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

[SwissVan]

Easy stage for Cav today, almost dead flat so no chance of been left behind or the break staying away, and as it seems he is back to form I think the rest will just be going through the motions.

 

Apart from the last 3 km, yesterdays stage was dead boring as far as I am concerned, and I expect much the same today - theres a coupla bumps on Friday which may favor a break, but roll on Saturday and Sunday when I think the big names will at least need to poke their heads out of the peleton.

 

The scenery helps during those less exciting stages, I normally watch the daily stage later in the evening when I get home usually by fast forwarding to the last 20km but while doing this yesterday I stopped to look at some of the amazing scenery shots, did u see the shot of the cliff that looked like a eagles beak, amazing...?

 

The helicopter film crews are doing a better job every year....

[Jaco-fiets]

The scenery helps during those less exciting stages, I normally watch the daily stage later in the evening when I get home usually by fast forwarding to the last 20km but while doing this yesterday I stopped to look at some of the amazing scenery shots, did u see the shot of the cliff that looked like a eagles beak, amazing...?

 

The helicopter film crews are doing a better job every year....

 

I also noticed the amazing rock formations yesterday. Special part of the world indeed!

[kosmonooit]

I can only hope more outsiders and newbies win more stages to make the race interesting, and shut the grumpy 'favorites' up. Specifically Cav. Still gutted that ASO/UCI eliminated Ted King. Sure rules are rules but they should be applied with compassion, and exceptions can and should be made.

Edited July 4, 2013 by kosmonooit

[gummibear]

Goss with his new Scott Addict, the 1st production bike to go sub 1 kg, frame and fork.

 

 

I saw one of them a few days before the tour and it looks great but is scary how light it is.

What wheels are those?

[SwissVan]

Tried to find the eurosport video of the eagles beak cliff,...cant find it but found this..

 

LOL funny if you one of those who get irritated by the running spectators

 

[igknot]

I can only hope more outsiders and newbies win more stages to make the race interesting, and shut the grumpy 'favorites' up. Specifically Cav. Still gutted that ASO/UCI eliminated Ted King. Sure rules are rules but they should be applied with compassion, and exceptions can and should be made.

 

What is Cav's issue. He acts like he is and his team are the only ones that should be allowed to races. He complains about rides like Sabatini overtaking . hells bells.

[kosmonooit]

What is Cav's issue. He acts like he is and his team are the only ones that should be allowed to races. He complains about rides like Sabatini overtaking . hells bells.

 

And then he bitches on twitter about having to wake from his beauty sleep to do a urine control .. nothing like "I woke to realise I have just had another great day at the office" - perhaps too much, way too much now.

 

We can only hope Roberto Ferrari knocks the **** out of him soon in the sprints

[eeeek]

I can only hope more outsiders and newbies win more stages to make the race interesting, and shut the grumpy 'favorites' up. Specifically Cav. Still gutted that ASO/UCI eliminated Ted King. Sure rules are rules but they should be applied with compassion, and exceptions can and should be made.

 

I think I must be the only person who isn't overly sympathetic to King's exclusion...

The grand tours are notoriously tough and dangerous, but they are also known for highlighting just how unjust Lady Luck is. Had King's crash come after the TTT, or had the TTT been later on in the schedule, chances are that King would have been able to drag himself up the mountains, or recover enough to use a TT bike with his injuries, but as luck would have it it was not the fact that he sustained an injury that ended his tour or the ASO/UCI, but the perfect storm combination of the exact nature of his injury and the timing of the TTT stage.

 

I feel for him, I really do, and I don't feel like it has detracted at all from how brave he was to head out on the TTT course on a road bike... At the end of the day during the TTT King knew that he was racing the clock, and realistically, the cut-off - he didn't make it, kudos to his effort but you can't fault ASO/UCI for that.

[SwissVan]

I think I must be the only person who isn't overly sympathetic to King's exclusion...

