Professional Cycling - anyone here gets less inspired to ride watching the TDF?

I watched stage 9 today and felt so lazy afterward that I skipped almost all the hills in the afternoon ride.

Quite the opposite here. On the return section of my ride today, I hit every "Alp" I could. I spent an extra half hour squeezing every drop out of the few climbs in my neighborhood. It felt good.

good for you. I think my passion for cycling is dead. Spend too much time watching the tour...and too little riding.


Quite the opposite here. On the return section of my ride today, I hit every "Alp" I could. I spent an extra half hour squeezing every drop out of the few climbs in my neighborhood. It felt good.

I nominate this thread for the BF Shut the F Up and Ride Award for 2007.

The TdF (and the Giro, and . . . ) gets me up and motivated to train. If there were televised bike races all year long, I would be one fit, fast old man.

How in the world could watching those guys climb up the mountains discourage you from riding? If anything, it should make you want to blast up the hills around you. How dare I struggle up this 400m hill when these guys are going up 13km mountains?

I nominate this thread for the BF Shut the F Up and Ride Award for 2007.

I will third this nomination.

Watching those guys just makes me want to ride more. In fact, I miss the first hour of evening coverage because I'm out riding.

Watching those guys just makes me want to ride more. In fact, I miss the first hour of evening coverage because I'm out riding.

Agreed. On pretty much all of the weekend days of coverage, I have usually missed the first hour or two of the TV coverage due to being out riding. The coverage ehlps to fuel my daydreams of going back to ride through France some more, especially in the mountains.

How in the world could watching those guys climb up the mountains discourage you from riding? If anything, it should make you want to blast up the hills around you. How dare I struggle up this 400m hill when these guys are going up 13km mountains?

Yea, seeing those monster climbs and switchbacks make me wish that I had some of those to challenge me. At least I do have a bit of climbing here, but nothing even remotely close to what those guys deal with.

I will third this nomination.

Motion carries.

Motion carries.

We all agree, this thread does win the BF Shut the F Up and Ride Award for 2007.

Congrats to the OP.

hehehe! i was just talking about this with family. we were watching the tdf at a tavern at someone yelled out, does that make you want to ride right now? without hesitation i replied, "no. it makes me want to quit riding forever!"

those riders are LIGHTYEARS beyond where i am or could be as a rider. they average higher speeds on the flats than i do going downhill.

Can we get some more FranckCisco bashing in here please? This thread is starting to head in a legitimate direction.

Watching that terrain, inspires me to want to chase after them. Hear the chagall chirping. Great noise when out on the road. They must be in the south of France.

what it's done for me is keep me lazing about the house for morning coverage (I'm a teacher, I can do that) then frantically rush around to get other things done in the afternoon. My real issue with riding has been a vacation that totally interupted my routine. Now I need to reschedule my life to "normal."

It doesn't do anything to inspire me or the opposite. It just is.
I still ride and I still watch the TDF. Though my DVR is recording like 4 hrs of it each day. I tend to abbreviate it a bit by watching the beginning, end, and various parts in the middle.

i've been less inspired to ride ever sense some stupid immigrant ***** with like 7 little kids rear-ended me on the freeway a couple weeks ago in an expedition, ****ign up my back, neck, and wrist in the process.

I nominate this thread for the BF Shut the F Up and Ride Award for 2007. I'll go along with this... :rolleyes::D

actually it was a chick. it has to do with the fact that she had about 4 babies still in carriers and 3 more kids not even in seat belts because she just can't stop at 2.5.

I get fired up to hop on the roadie every July.

I have climbed Mt. Ventoux. The easy approach. Let's say I could climb some of the worst Alp's cols. I think I could. What I have wondered, how many days after the end of the TDF would I arrive at their final destination- if I were to attempt to follow them. Same day. Maybe a week later. ?

I have climbed Mt. Ventoux. The easy approach. Let's say I could climb some of the worst Alp's cols. I think I could. What I have wondered, how many days after the end of the TDF would I arrive at their final destination- if I were to attempt to follow them. Same day. Maybe a week later. ?

For me this would depend on how fast the ambulance driver was....

my problem is, the tour comes on at 5 am over here in Ca. and I usually get out about 6:30 or 7:00 am.

But with the tour on I can't get out the door because i want to see the finish. However by time it's done it's about 100 degree's out and climbing. I live in the desert. 115 is pretty hot .. not good.

For me this would depend on how fast the ambulance driver was....

Botto. I have completed about a 700 mile ( with interruptions) tour in about 10 days. I am afraid my ambulance chaser would be on one of the French Alp cols.

actually it was a chick. it has to do with the fact that she had about 4 babies still in carriers and 3 more kids not even in seat belts because she just can't stop at 2.5.

And most likely was distracted by the 7 kids. I hope she at least had insurance. Sue her *****

Stupid thread, but my reply anyway: I get fired up and want to ride, but the 3-4 hour chunk out of each day actually makes me ride less during the tour. But watch out August!!

actually it was a chick. it has to do with the fact that she had about 4 babies still in carriers and 3 more kids not even in seat belts because she just can't stop at 2.5.

Sounds like someone you should ask out for a drink.

I was very uninspired after watching Chicken make his break up those mountains. I thought "he can do that, and I struggle with a 1.5 mile hill", but then yesterday when they announced that guy who was caught doping, I decided that they are all fakes anyway, and it is not fair to me to compare myself to a bunch of drugged out freaks. I should compare myself to the people that I ride with, and I compare well to them.