Professional Cycling - Is the TDF boring or what?

Now I am certainly a fan. I race bicycles, I subscribe to Velonews, I have watched every minute of every day of the TDF. Having said that, what other sporting event can go on for multiple days, hundreds of miles over varied terrain, etc., etc., and have the results be precisely the same day after day. I am starting to believe that stage bicycle racing, at least as presented by OLN, has to be one of the most boring spectator sports this side of tiddly winks. I think there could be about a 20 minute daily broadcast which could capture interesting moments, interviews and results, and I could sure save a lot of my time.

Is it just me, or does anyone else agree?

Having said that, I will be glued in front of my TV as usual tomorrow. At least they will be showing my favorite participatory event - time trialing.

I think what is making the Tour boring this year, is that no one is even trying to put the pressure on Armstrong. I almost feel that they are just giving it to him this year.

I agree. I love the TdF, but the excitment level is just not there this year. Disco pushes the pace so high in the first week that there are no breakaways that are sustainable and the sprint while exciting is over in 5 seconds so that is also boring. The mountains are the only time when it is exciting and LA has methodcally covered all attacks like a precision guided missle. The lack of any solid contenders has also been notable and while Vino at least tries to attack, watching him do it is an exercise in futility. If Jan hadnt tanked in the TT then perhaps LA would have had to push himself if his lead was only a marginal one. All adds up to one boring Tour DAY France. Plus, Al Trautwig and Bob Roll make me want to shoot myself.

I find every second interesting. What riders are in the break, what teams are represented, who's doing the work, etc. Same goes for the peloton. What team if any is doing the work and who exactly from said team is making the pace is great stuff.

And the beauty of a team like Lotto dropping the hammer in the last 10k for their sprinter never gets boring.

And it's even more interesting when put in the context of a whole season. I guess you have to be a cycling fan.

It is boring. The first week was fun. Thankfully, I have Tivo and can avoid the commercials and most of the Traut and Roll.

That's why I follow the Tour only in the daily print media.

I find every second interesting. What riders are in the break, what teams are represented, who's doing the work, etc. Same goes for the peloton. What team if any is doing the work and who exactly from said team is making the pace is great stuff.

And the beauty of a team like Lotto dropping the hammer in the last 10k for their sprinter never gets boring.

And it's even more interesting when put in the context of a whole season. I guess you have to be a real cycling fan.

Fixed. I agree 100%.

After the mountains it became a bit of a snorefest, albeit a snorefest I'm glued to. Savodelli's win was edge of your seat kind of stuff though. I guess it has its moments. The final TT will be really cool.

After the mountains it became a bit of a snorefest, albeit a snorefest I'm glued to. Savodelli's win was edge of your seat kind of stuff though. I guess it has its moments. The final TT will be really cool.

I guess that describes me - I am of course glued to the coverage as I always will be, but I long for the thrill I experienced of watching Hincapie win a stage - I was bouncing up and down on my couch. As to the comment earlier about having to be a fan - there is no bigger fan than I, but damn they need more guys like Vino who attacks until he drops. It does seem that the Peloton is seemingly resigned to the end result. It is too late for any action now. Lance will either win or place in the top few in the TT and hence lose no time, and the last day is just a formality with only the final sprint contested.

I really like it- I like to see the strategies of the teams and when there's a sprint finish, I like to see how the teams line up and get their sprinters into contention. Even if the teams keep a high pace and bring in the breakaways, I still like to see how they do it and the obligatory handshake as the breakaways get swallowed by the peloton. The fans are great to watch for the most part, and I love seeing the red devil running alongside the racers. I also prefer Phil and Paul for the commentary. I just cannot stomach those other two.

I also love my Tivo, so I can fast forward through the pre-race banter, the geeky looking dood with the horn rimmed, has been classes, and about three fourths of what K. Gum is chippering on about. Some of the stuff they highlight is pretty interesting, but the other stuff is pretty dull, so I can fast forward through that. For the most part, my eyes are pretty glued to the television. And I have every stage on tape too, so that's cool.

Koffee

I think what is making the Tour boring this year, is that no one is even trying to put the pressure on Armstrong. I almost feel that they are just giving it to him this year.

