Tour de Bore, by Bill Gifford
#1
Aluminium Crusader :-)
Thread Starter
we've heard it all before, but still worth a chuckle
https://www.slate.com/id/2121810/?nav/fo/
https://www.slate.com/
https://www.slate.com/id/2121810/?nav/fo/
https://www.slate.com/
#4
Maglia Ciclamino
He's completely right. This year's Giro and the Finestre were awesome. Definitely shed the radios. He's wrong about Alpe d'Huez being for Heras. I thought of Mayo instead (wasn't to be).
#5
Heeeeeere's Johnny!
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While I may not agree with all of this guy's points, I think he demonstrates at least a working knowledge of pro cycling.
I don't think radios should be banned, mostly for safety reasons. The sport has made huge advances in the last 20 years due in part to improved communication.
Instead of banning the French, let a neutral panel decide on the teams. I think there are lots of more deserving teams than some of the French scrubs they shove into the Tour every year for the sake of national pride.
I strongly disagree with his claim that "Armstrong's long reign has sucked some of the life out of the race." Well, may in France it has
Lance himself described pro cycling as a combination of chess and NASCAR. With a combination like that, you'll either love it or hate it
I think something can be said for tradition and the race organizers' refusal to depart from it. Drastically changing the race structure would turn it into a circus meant to put on a show and it would cease to be the Tour de France.
I don't think radios should be banned, mostly for safety reasons. The sport has made huge advances in the last 20 years due in part to improved communication.
Instead of banning the French, let a neutral panel decide on the teams. I think there are lots of more deserving teams than some of the French scrubs they shove into the Tour every year for the sake of national pride.
I strongly disagree with his claim that "Armstrong's long reign has sucked some of the life out of the race." Well, may in France it has
Lance himself described pro cycling as a combination of chess and NASCAR. With a combination like that, you'll either love it or hate it
I think something can be said for tradition and the race organizers' refusal to depart from it. Drastically changing the race structure would turn it into a circus meant to put on a show and it would cease to be the Tour de France.
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A change I would like to see is making the route more rounded. I mean making it so many more stages are more likely to have a GC impact, rather than a few extremely important ones. With the way that the sport works now, at that elite level, of course we can say the day the route is announced which few stages will be very important for the GC and can name a number that won't. Wouldn't it be great to make it more attack-friendly? Like long long ago when they had to be on their toes for attacks on almost any stage.
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Sprockette
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HE's bang on the money- sports is supposed to be about suspense. The tour is ecoming as suspenseful as reruns of Batman. OF course, lance devotees will get all horrified that anyone dares to CRITICIZE.. but he's thinking in terms of sports, not about one person. Would you want to watch a baseball game if you knew how it was going to turn out? DOn't give me 'you never know' crap- with the tour, it's become totally formulaic. We all know what's going to happen and when... it's the Snore de france. The giro is so much more fun. The tour is really only fun if you want lance to win yet again. I'll be so glad when he retires... get lost already.
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You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That's great...if you want to attract vermin.
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I'm still not convinced the French deliberately formulate the Tours in hopes of Lance losing. If it's true, the French are out of their minds. Why would they have two time trials in the first four stages? Lance has only lost two (now three) time trials! What a way to go into the mountains with a couple of minutes advantage where he'll be sure to pad his lead all the more. I don't know. Then again, they're the French, hating us publicly, but loving Jerry Lewis, Coke and Levis out of their homes. Where they can smoke! And probably Marlboros. No, Chesterfields.
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Originally Posted by wabbit
I'll be so glad when he retires... get lost already.
Originally Posted by jbonus
I'm still not convinced the French deliberately formulate the Tours in hopes of Lance losing. If it's true, the French are out of their minds. Why would they have two time trials in the first four stages? Lance has only lost two (now three) time trials! What a way to go into the mountains with a couple of minutes advantage where he'll be sure to pad his lead all the more. I don't know. Then again, they're the French, hating us publicly, but loving Jerry Lewis, Coke and Levis out of their homes. Where they can smoke! And probably Marlboros. No, Chesterfields.
That TTT rule in particular is an obvious change to disadvantage him.
Last edited by Dolomiti; 07-06-05 at 03:21 PM.
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Originally Posted by jbonus
Where they can smoke! And probably Marlboros. No, Chesterfields.
#12
Guinea Hood
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Originally Posted by Dolomiti
Ahh, journalism. I quickly noticed obvious inaccuracies and stopped reading.