2012 Tour de France

[norbs]

Even now I am still cranky about last night.


http://norbs.tk/9c


Be warned, some sweary bits.

[RonK]

In Comic Book Guys voice from the Simpsons: "Worst TdF everrrr".

Seriously, there's been no panache from anyone, no serious grand standing, just nothing, its like watching a made for TV movie. All the actors are there, the scenery is in place, but its just a yawn fest, no is challenging anyone seriously.

Quite so, totally due to an unchallenging course which seems to have been designed to favour time trialists.
For me, it's the heroics usually seen on mountain stages that create all the interest in the TDF. Flat stages where some wheelsucker wins after a 20 second sprint and long drawn-out TT's are as boring as batsh@t, as are courses where the jersey winners are decided in the first week.
Tuned out long ago due to lack of interest.

[Oxford]

...
For me, it's the heroics usually seen on mountain stages that create all the interest in the TDF...

Yep I was really hoping for something like that, but not to be unfortunately. LA, love or hate him, at least it was entertaining somewhat. We may have known he was going to win, but at least there was some drama and colour.

[familyguy]

The ITT will be interesting (not from a spectator POV, however) in that Froome could end up in yellow with just a simple earpiece malfunction. He'll be riding just ahead of Wiggo and if he doesn't hear the "Chris, slow down, you're ahead of Bananaman" call we might be able to make up the time. If that doesn't work he should take Wiggo out for a steak after the TT

Given that, why didn't they just have a single TT stage and save everyone a lot of sleepless nights? Voeckler is the only one out there at the moment who's doing anything entertaining.

If we had been given one ITT and one TTT, then maybe we'd have seen Wiggins being reigned in to stop him outpacing his team and blowing up the stage time. Three ITT's is balls.

Jim

[Strange Rover]

I dont see anything wrong with how Wiggins and Sky have played this out...these guys are here to win. They are not here to provide an entertaining race...that is the job of the race organisers...so if you think the race is boring that because of the course, not the racers.

Sky has just absolutley dominated this race...its that simple. Look at what happened last night...there were attacks from everywhere...and nothing even came close to disrupting either Wiggins or Froome...and then they attacked and they rode away. Their level is way beyond everybody else at this race.

I read somewhere the organisers plan was to have a long ITT early in the tour to force the climbers to ride aggressively in the mountains to regain time and then gain time against the TT specalists before the final TT...only thing that didnt work was that the TT specalists have been the strongest climbers and so havnt had to do anything more that just follow wheels in the mountains. Carnt imagine the organisers will make the same mistake again

Sam

[redcorpsjames]

maybe after the second time trail everyone was like there is no point of attacking to win anymore because they all had pull back at least 56 mins off the sky riders. They were attacking for the podium. IMHO this tour de france was the worst race I have seen. Im expecting that it is going to be a good tour de france next year. lots of famous mtn climbs. Andy schleck, Contador, Evans, levi will come back. and we will see brad wiggins handover the rightful leadership to froome (unless he goes to another team). If thats the case then brad wiggins wont have any chance to defend his yellow jersey

[DavidS]

Yes a very boring tour.

Compared to 2011 where Schleck went off 2 mountains out only to have Cadel slowly reel him in. The last mountain stage had Contador attacking. Cadel had to make time up in the last time trial to win and could only do this because he limited his losses on the mountains. Plenty of heroics last year.

2012: Wiggo sucks wheel for 3 weeks, does quick time trials and wins.

There's really no comparison.

DS

[Parrott]

There could have been more mountain top finishes but to be fair to the organisers this tour has to alarge extent been neutralised by a team that is much stronger on the climbs than any other. They have recuited well, prepared, planned and executed their strategy well. The result has neutalised the race unfortunately.
The other teams will have to lift their game for next year, particularly given the climbing and tt ability of Froome.

[paladin]

Unbelievable!

From another website:

News just in: Bradley Wiggins is in fact the farmer from Shaun the Sheep –

[MichaelB]

Yes a very boring tour.

Compared to 2011 where Schleck went off 2 mountains out only to have Cadel slowly reel him in. The last mountain stage had Contador attacking. Cadel had to make time up in the last time trial to win and could only do this because he limited his losses on the mountains. Plenty of heroics last year.

2012: Wiggo sucks wheel for 3 weeks, does quick time trials and wins.

There's really no comparison.

DS

That's pretty much how Indurain won 5 TdF's

[biker jk]

There could have been more mountain top finishes but to be fair to the organisers this tour has to alarge extent been neutralised by a team that is much stronger on the climbs than any other. They have recuited well, prepared, planned and executed their strategy well. The result has neutalised the race unfortunately.
The other teams will have to lift their game for next year, particularly given the climbing and tt ability of Froome.