I don't buy this. T-Mobile made a number of attacks and attempts to take on Lance. The attacks were successful to the extent that they isolated Lance from his (supposedly dominant) team on 2 different occasions. Only problem was, they couldn't do anything w/Lance once they isolated him. Maybe it's boring b/c LA is so dominant, but I don't think it's right to say that no one has tried to challenge him this year.

I think the organizers set up this "tougher" finishing week in the hopes that the fight for the yellow would be closer. What they've effectively done is nurtalized the chase for the Green Jersey. I think if guys were fighting for green jersey points we'd se more organization and that would create a little more drama. As it stands, no one is chasing down breaks, because the sprinters aren't going to be there at the end of these smaller cols in the Massif Central.

It's unfortunate that people are seeing this as boring. I guess maybe there's too much focus on 1st place. From 3rd place on down to 10th there have been almost daily changes in the rankings. How often do you see the top 3 guys on the attack on Cat. 2 and 3 climbs this late in the Tour? For the past 7 years, not too often.

Having said that, I'm too die hard I guess. I watch every stage at least twice a day, even a "boring" day like today. I guess "boring" cycling is better to me than anything else on T.V.

I think what is making the Tour boring this year, is that no one is even trying to put the pressure on Armstrong. I almost feel that they are just giving it to him this year.


Funny, I think this has been written nearly every year by this time. There were more attacks in the early mountain stages this year than the past few years, but what's always minimized attacks are:

1) Blue Train (Disco/Postal) keeping the tempo up at the front of the peloton
2) Lance "covering" every attack by a GC contender - ALWAYS

Eventually, these GC contenders are worn out - physically and mentally. At some point, Basso and Ullrich must be saying to themselves "what's the point? I can attack and maybe knock myself out too early, so there's downside for my podium finish, or I can attack and he'll cover anyway - so there's no upside".

I find it fascinating and have watched every second.
It could be a lot better presented-French TV sucks.
OLN's segments on bike tech could be MUCH MUCH better if they took longer than 45 seconds to show how bikes are built, designed and tested. Everything is in attention-deficit-disorder 30 second quips with great titles, and no content.

Maybe I've missed something, but from what I can tell of the half dozen or stages I've watched they don't cover every mile, its seem more like 2-2.5hrs coverage for a 5hr stage.

Al

Also, that scramble for the Green Jersey points is great. McEwen has attitude, I'll tell ya.

Koffee

I think the organizers set up this "tougher" finishing week in the hopes that the fight for the yellow would be closer. What they've effectively done is nurtalized the chase for the Green Jersey. I think if guys were fighting for green jersey points we'd se more organization and that would create a little more drama. As it stands, no one is chasing down breaks, because the sprinters aren't going to be there at the end of these smaller cols in the Massif Central.

It's unfortunate that people are seeing this as boring. I guess maybe there's too much focus on 1st place. From 3rd place on down to 10th there have been almost daily changes in the rankings. How often do you see the top 3 guys on the attack on Cat. 2 and 3 climbs this late in the Tour? For the past 7 years, not too often.

Having said that, I'm too die hard I guess. I watch every stage at least twice a day, even a "boring" day like today. I guess "boring" cycling is better to me than anything else on T.V.


Good points. The sprinters' stages are extremely interesting... the fighting for the front, the lead outs, the sprints... very exciting. And Basso attacking yesterday, Lance having to respond. Good stuff.

The breakaways? I'm not sure I really care if seven guys who are an hour or more out of GC contention go up the road. The one-day classics? Yes, then I'm all over it. But if the teams don't want to chase 'em down then I lose interest too. But maybe I have shiny key syndrome. That said, I was hoping Axel was going to win the stage yesterday... and not just 'cause Lance said he would. There is a lot of movement within the GC rankings... but no drama now for first, only second and third. I pretty sure Basso won't pick up two minutes on Lance in the time trial. If he did, now there would be some drama.

But I still thank my lucky stars that we do get to see the Tour. Hope it stays that way.

I think the organizers set up this "tougher" finishing week in the hopes that the fight for the yellow would be closer. What they've effectively done is nurtalized the chase for the Green Jersey. I think if guys were fighting for green jersey points we'd se more organization and that would create a little more drama. As it stands, no one is chasing down breaks, because the sprinters aren't going to be there at the end of these smaller cols in the Massif Central.

