Tour de France *** 2014 *** [LIVE THREAD]

Le Tour ^ | July 2, 2014 | Various

[Baynative]

While the media tries to make soccer into a real sport we are only three days away from the 2014 Tour de France a genuine test of men against men, men against nature, men against elements and men testing their own hearts and will.

[PeteB570]

From the TdF site

“Two non starters

Besides Simon Gerrans, Reto Hollenstein (IAM) is also a non starter in St-Gaudens. He crashed yesterday in the first kilometre of racing but courageously finished despite a pneumothorax...”

Today will be a good day for somebody - eight in the break.

[Baynative]

Bike Ping

One of the things I enjoy about FRee Republic is the fellowship of conservative thought and kibitzing. Another is the unexpected discoveries of common experiences and even acquaintances in our lives. This annual ride through the roads of Europe is one of those enjoyable events for me.

Today I'm welcoming new 'mate' fireman15 to the "FR Peloton". As it turns out we have shared some cycling history and on another thread we talked of an old friend of mine, Jock Boyer who inspired me when I began riding. Because the discussion also dealt with doping and the intensity of the sport we love I thought I'd share this excerpt from an article about Jock by Steve Friedman in Cycling Mag. It touches on the huge gap between being a top tier amateur and a pro and maybe offers a little insight into the pressure that leads many to push the rules in search of an edge ...or maybe just to keep up.

When he graduated high school, he had been accepted at the University of Colorado. He had also qualified to ride in the junior world championships in Munich. He asked the university if he could delay his freshman year. Then he took the $350 he had saved from waiting tables and bought a plane ticket to Paris. From 1973 until early 1977, he raced as an amateur for little-known teams such as UVSE Saint Eloy les Mines and ACBB Paris. Like almost all new racers at that level, he traveled between hotels where, he says, "the water smelled liked urine, the beds sagged and the sheets were made of that stuff that doesn't even feel like fabric." In one of the hotels, he got fleas. In another, crabs. Always strong in the mountains, he grew stronger, fashioned himself into an elite climber. He learned, and he won, and he learned and he won some more.
In May 1977, a professional team, LeJeune BP, invited him to join. That's when he realized how little he knew. "It was incredibly hard," he says. "There were more riders, better bike handlers; people were smoother in the pack. And the fitness levels were hard to believe. As an amateur, when you thought you were tired, that was nothing compared with the pro level. What I learned was that as an amateur, you don't know what being really tired is. Think of being completely exhausted, then train and ride as much as when you're fresh. That's what it means to ride as a professional."

[PeteB570]

Wow, the Yellow Jersey finished 3rd and only 46 seconds behind the stage winner?

Man am I going to have to watch this stage tonight.

[golux]

Great post! Thanks Bay!

[Baynative]

I missed it because our power went out. But, for some reason NBC Sports just started the replay at 30 miles. So I'm trying to watch and work at the same time.

One thing that's obvious is that Nibali is a skilled team leader and more of a champion than I thought.

[gura]

Dude, put me on this ping list.

[gura]

Tejay’s only problem and best quality is that he’s 100% clean.

[Baynative]

You’re on! Welcome to the FR peloton.

[patriotspride]

Tejay’s only problem and best quality is that he’s 100% clean.

---

He become a favorite of mine.

[patriotspride]

The amazing thing about Phil and Paul is that they have to ad lib so much during the live broadcast. They don’t even have control over the TV feed! They have to just do what they can with the live feed they are given. You’d never know it listening to them, though

---

Well stated. Unlike other “ action” sports there’s always a dramatic moment that can liven up the dead time, or serve as fodder for endless commentary.

Phil & Paul do a great job of educating everyone about the route, the villages, community pride , beside their vast memory bank regarding current and past riders and champions.

Now that’s reporting :_

[Vision]

Why the heck is the Tour not on NBCS tonight?

I miss it being on Verses.

[Baynative]

Truly a bummer. They are showing a soccer game that's being played at Fenway Park in Boston.

This effort to convince America that soccer is interesting is bugging me more and more everyday. I like Hank Hill's take on soccer .

[Vision]

lol

If you're going to cover the Tour you need to broadcast each stage in prime time.

The whole broadcast style used to be more fun and cool. Versus used to do great things each year with a theme song. The funny Bob Roll commercials are gone.

I don't like the main commentator now next to Bob. He tries too hard.

[deport]

A rerun is on at 1:00 AM edt so that not convienent for most people.

[Baynative]

"Phil & Paul do a great job of educating everyone about the route, the villages, community pride , beside their vast memory bank regarding current and past riders and champions. Now that’s reporting :_"

Three riders are in a break as the helicopter shoots them going through the trees Phil and Paul talk about their positions, their personal records, strategy and riding style ...the camera switches back down the mountain to a group of 20 riders and they know them all and describe their positions and how many team members are there as well as who is working for whom.

Off at the back there's crash. The minute there's a shot they know who it is and where they stand - these guys are so well acquainted with the riders and the teams it is a model for any commentator to follow.

I hope I don't bore anyone with a story I may have told before...

Back in the late 90's I was in L.A. for USA Cycling Banquet - the Korbel Night of Champions. It was Greg LeMond's retirement announcement farewell. The dinner was at the House of Blues and it was festive. My date and I were somehow seated at a special table and were in the traffic zone to meet everyone I only read about; Greg, Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter, Alexi Grewal, Lance, my homie Jock and Phil Liggett. A lot of people made a pact to ride up the coast to Malibu in the morning for brunch. How cool was that gonna be?!?

Most everyone was staying at the host hotel in Beverly Hills. In the morning I was in the lobby in front of the restaurant when Phil Liggett came out of the elevator. We made small talk the night before and he was gracious enough to pose for a picture (after he had a couple of dances with my date). I asked if he was going on the ride and he said he was getting breakfast before heading to the airport. We decided to grab a table and missed the ride because we sat there gabbing like old friends for over two hours. Listening to his memories and stories was one of the most memorable days of my life. As much as he was involved in telling me about an inside story of some of my heroes, he seemed just as interested to hear me talk about my first pursuit on the track at the districts. He is a genuine great guy; a treasure in our sport.

Side note: I had just gotten Phil's movie of Indurain's 5th Tour win and we were discussing the chance of him winning a 6th. Phil said he didn't see anyone on the horizon capable of taking down 'Big Mig'. I told him to go watch his own movie because it looked like Bjarne Riis was the obvious choice to take the next one. Now we know he did. But, I've never gotten to meet Phil again to gloat a bit, but maybe I'll hunt him down in Colorado next month. ;-)

(But, I do have an autographed Greg LeMond Yellow Jersey with a stain of lasagna sauce from when it hit his dinner plate.)

[Vision]

One other random thought...what is up with Sagan's hair in his publicity shot this year?

[Vision]

Awesome story! Wow.

[deport]

Sagan being Sagan.......

It's called wurhering hair style.

..

[Baynative]

"...what is up with Sagan's hair in his publicity shot this year?"

I think it says "SECOND PLACE" ...loud and clear.

[nutmeg]

One other random thought...what is up with Sagan's hair in his publicity shot this year?

NBC Sports Network's Phil, Paul, Bob and Christian have been saying during this year's Tour that Sagan's new hairstyle is supposed to be inspired by the 2013 "Wolverine" movie: