Grand Boucle Only

[moosterbounce]

Before I start, let me lay down some rules:

1. Tour comments only
2. Keep it clean - no talk on doping unless someone is found to be guilty in this years Tour (sorry - but I want to keep my Tour dream alive a bit longer )

So anyway...

I picked up my Official Guide today and am getting excited. Also trying to sleep as much as I can now as I won't be getting much over the next few weeks!!

Reading through my Guide, I noticed that on pg 148 (gallery shot from 1947) Jean Robic was not only carrying spare tubes around his shoulders, a huge pump on his bike, and his bidons on the handlebars, but what did I spot? A helmet!! OK, it isn't very flash looking, but it is definitely a helmet!!

Even then, Tour winners knew head safety was critical

I've been staring at the clock on my PC hoping time will go quicker so I can jump on the train and start reading properly (not just continually picking it up and looking at the pictures while no-one is looking ). You lot over east are almost at knockoff time - I'm jealous!!

Does anyone else have the Official Guide? What do you think of it? I love the stage profiles the best - makes that scenic trip around France seem a bit frightening

[europa]

I think Moo's request that we keep doping out of this thread is a good one, also out of any other threads that discuss the racing in this year's tour.

If you want to talk doping, unless it's from this year's tour, start a new thread.

I WILL be deleting posts that violate this. I've seen such posts spoil discussions on other forums so for the duration of this year's tour, if you want to talk doping START A NEW THREAD.

Richard
Admin

[europa]

I don't have the official guide.

The lad has the first two weeks of the tour off for school holidays so that sinks any hope I had of peacefully watching it - he'll be watching it as well Ah well, it might encourage him to join me on some longer rides.

At least in Perth the live telecasts will be at a more reasonable time (or do you miss out?). Here they'll be starting about bed time and won't get interesting until about 'half past fallen asleep in me chair'.

But yes, I'm excited

Richard

[europa]

Remember the story of the bloke in the early days, who broke his front fork? In those days, you weren't allowed any outside assistance, so he carried his bike to a local blacksmiths, and rewelded the forks himself. He was disqualified because he had the blacksmith's son pump the bellows and this was deemed 'outside assistance'.

The Tour was a stern test in those days

Richard

[europa]

What on earth is a "Grand Boucle" ?

Richard

[moosterbounce]

What on earth is a "Grand Boucle" ?

The Big Loop - colloquial term for the Tour de France (if you had the guide you would have read the glossary ) If you don't end up getting it, I can send you mine in a few weeks

To be honest, I've seen a map and this is NOT the quickest way to get from London to Paris

Saturday night the telecast starts at 11pm in perth. The flat stages tend to start around 10.30-11ish with the mountains starting earlier. I think SBS think that their viewers like to see people suffer. We don't usually see the starts of stages either. Not sure if they are considered boring so not televised or if Top Gear takes priority (and it would if it were the latest series ).

[europa]

It sounds like you're just getting the same that we do here ... but delayed the couple of hours between Perth and Squidley. Pity. We don't see the starts either.

It's not such a huge loss. Starts are usually pretty dull affairs and the early attacks are usually (but not always of course) by midfield blokes either under orders from 'the boss' or feeling the need to be seen.

The intermediate mountains can be a tad dull too - it depends on whether someone big is having a bad day or wants to break up the peleton on the final climb by wearing them out early.

See another thread re 'internet feeds'.

Richard

[stryker84]

Bah, didn't realise it was this weekend that the Tour starts. I'm off with friends to a holiday house on Lakes Entrance, on a low-tech weekend away. So no TV or computer for the first few stages! Hmm, I could pack my bike and pretend I'm racing, but that's as close as I'd get.

Bah.

[senator52]

Yeah i got the RIDE official TdF guide. Its great, bought it last year and loved it, still opened it for a read all the way til this new one was released. What a great publication

[europa]

Could you lot cut it out? At this rate, I'm going to have to spend money I'd rather be spending on bike bits on the Tour Guide

Richard