The Cycling Thread

[fordprefect739]

Originally Posted by whop

Look at the sprint again. Sagan's sprint was so powerful that the bike skid beneath him. King of 2nd place? Maybe so, but he did win three stages. King of 1st and 2nd would be more correct.

Last year he had something like 5 2nds and no wins.

This year in the sprint finishes:

1 - 3rd
2 - 1st (uphill finish)
3 - 4th
4 - 3rd
6 - 6th
10 - 2nd (most sprinters weren't there due to cat 1 early on)
11 - 1st (late break - only competition was Froome)
14 - 3rd
16 - 1st (uphill finish w/cobbles - Kristoff appeared to let up too early)
21 - 2nd

So only 2 2nds this year and 3 3rds.

He seldom can beat Cav, Kittel and Greipel on a flat sprint finish. He gains an advantage on an uphill finish because they are more disadvantaged on climbs than he is. He no doubt did that break on stage 11 due to this and got lucky that Froome and Thomas decided to help him out so that Froome could get a few more seconds. He almost got Greipel today, but almost doesn't count in cycling sprints. Cav and Kittel weren't there to be an issue.

[countjimmoriarty]

Originally Posted by fordprefect739

Last year he had something like 5 2nds and no wins.

This year in the sprint finishes:

1 - 3rd
2 - 1st (uphill finish)
3 - 4th
4 - 3rd
6 - 6th
10 - 2nd (most sprinters weren't there due to cat 1 early on)
11 - 1st (late break - only competition was Froome)
14 - 3rd
16 - 1st (uphill finish w/cobbles - Kristoff appeared to let up too early)
21 - 2nd

So only 2 2nds this year and 3 3rds.

He seldom can beat Cav, Kittel and Greipel on a flat sprint finish. He gains an advantage on an uphill finish because they are more disadvantaged on climbs than he is. He no doubt did that break on stage 11 due to this and got lucky that Froome and Thomas decided to help him out so that Froome could get a few more seconds. He almost got Greipel today, but almost doesn't count in cycling sprints. Cav and Kittel weren't there to be an issue.

The point is that Sagan is always there. Be it flat sprints or more classic style routes, he 's there. It's only on the big mountain days where he doesn't compete at the front. And even on Saturday, he went out in the break to get the intermediate points, and did a HUGE turn on the front of the break to build the gap for his team-mate Roman Kreuziger to try to help him move up the GC, about 40 km on his own pulling the break. Have to wonder how much it took out of him, without which he might have got to Greipel (which he would have done if the finish line has been 5 metres further away). Quite simply, he's the best man on two wheels in any discipline in the world. He's riding the MTB in the Olympics because the road race doesn't suit him Don't be surprised...

[wimbo77]

Does anyone know what the name of the song they used at the end credits for the last 2016 Tour De France highlights programme, Stage 21 on ITV 4 ?

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by fordprefect739

Are you just trolling? I don't find soccer interesting but I don't go into the soccer thread and ask people why they find it interesting.

Like any sport, if you're involved with it in some way, it becomes more interesting. I used to play golf a lot and back then I would like to watch golf. I never played football and don't know a lot about it and I don't find it all that interesting.

You don't know cycling so you don't know all the things that go into it, which is why you aren't going to find it interesting.

NASCAR/Indycar tends to be just turning left but a lot of other auto racing uses much more varied courses. Formula 1 would be an example of that.

Currently, the biggest cycling event of the year, the Tour de France is going on. They race over 2000 miles in three weeks. They ride over the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains. You don't know what that takes. It's one of the most physically demanding sporting events in the world. It requires incredible preparation and conditioning. It also a team sport and it requires smart tactics. They ride at speeds more than double what most of us amateurs can ride in the same conditions. A post on a message board is not going to be adequate to explain it to you in a way that you can understand. It takes a lot of long distance riding to begin to understand it.

I had to look up trolling. NO I am not. I did not ask about the riders. They are obviously extremely fit and skilled at riding. I was asking about viewership. Just what I thought was an innocent question has brought out some ill feelings it seems like. For that I apologize.

[Athanatophobos]

Congrats to Froome who was by far the best rider in this Tour and who has by far the best team.

I was disappointed by another riders, especially by Nairo Quintana who wasn't a threat at all for the British.

What next for Chris? I hope I can see him in the 2017 Giro d'italia (the 100th edition) and not to ride the Tour again and again (i'm pretty sure I will be wrong).

Congrats to Sagan who was a huge rider (the best rider of the year) and Bardet (I don't forget I'm French) who finished second.

[vinceprince]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

I had to look up trolling. NO I am not. I did not ask about the riders. They are obviously extremely fit and skilled at riding. I was asking about viewership. Just what I thought was an innocent question has brought out some ill feelings it seems like. For that I apologize.

Viewership?
It's also very easy for viewers to understand the guy who cycles the route the quickest wins (well usually)

OK? How about explaining US Football, Baseball to a new viewer?
And WTF is going on with all the breaks in play? Cyclists can eat, drink and piss on the bike. Greg Lemond didn't even stop despite severe diarrhoea during one stage of the Tour in 1986.

[mizlaplan]

Originally Posted by wimbo77

Does anyone know what the name of the song they used at the end credits for the last 2016 Tour De France highlights programme, Stage 21 on ITV 4 ?

Some folks think it's by Kraftwerk (remember their album "Tour de France"?) while others seem to think it's remix of Talking Head's "Road to Nowhere".
Whatever, it's a great track, perfect for the programme.

[cicciobuki]

Originally Posted by wimbo77

Does anyone know what the name of the song they used at the end credits for the last 2016 Tour De France highlights programme, Stage 21 on ITV 4 ?

Do you have an online link to it, perhaps?


(is it the one they play at the end of each etappe? that sounded like an instrumental of Sly Fox - Let's go all the way)

[wimbo77]

Originally Posted by cicciobuki

Do you have an online link to it, perhaps?


(is it the one they play at the end of each etappe? that sounded like an instrumental of Sly Fox - Let's go all the way)

Unfortunately no. It was playing last night on the end credits. But i've recorded the very last one from this afternoon with the music on it. So i'll have to use the lyrics and see if it comes up on Google for the name of it.

[fordprefect739]

Originally Posted by countjimmoriarty

Quite simply, he's the best man on two wheels in any discipline in the world. He's riding the MTB in the Olympics because the road race doesn't suit him Don't be surprised...

Again, he usually isn't going to beat Cav, Kittel or Greipel on a flat sprint.

He's not beating Froome or Quintana or a lot of other great climbers up the toughest mountain climbs in pro racing.

He's not going to beat Froome or Dumoulin in an ITT.

He's going to beat the best climbers in a sprint.
He's going to beat the best sprinters in a climb.
He's going to make a strong showing in an ITT.

He does everything really really well but he doesn't quite beat the top specialists at their specialties.