It's unfortunate that people are seeing this as boring. I guess maybe there's too much focus on 1st place. From 3rd place on down to 10th there have been almost daily changes in the rankings. How often do you see the top 3 guys on the attack on Cat. 2 and 3 climbs this late in the Tour? For the past 7 years, not too often.

Having said that, I'm too die hard I guess. I watch every stage at least twice a day, even a "boring" day like today. I guess "boring" cycling is better to me than anything else on T.V.

i agree. plus, with tivo i get to make my own highlight reel. i mean i wake up, watch the last 30k ... then, knowing the results i come home after work to see how the race unfolded by turning on subtitles and running the tivo in 2x mode watching in real time when i really gets interesting.

Boring? well only if the only thing I was watching for was the GC race.
There is a beauty in watching the peloton, I love seeing the work done
to chase down breaks, and I love cheering for the breaks in hopes
a brave attempt will survive. The Points competition is always heating up,
and I lament the fact that Boonen is out of the hunt, it would have made
things that much better.
fwiw I actually think Kristen Gum is better this year, she knows more
about races and she much better than the last wank they had doing the
travel/local colour stories. That said, I hate her hair, someone ought to tell
her it looks pretty bad.

Marty

koffee:

I do love when the devil makes his obligatory appearance! :)

I have become a monster McEwen fan through this tour. I guess others are watching too - I have been called "Robbie" twice in the last two days after winning the club ride sprint! :D

Seems the contenders are too conservative due to the relentlessness of the course. There are so many back-to-back huge climbs that nobody is willing to risk blowing up (well except for Vinokourov). Who in their right mind is going to go all out on a cat 1 finish when you have to ride 4 more cat 1/HC climbs the very next day (and again the day after that)?

Now I am certainly a fan. I race bicycles, I subscribe to Velonews, I have watched every minute of every day of the TDF. Having said that, what other sporting event can go on for multiple days, hundreds of miles over varied terrain, etc., etc., and have the results be precisely the same day after day. I am starting to believe that stage bicycle racing, at least as presented by OLN, has to be one of the most boring spectator sports this side of tiddly winks. I think there could be about a 20 minute daily broadcast which could capture interesting moments, interviews and results, and I could sure save a lot of my time.

Is it just me, or does anyone else agree?

Having said that, I will be glued in front of my TV as usual tomorrow. At least they will be showing my favorite participatory event - time trialing.I agree. I've been TIVOing all the stages. I watched most of the mountain stages completely but now I am getting bored with the race so I watch the beginning and fast forward to 20k till the end of the race.

What your watching is a dominant performance by Lance and the boys at DC.. 20 years from now it wont seem boring to read that they won 7 in a row..It will just read 7 in a row..
Sit back and enjoy it, your watching history being made!!

Who can spend 3 -5 hours in front of the tv everyday (almost) for three weeks?

That said, I wish there was a nearby bar I could watch it at, so I could hang with my compatriots.

What your watching is a dominant performance by Lance and the boys at DC.. 20 years from now it wont seem boring to read that they won 7 in a row..It will just read 7 in a row..
Sit back and enjoy it, your watching history being made!!

The point I want to make exactly. I relish being a peripheral participant in historic events. I don't really enjoy or follow baseball but watched every minute of every game when the history of the Babe Ruth curse was altered. My biggest thrill of the entire space race was going outside to see Shepherd and Glenn head into space because the rockets were so close to my school that TV was temporarily interupted. We all cried when the stage on Shepherd's rocket seperated because we thought it had exploded.

Whatever might or might have happened to Lance either last year or this is of historic proportions in the world of cycling. Even if I did not own or ever ride a bicycle I'd follow the Tour just for the history. :)

There is too much going on, too much up for grabs every stage for it to get boring. The riders and teams understand how big of an event this is, and they fight very hard for every little prize.

Seems the contenders are too conservative due to the relentlessness of the course. There are so many back-to-back huge climbs that nobody is willing to risk blowing up (well except for Vinokourov). Who in their right mind is going to go all out on a cat 1 finish when you have to ride 4 more cat 1/HC climbs the very next day (and again the day after that)?

Yeah, but that's like saying that nobody is willing to risk winning! I'd rather blow up and be carried away in an ambulance than lose a race, but apparently that is not the philosophy. It is amazing when you can get you opponents to have a mindset of racing for second or worse place. I have to hand it to the Discovery ogranization!

