o/t Tour de France... WTF?

[Keith]

Okay, I've tried to work it out but gave up when my head began to hurt.

I understand it's a team event. So the likes of Cavendish needs his team to drag him along. Is that because slipstreaming reduces the effort to such an extent?

It's a team event but (like today) there are three riders who've broken away. They appear to be helping each other.

A 'group' gets the same time as each other when they cross the line? Is that right? So you can finish about 40 seconds after the first person in the group and you get the same time?

So you've got 'specialists' like Cavendish and the mountain climbers etc. So someone like Cavendish can have a fantastic tour without winning it. So who does win it? Someone who is 'average' at lots of things?

It's a beautiful advert for France and the aerial shots, especially as they go around both sides of roundabouts look superb but its all very odd!

[scar]

hmmm, i'll try and asnwer in order for you;

Leadout man.... yes the leadout man winds the pace up and breaks off to one side, normally the side the challangers are on the give clear space to the dedicated Sprinter (eg Cavandish).
When running at the head of the Peleton as a team, they are keeping the pace high and yes slip streaming does come in to it as they're usually between 30 - 40mph as a team

When there's a break away, it's in the interest of the individual riders to work together to maintain the gap between the chasing Peleton. If there are no contendors for any titles in the break away, the main teams will generally let them go and save energy looking after their riders.

Yes, the main bunch all gets the same time providing there isn;t a gap of (think 5 seconds) between any riders... it's safer that way rather than 200 riders all trying to get across the line at the same time.

Generally the person who wins it will be capable at all disciplines (Climbing, time trial etc) and stay in contention towards the front of the field throughout the race. They may not be the best at Climbing or Sprinting but those guys who are good at one of those, generally are only good at that!

Are you any wiser?

[Keith]

Yes, the main bunch all gets the same time providing there isn;t a gap of (think 5 seconds) between any riders... it's safer that way rather than 200 riders all trying to get across the line at the same time.

That makes sense now. The break-aways, do they think they have a chance of sustaining it then? The three who went off early today, the commentary team were all saying they had no chance of sustaining it and they were caught miles before the end, so why bother? Do they sometimes get away with it?

[scar]

Yes, sometimes they get away and take the stage win, although come 10km from the finish the breakaway tends to faulter and they work against each other as each one will be thinking of the stag win and victory for himself and his team.

If they're really low in the ranks and there isn't a big stage victory then yea most teams will let them go, but mroe often than not it's hard work to sustain a decent gap and grab a win. All it takes is one team in the peleton to send in their domestiques to pick up the tempo of the bunch and hey presto the gaps tumble down.

[outsider]

A lot of time the break away get caught as its easier to go faster as a big group rather than 3 or 4, as there are more to take turns in going faster at the front.

They were sayin yesterday that as most who go into the break away are just(?) team riders (water/food fetchers) etc, its the only chance most of them get to show they have taken part in the race, also its a good way to keep sponsors happy as its a lot easier to be seen in a group of 3/4 than in the main peleton.

[ockers]

best sporting event in the world
imho
love it love it love it..............
renshaws headbut brilliant.......

[RedRedWine1]

My understanding is that the Tour de France is as much about the races within the tour as it is the overall winner; everybody seems to be racing for something different, be that King of the Mountain, overall points, actually winning the tour etc.

However, although I can appreciate the endurance that is required to compete it will always be my opinion that any sport that you have to wear lycra for is not really a sport. Darts has suffered similar afflictions in the past

[Arnside Red]

about to get even more interesting now their reaching the pyrannees, bit of a 2 horse race at the moment though with Contador and Schleck,
re the bunch finishes its as long as there isnt a 3 second gap that all times are classed as the same

[Christies Child]

Sponsors such as Sky expect their team to have at least 1 good day when by breaking away early they can get the bulk of the TV coverage which is almost world wide.

It costs Sky a few millions to operate their team but the publicity they get is something nobody can put a value on.

Too much was expected by the British media of Bradley Wiggins this Tour. But both he and the younger Grant Thomas will be back much wiser and able to cope with the ups and downs of life in the Tour saddle.

For me it's still the number 1 sport on TV and is by far the most physically challenging of all sports over a sustained 21 days.

I competed in the Tour of Ireland in the late 60's and that was only 5 days. Needless to say I came home absolutely knackered, vowing never to do it again!

[P/T Indie]

I don't get why people sit there and watch people riding along for 4 hours and then just have a 500 meter sprint at the end to see who the winner is.

I mean sometimes they hold protests and don't "race" for the first two hours but to be honest for the first two hours they don't race anyway the race only starts in the last few K's when they start trying to get in position for the sprint.

I don't really get it so to be the winner are you best just sitting in the main group on all the sprint stages and then be a good hill rider.

[durhamshrimp]

The thing with the tour and cycling racing in general is that you really have to know what's going on to understand all the little complexities. It's difficult to explain really but most of the time when something doesn't seem to make sense it would really with more knowledge of how cycling works.

[durhamshrimp]

Sponsors such as Sky expect their team to have at least 1 good day when by breaking away early they can get the bulk of the TV coverage which is almost world wide.

It costs Sky a few millions to operate their team but the publicity they get is something nobody can put a value on.

Too much was expected by the British media of Bradley Wiggins this Tour. But both he and the younger Grant Thomas will be back much wiser and able to cope with the ups and downs of life in the Tour saddle.

For me it's still the number 1 sport on TV and is by far the most physically challenging of all sports over a sustained 21 days.

I competed in the Tour of Ireland in the late 60's and that was only 5 days. Needless to say I came home absolutely knackered, vowing never to do it again!

The thing with Wiggins this year is that he's been put under pressure by the other riders because they knew he was a threat. Last year he wasn't expected to do anything so he was allowed to sneak into the top positions really. I think we'll see better from him next year, maybe he'll miss the Giro and concentrate mainly on the Tour.

[durhamshrimp]

Contador let himself down yesterday. Poor show.

[Morecambe Player]

Tell you what must hack them off, when they're absolutely knackered, pedalling like crazy, and a motorbike comes up alongside and films them. Then overtakes and goes to the next rider up.

[durhamshrimp]

Tell you what must hack them off, when they're absolutely knackered, pedalling like crazy, and a motorbike comes up alongside and films them. Then overtakes and goes to the next rider up.

Its worth it for on the way down the hills when the motorbikes can't keep up.