Netflix TdF 2022 documentary--they still race bikes, you know!
 

Even if they're not steel.

We will happily watch this, it'll fit right in after the Dauphine'.


I wonder how many retro-grouches here follow today's bike racing, at all? Might see if I can run a poll. For me, and my family, it's the only sport we follow.

For my part, I never did and probably never will.

For me, sports are not something I watch or read about, they are something I do.

I've followed bike racing since the days of Anquetil and Poulidor. When I was in my mid-20s, I dated the stepdaughter of a then-well-known sportswriter, Red Smith. When we visited him and his wife, he courteously showed me a bunch of memorabilia, including Joe Frazier's (huge) boxing gloves from his Muhammad Ali fight. Showed me some baseball and basketball stuff, and then gave up, when it was obvious I knew nothing about those sports or any others he mentioned.

Unbeknownst to me, he'd also covered the Tour de France (in France) for the New York Times or the Herald Tribune. We could have talked about Merckx or Bahamontes or Geminiani or Ocana or . . .

Red Smith in his later years used to appear on NPR quite regularly, with one of the hosts (Bob Edwards!) who clearly idolized him. I knew very little about the events, usually long-past, he was recounting, but he was such an amazing storyteller, by the end of one of those pieces I'd almost feel like I had been there.

I just looked it up and Smith died in 1982, so I would only have heard him on NPR for a few years in my post-college life, and it was a long time ago! Still a vivid memory.

Racing today is boring. Lots of tempo riding to wear everyone out. Everything is too calculated.

Racing in the 80-90's was way more entertaining and unpredictable. Riders all had bad days due to environmental factors including food poisoning. Riders going through home towns got to ride out in front to see their families. They don't do that anymore.

Well…different points of view, no? Racing is no less unpredictable now than at any other time, it’s just covered more comprehensively.
Look at the recent Giro: lots of first time stage winners, headliners dropping out, an Old Guy who almost won, and a last stage winner. By 20 seconds.
They still have local riders in front through their towns, which is pretty neat.

I enjoy watching the Pro bike racing on Peacock, GCN, Flo and Super Sport.

Even though the modern racing is all about the "Marginal Gains" strategy, I really do enjoy the excellent camera work and scenery of the locations. Last years Tour de France Stage 11 was edge of your seat exciting. I'll make sure and catch this documentary.

Bob Roll enthusiast here. :thumb:
YouTube summaries are enough for me otherwise.

+ 1 on both of these.

Thanks for the tip, never thought of watching that way.

I was super into following bike racing in the late 70s and 80s. The English invasion! Wonderful time!
The Armstrong era was fun at the first but that faded away quickly. The corrupt nature of the sport in that era drove me away. From Phil and Paul to friendly George, Trek, know one seemed to own up to anything. Frauds. Narcissists.
I wonder how much of this rocked Robin Williams? There were so many casualties.

https://flixable.com/out/biking-borders/

This is also on Netflix.

Pedal bike racing is fun to watch.. sometimes. But the grueling uphill's kinda kill it for me.
I can't empathize because I don't particularly like riding uphill.
What is exciting to me is the downhill runs.
Watching them cut the kerbs and the occasional front wheel slide/save action and high sides is about it. Same reason I love Moto3.
The part I can't deal with is the pile ups. I'd rather watch a train wreck or a boxing match.
The human misery of zero protection from having a leg/arm (insert body part here) caught in someone else's equipment and forcefully assisted to move in unnatural directions disturbs my peace of mind.

1. I love watching TdF early in the morning on a weekend with a lot of coffee. I successfully use a laptop, GCN and a VPN to put it on a big flat screen.
2. After attending the world championships in Richmond 2015, I have a different perspective on what races are like.
3. Cycling benefits from good TV coverage more than most sports.

I follow a lot of bike racing - road, CX, gravel, and MTB - and I'm looking forward to watching this series. I hope it's done as well as "Formula 1: Drive to Survive".

Trials on pedal bikes IS fun. I could watch more of that.

I've been a fan for the past decade. My favorite races are either one-day classics, or non-mountaintop tour stages where the breakaway just barely stays away, or doesn't. And we are in something of a golden age at the moment with some top level riders that are all-rounders- Van Der Poel, Van Aert, Pogacar. Great stuff.

No spoilers, Giro was good this year. I will watch the tour, by the vuelta, I'm kinda bored. On demand is nice if you don't want to watch the 4 hours. Fast forward is nice. Never watched on-topic racing, only off-topic starting with LeMond.

I'm grateful of the endless content past and present but don't care enough to follow any pro sports these days. Have my reasons but that's not saying I don't go as an occasional spectator. The only current sporting event televised that gets my pulse up is MotoGP.

That said and for pro cycling, I'll once in awhile catch an abbreviated recorded event, stage etc.. The video technology is phenomenal. Zero following any rider nor really know who's the star these days.

Also enjoy the converted old footage and youtube uploads of early era races and documentary. Much of it euro to even former eastern bloc. The shorts by British Pathe are pretty neat as well. Should add there's some great uploads of mid-century home footage of amateur racing, later narration by old timers.

I watched the first 2 episodes of "TdF: Unchained" last night. I thought it was excellent, and on par with the "F1 - Drive to Survive" series.

My plan to make racing more exciting.

No radios.

Some guys went up the road? You don't know how far ahead they are? You have two choices, man up and reel them in, or potentially finish the stage after they do.

No power meters, you are a professional athlete, you should know how hard your body is working.

No heart rate monitors, you are a professional athlete, you should know how hard your body is working.

Bike computers can only show distance travelled, nothing else, the course is clearly marked, there is no need for computer navigation

You learn to race at the amateur level without radios, they can live without them. Yes, life will be tougher. But riders need to think on their own. They can always drop back to the team car to chat.

There is still the motorcycle with the chalkboard to tell you the gaps.

Power meters and hr monitors should be allowed, but like track cycling, the rider can't see the data.

concur

I watched the first episode......and second is plan for tonight

some of the crashes hurt to watch

For the first couple episodes I kind of "meh" Then I saw a tip on Twitter to turn off the dubbing and watch in in the original French with subtitles. It's vastly better that way. There's also a podcast diving deep into each episode for those who want to get below the surface. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...t/id1691307629

Well, if a Frenchman could win the race, I may see your point.

Just kidding. :)

Last French win, 1985. Last Bears Superbowl win, 1985. Coincidence? I think not. I'm all in on the French if we have a Bears win this January. No French for 2023, guaranteed.