I watch and love every second of it... There is something hypnotic about cranks going at 100 rpm... Even my non cycling friends, whom I convinced to watch the tour, agree that its way more interesting that they thought it would be..

Who can spend 3 -5 hours in front of the tv everyday (almost) for three weeks?

That said, I wish there was a nearby bar I could watch it at, so I could hang with my compatriots.

My wife and I watch at least the final hour or more live every morning, and record all of it so we can watch the rest later in the day (which we've always done) - except for stage 15. We had friends over that night for dinner and we all watched the stage for the first time that evening (which meant I avoided live sports updates all day on radio and TV).

It's only boring if you're just superficially following the Tour ("oh, Lance's lead didn't change TODAY, EITHER?"), or only fixated on the gap between 1st and 2nd ("oh, it's STILL 2:46 between Lance and Basso?"), IMO.

Last year, I was traveling during the tour, and I made sure I could find a bar next to my hotel that had OLN, so I could see the stages, at least (even if I couldn't hear any commentary).

Whatever might or might have happened to Lance either last year or this is of historic proportions in the world of cycling. Even if I did not own or ever ride a bicycle I'd follow the Tour just for the history. :)

I think this is an important point for people to grasp. Whether you love him or hate him, LA has been the most dominant figure in this particular event for 7 years and after Sunday he's gone. Saturday is our last chance to watch this man lay it all out there. If you're a Tour fan, and particularly if your an American, you better be sitting in front of a TV on Saturday and absorbing the end of an era. (or the beginning of a new one, whichever perspective you're coming from)

...There is a beauty in watching the peloton...
especially through the postcard french countryside and towns....

The number showing it's only 2':46", but I think this tour was the most dominant win for Lance. It could have been over 15 minutes if he tried.

The first day of the tour he made a statement, nobody had an answer. Alpha male howled but nobody followed. When he glaring at others, they just put their tales between their legs and stepped back. We wanted to see a fight, but it was all over even before it started.

If you want to see a suspense of not knowing who will win, wait till next year and on. The guys beat their butts off if they see even a minimal chance of winning. That's when the fight breaks out. We won't see a guy as dominant(mentally) as Lance in quite sometime to come.

I'm not savvy of cycling racing but I watch TDF. I'm not an expert of Football but I watch (only)Super bowl. People like me takes up 95%(guessing) of population but that's the TV station can count on.

I'd like to see an ending like LeMond and Fignon did in the past. Two guys keep fighting, not giving anything till the end. That was the best.

It's great to watch a bike race on tv, but yes, it's not an exciting tour. Stage wins are fun, but it's really not an exciting race. I don't think it's great just because it's the tour and it's on tv and lance is winning- there's no suspense, it's lukewarm. There are great individual moments as there always are, but mostly it's the snore de france. I hope next year it'll be more exciting.

. I hope next year it'll be more exciting.

You might want to start hoping you'll even get coverage next year.

It's great to watch a bike race on tv, but yes, it's not an exciting tour. Stage wins are fun, but it's really not an exciting race. I don't think it's great just because it's the tour and it's on tv and lance is winning- there's no suspense, it's lukewarm. There are great individual moments as there always are, but mostly it's the snore de france. I hope next year it'll be more exciting.


I agree - not challenging for yellow is like dating yer' sister (Sure, she's a blouse full of goodies - but she's still yer' sister) LOL.

I watch and tape each stage and love bicycle racing, but 38+ minutes gap between the top GC riders and the BA's in the last 3 stages and none of them dropped down the leader list. Isn't this a race to Paris?

The first week is always exciting - I totally enjoy the sprint for the finish and the TTT, If only the we had the same for the overall up to the final ITT.

Once again - just my 2 Euro's !

Bump. From a long time ago.

Remember the good old days?

Bump. From a long time ago.

Remember the good old days?

I did not check the dates of the posts at first, and thought that the first guy was an idiot and the second guys were sarcastic d-bags.

Instead, I was a gullible idiot.

When I read that the OP was watching on OLN i knew something was wrong... Good ol' OLN... I'm so sick of MMA fight promotions and MMA interviews.

I did not check the dates of the posts at first, and thought that the first guy was an idiot and the second guys were sarcastic d-bags.

Instead, I was a gullible idiot.


+1 :p

As a pure bread mountain biker, with no road riding under my belt.

I find it facinating...