Regardless, of what they say about Lance, re: Doper ... He still had amazing bike skills ... remember the time when he literaly dropped off the mountain and was able to ride back into the course ... he was probably glad that there was an hairpin turn on the part of the course ... Ha !!!

Having said that ... this year definitely have been a lot of crashes so far .. a lot more rain in the first half, as compared to previous years, no ???

So, with all main contenders out of the race this year ... and with about a 2.5 minute lead, is there anybody remaining in the pack that could challenge Nibali ???

[La]

Regardless, of what they say about Lance, re: Doper ... He still had amazing bike skills ... remember the time when he literaly dropped off the mountain and was able to ride back into the course ... he was probably glad that there was an hairpin turn on the part of the course ... Ha !!!

The 2003 Tour was full of calamity - that was the year Lance rode through the filed when Beloki crashed in front of him (and had to jump over a ditch with his bike to get back on the road), and also the year his handle bars got caught in a spectator's musette/bag on the climb to Luz Ardiden and he went down hard (but the peloton waited for him to catch back up, just like he'd done a couple of years earlier when Ullrich went down an embankment at the side of the road).

[5km]

Having said that ... this year definitely have been a lot of crashes so far .. a lot more rain in the first half, as compared to previous years, no ???

21 riders out as of today. Apparently in 2012, 32 riders were out at this point.

Evidently this is the best year for the French in some 26 years with 44 riders in the Tour and 4 in the top 10.

[jonovision_man]

So, with all main contenders out of the race this year ... and with about a 2.5 minute lead, is there anybody remaining in the pack that could challenge Nibali ???

Hope so. Doping questions are already coming up thanks to his affiliation with Vino. Not sure another Astana winner is what cycling needs...

jono

[jonovision_man]

Fair bit of shake-up today, at least for the white jersey... yellow needs a miracle to come into play.

jono

[Double Bellybuster]

Phil Liggitt has never said "Frank Schleck" without immediately saying "...Champion of Luxumberg."

[jonovision_man]

Battle for polka dot is keeping this stage interesting so far! Should be a good one, guys have to be smarting from yesterday's though...

jono

[Dstew]

Regardless, of what they say about Lance, re: Doper ... He still had amazing bike skills ... remember the time when he literaly dropped off the mountain and was able to ride back into the course ... he was probably glad that there was an hairpin turn on the part of the course ... Ha !!!

Having said that ... this year definitely have been a lot of crashes so far .. a lot more rain in the first half, as compared to previous years, no ???

So, with all main contenders out of the race this year ... and with about a 2.5 minute lead, is there anybody remaining in the pack that could challenge Nibali ???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haEbtHiUcBc

[jonovision_man]

Found the battle for 2nd by the two French riders (and Valverde) was pretty entertaining in the end! Enjoyed that... as was the fight for the polka dot jersey.

That's about it though, yellow/green were decided too early on, barring calamity. I'd be happier for Nibali but I don't buy his denials, especially with old man Vino at the helm of Astana. Such is cycling.

jono

[HCcD]

I actually found this year's edition very entertaining ... with several of the top Heads of State out of the Tour early in the Tour, it allowed a number of the Domestiques to shine, and with stages, rather than being stooges to their Team Leader all the time .. I guess Team Sky, having won the last two Tours, and coming in 7th this year in the Team Classification, may have regretted some of their decision to putting all their eggs in one basket this year

[La]

I missed the last 30K of the final stage because my PVR cut out.

Overall, I was mildly interested in the Tour this year, but not as much as I was during the Armstrong years.

ETA: part of that, I think, was due to the mediocre TV coverage. No daily recaps, no pre/post-commentary from the desk, no banter between hosts, and (dare I say it?) no Bob Roll!

[marymac442]

I missed the last 30K of the final stage because my PVR cut out.

Overall, I was mildly interested in the Tour this year, but not as much as I was during the Armstrong years.

ETA: part of that, I think, was due to the mediocre TV coverage. No daily recaps, no pre/post-commentary from the desk, no banter between hosts, and (dare I say it?) no Bob Roll!

I pvr'd one day but the commentator was so boring I couldn't be bothered to watch.

[Habs4ever]

Overall, I was mildly interested in the Tour this year, but not as much as I was during the Armstrong years.

ETA: part of that, I think, was due to the mediocre TV coverage. No daily recaps, no pre/post-commentary from the desk, no banter between hosts, and (dare I say it?) no Bob Roll!

We PVR'd most of it too.
We felt pretty much like you. Mildly interested. If we missed a day of watching we weren't devastated.