Die Toer in sy moer?

[Shebeen]

Dan the Man is brilliant. He's not just a golf writer, he's got an all-round knowledge better than most. but experts will always nit pick, and you can't please everybody.

 

I think he makes a fair point, there have been plenty of people even here that have felt it hasn't been as captivating as usual.

 

now i can't wait for the next instalment of his 'graeme smith secret tour diary', the big news so far is biff's bollywood deals and AB having a big crush on neil mackenzie's wife (the  phwwwwoar kerry mcgregor)

[Saffa_G]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh well.....thanks for posting the article, Groot Lem did it because it

was cycling related, now lets hope the rest of Dans stuff stays on

www.cricketweeds.co.za ... i don't like cricket i hate it

Saffa_G2008-07-24 02:12:45

[Sean Badenhorst]

Porky, France is the most visited country in the world in both 2006 and 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-10.

 

I'd say Le Tour plays a big part in that success. Just watching the visuals on TV makes me want to visit France.

 

It's not like the spectators on the mountain stages just stroll down the road to watch, there's significant effort, planning and costs involved in just getting to a spot on a big climb to watch. I'd say that's a passionate fan and not an incidental spectator.

 

 

 

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

shebeen, an allround knowledge in whose opinion? Yours? First rule of journalism: get the facts right, otherwise stick to fictional humour.

 

And have you actually watched this year's Tour? Seven different wearers of the Yellow Jersey and less than three minutes separating the top 5 with four stages to go. How can you say that's not captivating?

 

 

 

Sean Badenhorst2008-07-24 02:32:18

[Saffa_G]

Go Sean go !! Down with Dan hehehe

[porky]

Porky' date=' France is the most visited country in the world in both 2006 and 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-10.

I'd say Le Tour plays a big part in that success. Just watching the visuals on TV makes me want to visit France.

It's not like the spectators on the mountain stages just stroll down the road to watch, there's significant effort, planning and costs involved in just getting to a spot on a big climb to watch. I'd say that's a passionate fan and not an incidental spectator.


[/quote']

 

I agree, France is one of the most visited countries in Europe, one of the reasons Disney decided to build its themepark there and not Holland, or Austria.

 

........and lets not forget Disney has no small impact on tourist figures.

 

The tour may have a small impact from dedicated fans, but I would say its a once off and the spend is definately minimal.

 

The tennis at Roland Garros brings a better class of tourist (who isnt camping in a field, bathing in a stream, or urinating on and stealing the farmers maize) - another very real problem highlighted by the article I read, which is not brought to light by commentators - and tennis, Formula 1 events etc brings a much bigger tourist spend.

 

 

 

  

[Guest Big H]

where are their helmets??

 

Dit is anycase voor jy gebore is en helmets was toe nog nie ontdek nie en net ducktails het hulle gedra...... en dit was ook voordat vrouens silicon begin gebruik het!!!!!!!!

Big H2008-07-24 02:46:30

[Guest Big H]

Porky' date=' France is the most visited country in the world in both 2006 and 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-10.

I'd say Le Tour plays a big part in that success. Just watching the visuals on TV makes me want to visit France.

It's not like the spectators on the mountain stages just stroll down the road to watch, there's significant effort, planning and costs involved in just getting to a spot on a big climb to watch. I'd say that's a passionate fan and not an incidental spectator.


[/quote']

 

Can we say the same about Slaapstad being the most visited city in the R of SA due to Le Cycletour????????

[Guest Big H]

Porky' date=' France is the most visited country in the world in both 2006 and 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#cite_note-10.

I'd say Le Tour plays a big part in that success. Just watching the visuals on TV makes me want to visit France.

It's not like the spectators on the mountain stages just stroll down the road to watch, there's significant effort, planning and costs involved in just getting to a spot on a big climb to watch. I'd say that's a passionate fan and not an incidental spectator.


[/quote']

 

Can we say the same about Slaapstad being the most visited city in the R of SA due to Le Cycletour????????

 

....... as hulle 'n heining om Slaapstad sit en geld vra om in te kom kan dit ook vir Disneyworld deurgaan..... teee heeeeee!!!!!!!

[L'Bie]

Would be nice if Dan actually got his facts correct before posting his lame arse story:

Why would Mike Haysman watch only 2 weeks of a 3 week tour?

The debacle at the US grand prix was 3 years ago' date=' not last year.

 

Guess we can take everything he says with a pinch of salt

[/quote']

What about our own Gary Player accusing some fellow players of doping a little earlier??

[Groot Lem]

I'm sure Dan had a yellow armband, that will explain it.

[shammy_rash]

I see that there is only one solution' date=' A Lance Armstrong return to Le Tour![/quote']

 

Oh hell no! please save us!

[4ph3X]

  18 holes at Zimbali yesterday ? hopefully while most of you were in your respective offices' date=' keeping the economy stumbling along in my absence ? with Adrian Garvey, brought home a couple of truths. Prop forwards and golf are not natural companions. [/quote']

 

substitute golf for cycling.

 

of course they won't be talking about cycling.. i mean, the guy's a rugby player for heaven's sake.

 

the tdf this year is very exciting and the race for 1st prize very closely contested. this guy is on drugs!

[shammy_rash]

I see that there is only one solution' date=' A Lance Armstrong return to Le Tour![/quote']

 

Oh hell no! please save us!

[ccc2]

i went to Tim Noakes's talk on doping in sport last night. his stated outright that professional sport performances are either doped or fixed. he is of the opinion that Landis won his Tour because the race was fixed (someone high up in the Tour organisation commented in public that the influence of the Mafia was destroying the tour). he also stated that all/most TdF riders are on PED's but ride below the radar of detection and he supported his argument, not with his own findings but from a host of books that he has read on doping in sport in general. his argument was furhter supported by various graphs depicting the improvement in times wrt to athletics and cycling with the advent of EPO. the big culprits (countries) were / are USA, Australia, the old CCCP and East Germany.

[Shebeen]

shebeen' date=' an allround knowledge in whose opinion? Yours? First rule of journalism: get the facts right, otherwise stick to fictional humour.

And have you actually watched this year's Tour? Seven different wearers of the Yellow Jersey and less than three minutes separating the top 5 with four stages to go. How can you say that's not captivating?

[/quote']

 

ok, lets not try outdo a journalist here at his own game.

 

firstly it's a weekly column, not an article on the back page of the Argus. and yes every week it is tongue in cheek. yes he is well versed in allround sporting knowledge - he writes on everything of current interest from tennis, sailing, athletics, golf, cricket to yes even cycling. go look through the archives. I only think he got the rankles up with a badly chosen heading.

 

I haven't watched much of this year's tour, the job thing and dstvlessness gets in the way. I have followed it online, and am psyched for the TT after watching the closing sections of the last two stages. the tour was in trouble of being a damp squib about a week ago when Evans hit yellow and looked like coasting into paris. The drug thing reared its ugly head badly, and our local expectations of Barloworld were too high.

 

It's picked up tremendously since then, and if this column was done a week ago (when maybe it was written) there would be more nodding  heads.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't Dan in the first place:

http://www21.sbs.com.au/sbsforum/viewtopic.php?t=44772