Yes, it's not often that the domestique is stronger than the team leader who is wearing yellow.

[sogood]

Even now I am still cranky about last night.
http://norbs.tk/9c
Be warned, some sweary bits.

Question is, whether the removal of race radio for the riders would have livened up the race?

[norbs]

Even now I am still cranky about last night.
http://norbs.tk/9c
Be warned, some sweary bits.

Question is, whether the removal of race radio for the riders would have livened up the race?

There is a pretty good argument against them, but the riders seem to want them. Safety is the main argument.

Good thought though. Certainly worth a bloggy post later on.

[singlespeedscott]

Even now I am still cranky about last night.
http://norbs.tk/9c
Be warned, some sweary bits.

Question is, whether the removal of race radio for the riders would have livened up the race?

There is a pretty good argument against them, but the riders seem to want them. Safety is the main argument.

Good thought though. Certainly worth a bloggy post later on.

Safety! That's ridiculous! They are covered by multiple camera crews on the road and in the air for the entire race .

[Baldy]

There could have been more mountain top finishes but to be fair to the organisers this tour has to alarge extent been neutralised by a team that is much stronger on the climbs than any other. They have recuited well, prepared, planned and executed their strategy well. The result has neutalised the race unfortunately.
The other teams will have to lift their game for next year, particularly given the climbing and tt ability of Froome.

Yes, it's not often that the domestique is stronger than the team leader who is wearing yellow.

Taking this trend to its logical conclusion,my tip for the 2016 tour is Richard Branson.

[Mulger bill]

For mine, the adjective that best sums up this years Tour is "uninspiring".

[vander]

Possibly best 20-30km of the tour. Cavendish is AMAZING!

[Mulger bill]

Yeah, monster sprint with sodall leadout. How would this bloke go on the track?

[maryusdemetry]

Cadel is as slow as a wet weekend. Nibali isn't really all there. And there isn't another first class climber in the peleton.
I think Wiggins/Froome would win stages if they were actually forced to ride hard. Currently they don't have to do anything to win, and thats the safest bet.

[biker jk]

Cadel is as slow as a wet weekend. Nibali isn't really all there. And there isn't another first class climber in the peleton.
I think Wiggins/Froome would win stages if they were actually forced to ride hard. Currently they don't have to do anything to win, and thats the safest bet.

Ivan Basso thinks Sky are going pretty hard on the climbs, and he's no slouch.

“Look. It’s the same discussion as always, it’s like watching the Tour when Lance [Armstrong] or [Miguel] Indurain raced. You could try to attack, get ahead, but then what are you going to do? Just to have a laugh?” Basso said, sitting on the steps of the team bus.

“If he [Wiggins] goes as they have been, where Richie Porte is pulling and you are on the wheel pushing 420 watts, then explain to me, where are you going to go?

[Chuck]

Cavendish is AMAZING!

Very impressive finish and a great reward for being an unselfish teammate. 22 stage wins at the Tour now equalling the record for sprinters, not bad Calls that the sun had set on the OSW were a tad premature

[brentono]

Stage 18 - Nice leadout from Bradley Wiggins and also from Edvald Boasson Hagen,
who dragged Mark Cavendish up to the final stage of the Sprint.
Mark Cavendish jumped early, which was a smart move, and got him the deserved win.
Peter Sagan made an error, moving off Cavendish's wheel (on the turn) in this sprint
and being on the wrong side of the road. Probably just happy with his Green Jersey.
Still it was good to see the W.C. Cavendish get involved in the Tour, and Sprint.
Another lackluster day for G.C. and it would seem, with another boring T.T. to come,
not much more to see, in this years Tour.
Cheers

[Philipthelam]

Even now I am still cranky about last night.


http://norbs.tk/9c


Be warned, some sweary bits.

Norbs is that your blog? I took a quick look at the posts and really enjoyed it. I will follow it

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Yeah, monster sprint with sodall leadout. How would this bloke go on the track?

2 x world madison champion. Did a lot of riding on the track with some guy named Brad.

[foo on patrol]

Cadel is as slow as a wet weekend. Nibali isn't really all there. And there isn't another first class climber in the peleton.
I think Wiggins/Froome would win stages if they were actually forced to ride hard. Currently they don't have to do anything to win, and thats the safest bet.

You might wanna have a look at the team around him, before hanging crap on him. He is still better than 99% of the wanna be arm chair critics here and add to that his age, so before you hang crap on him, stop and think!

Foo