The 100th Edition Of The Tour de France: Chirps, Opinions, News, Updates.

[Vetseun]

 

I would expect this to be the cleanest tour in long time- But who knows ?

Hope so Buddy. Actually sad that when a pro cyclist does well, we have to ask questions.

[EZRider]

Okay - now 2 of us.

 

Go SAGAAAAAANN !!

 

Then there were three...

 

Go SAGAAAAAAN !!

[SwissVan]

All these times that people are using for comparisons and jumping to conclusions with...

 

1. Where do the times start from, is there a magical start line somewhere with an old guy standing there with a stop watch and cell phone talking to his wife at the finish line or is it an electronic timing mechanism and has he / she / it been standing in the exact same spot for the last 15 years?

2. What did the bikes weigh in those days compared to this years tour, the exact difference in weight?

3. What was the weather conditions like, especially the wind and air temp? Was there more or less of a head / tailwind, cooler or hotter?

4. How much advantage did each stage winner have from drafting compared to other stage winners?

 

All the above refer to Ventoux or any other similar climb that is used for comparing individual performance.

[jcza]

The Science of Sport

 

Good insight from @fredgrappe on performance analysis in cycling: "Intellectually speaking, it would be wide of the mark to attribute the performances (of Froome) to doping."

 

Grappe analyses the performances and models their physiological implications, as I did after Ax-3-Domaines (link in comments below).

 

He is right, because this intellectual approach cannot, with certainty, reach a 'verdict' based on the performances seen thus far in the 2013 TDF.

 

That's because, as I've tried to emphasize many times, we cannot work within a framework of X = doping and Y = clean. This would be true even if the SRM files were available for every rider, please note. There is too much context, and that data is just data without interpretation and insight, which is where it can become valuable.

 

But dogma and certainty obscure insight and interpretation, and it devalues the process in the mind of people who want a 140 character tweet saying "It was X, he's doped" or "It was Y, he's clean".

 

Actually, there is a point, X, that would equal doping (6.5W/kg for an hour at the end of a TDF stage is beyond that point), but we are not seeing those just yet. We are currently in an 'orange' zone where the performances are:

 

a) Plausible

B) At the upper end of human capability (but this is the race for cyclists who belong there)

c) Worthy of skepticism only because the bigger picture, which includes cycling's history & certain persistent characters

 

So let's move away from words "proof", "convinced" and "certainty", and rather work through a process (hypothesis then measurement is that process) that grows understanding longitudinally, puzzle piece by puzzle piece. This is not a substitute for police work, after all.

 

And finally, recognize that the purpose of this whole exercise is not to catch and expose cheats, but to seek evidence that the sport is moving in the right direction. It's a credibility creating process. If it exists, this will find it - it has been this way since 2009, when the first "hypothesis" was created, and when I first began to look for the numbers and their implications. So do return to the beginnings to see the original objectives.

 

Until the next round, in the Alps...!

 

Ross

 

(from Ross Tucker, Science of Sport)

[kosmonooit]

Hope so Buddy. Actually sad that when a pro cyclist does well, we have to ask questions.

 

Go listen to that rest day press conference I posted - and take note what Chris says at the end.

[Eldron]

Rolling up the Ventoux before the PROs roll through

 

Bucket List, anyone?

 

 

 

Attention bicycle fans,

 

Before you die do a Etap du Tour. It's a race that covers one EXACT stage of the tour (normally one of the mtn stages).

 

I did it around 8 years ago and it certainly sits in my Top 10 memory bank.

 

Clmbing the 4 peaks was awesome - crowds were 5 or 6 deep at some stages - for a fun ride! It rocked. You really felt like a pro.

 

I went with Graham Baxter tours and spent 10 days following the tour - saw a start, finish, TT etc.

 

Really was fantastic.

 

That is all.

 

As you were.

 

Eldron

['Dale]

Speculating about doping on this thread serves no purpose, I reckon.

Let's definitely unpack that at the apt time.

 

Until there's evidence that rules were broken, I'll enjoy the racing for what it is.

The thrill, the tension, the strategies, the scenes, the excitement, the gorgeous machines. And so forth.

 

May the chips fall where they may.

Edited July 15, 2013 by ' Dale

[Lucky Luke.]

I posted a similar link (slightly different distance) but it more or less states the same. Froomes time was equal to armstrong/pantani times.

 

Tell me again how clean this tour is?

 

squeaky. it's a new era for sure

[Agteros]

Froome just two seconds off Armstrongs best time. Armstrong was a doper.... hope the Froome Dawg isnt one.

Apparently Lance was a donkey before he doped? And if Froome is the real deal? Surely he can be nearly as fast as a clean racing horse as a doped donkey?

['Dale]

“As for myself, I’d like to win at l’Alpe d’Huez. My situation at the Tour could be better. I’ve been unlucky. Up to the Mont Ventoux, I couldn’t do any better. Normally, my heart rate can go as high as 190 bits/minute, but yesterday I reached a maximum of 180. However, the hardest part of the Tour de France is yet to come. The climbs in the Alps are harder than what we’ve done up to now.”

 

Valverde

[jcza]

AG2R renews sponsorship for further 3 years

[Shebeen]

Wonder if Andy loaned some of Franks jungle juice in 2009? He dropped like a girl yesterday, poor sod.

must have, him and Kloden went in 59:17 yesterday. bit of a way off their previous times

[Shebeen]

The Dude: Fu(kin' Quintana... that creep can roll, man.

 

 

man, I just can't watch that colombian ride without thinking about this scene!

Edited July 15, 2013 by Shebeen

[nochain]

Unlike Gesink, who has consistently disappointed every year...

I have given up on the guy....still a fan I just don't expect him to win any of the big 3.

Hoping the same does not happen with Andy!

['Dale]

Tour tech

 

[SyncSA]

Tour tech

 

 

Gears?