The grand tours are notoriously tough and dangerous, but they are also known for highlighting just how unjust Lady Luck is. Had King's crash come after the TTT, or had the TTT been later on in the schedule, chances are that King would have been able to drag himself up the mountains, or recover enough to use a TT bike with his injuries, but as luck would have it it was not the fact that he sustained an injury that ended his tour or the ASO/UCI, but the perfect storm combination of the exact nature of his injury and the timing of the TTT stage.

 

I feel for him, I really do, and I don't feel like it has detracted at all from how brave he was to head out on the TTT course on a road bike... At the end of the day during the TTT King knew that he was racing the clock, and realistically, the cut-off - he didn't make it, kudos to his effort but you can't fault ASO/UCI for that.

 

It would be real interesting if the they (ASO) applied that rule strictly to the sprinters etc... when they reach the mountain stages. Sometimes they get it wrong (the bus...with the sprinters) and a large proportion of them could get booted.

[eeeek]

It would be real interesting if the they (ASO) applied that rule strictly to the sprinters etc... when they reach the mountain stages. Sometimes they get it wrong (the bus...with the sprinters) and a large proportion of them could get booted.

 

Yeah, for sure, they need to be consistent about it.

If nothing else they have certainly set the cat among the pigeons.

Edited July 4, 2013 by eeeek

[jcza]

It would be real interesting if the they (ASO) applied that rule strictly to the sprinters etc... when they reach the mountain stages. Sometimes they get it wrong (the bus...with the sprinters) and a large proportion of them could get booted.

 

I thought if there is a certain number of riders then they wont be eliminated on time?

['Dale]

GO DARYL

 

uhm

 

SAGAN!!!

Edited July 4, 2013 by ' Dale

['Dale]

I can only hope more outsiders and newbies win more stages to make the race interesting, and shut the grumpy 'favorites' up. Specifically Cav. Still gutted that ASO/UCI eliminated Ted King. Sure rules are rules but they should be applied with compassion, and exceptions can and should be made.

 

ASO has the biggest jury panel thus far for 2013.

:-/

Edited July 4, 2013 by ' Dale

[hayleyearth]

please explain this "everyone gets the same time" thing they keep on saying....expecially after a fall..

[jcza]

Found it!

 

The Tour organizers have put in a codicil to the rule book allowing them to adjust the cutoff time if more than 20 percent of the starters of a particular stage may be eliminated by missing the time cut.

 

Cut off calculated as follows:

 

The time cut is of critical importance to all riders, especially those who are gravitationally challenged. The Tour organizers classify each stage into five different categories and determine the time cut based on the category and average speed of the stage. Riders wishing to stay in the race must finish within a certain percentage of time from the stage winner. The five categories and their cutoff percentages are:

• 
  Category 1 - stage with no particular difficulty
• 4 percent if the average speed of the winner is 21mph (34kmh) or less
  
• Up to 12 percent if the average speed of the winner is greater than 30mph (48kmh)
  

• 
  Category 2 - stage presenting medium difficulty
• 6 percent if the average speed of the winner is 19mph (31kmh) or less
  
• Up to 18 percent if the average speed of the winner is greater than 26mph (42kmh)
  

• 
  Category 3 - stage presenting intense difficulty
• 5 percent if the average speed of the winner is 15mph (26kmh) or less
  
• Up to 18 percent if the average speed of the winner is greater than 24mph (38kmh)
  

• 
  Category 4 - individual time trial
• Must be within 25 percent of the winner's time
  

• 
  Category 5 - team time trial
• Fifth man crossing the line must be within 25 percent of winning team's time
  

Basically, the faster the stage goes, the longer the cutoff time. Also, the harder the stage, the longer the cutoff time. The sprinters tend to calculate the cutoff time for the mountain stages so that they just get in under the time limit.

[eeeek]

please explain this "everyone gets the same time" thing they keep on saying....expecially after a fall..

 

Once beyond the flamme rouge, within the final km, if you suffer any technical difficulties or crash or are held up by a crash, you get the same time as the riders you were nearest at the time of the incident.