Chicago Al 

We all know about this, right?


We've only watched the first episode so far (still watching the Dauphine') and it did not disappoint.

I'm going to try recommending it to my non-bike racing friends (ie nearly all of them) and see if it gets any traction.

goose70

Agree. I'm through the first two episodes and am relieved that it has -- so far -- not devolved into the "Real Housewives" type fake drama that has plagued recent seasons of Drive to Survive. That said, there are a few things not yet adequately covered/explained that my non-cycling friends have noted to me:

(1) The bikes themselves. Non-cyclists that I know seem fascinated by the tech they're seeing on the bikes and would like to learn more about it, learn more about what goes into making a decision about what bike to use, etc.

(2) Behind-the-scenes support, from nutrition to training to mechanics/sponsors/leadership. How does one put on a race like this and what does it take to train for one? How does a young rider rise to this level? The F1 series did a nice job showing that.

I suspect all of this is to come in upcoming episodes.

Eric F 

There are at least 2 other threads about this.

Eric F 

Spoiler...You're going to be disappointed.

Chicago Al 

I posted about it on C&V as well as here, but don't think there's a lot of overlap between that forum and this one, so why not? Also got in a plug for GCN, hopefully those sweet, sweet commissions will start coming in soon!

HeyItsSara

enjoying everyone's thoughts on all the different threads on it.

slcbob

Wait! There are other forums?

Oh, yeah. Reading some of the comments here made me remember why I forgot about them.
Discussion thread for Tour de France : Unchained | Official teaser | Netflix

Silence here or stupidity there. Unfortunate but easy choice.

I've seen the series but am behind on so many things I won't get there for a while. I look forward to having an opinion.

Chicago Al 

I didn't know about the thread on the General Cycling forum and was perfectly happy with that situation...until YOU had to put that link up, and like Pandora, I just had to take a peek. (This is unusual for me as far as mythological callbacks, I am more accustomed to feeling like Sisyphus and occasionally Cassandra.) As you said, stupidity there. Only a few comments here, but as Spencer Tracy said about Hepburn, what there is is 'choice.' Lots more comments in the C&V forum, though including a few 'I never watch bike racing, also I know it is boring,' don't we all know a few guys like that.

My wife, who's at least as much a fan as I am, told me that the producer of the show, James Gay-Rees, is on Geraint Thomas' podcast 'Watts Occurring' this week. The comparisons to 'F1: Drive to Survive' are apt, as that is also done by Gay-Rees and his company, Box to Box, as are a bunch of other epic sports docs. The podcast is well worth a listen--Gay-Rees was not a fan of bike racing, didn't get it, but is now a convert. Apparently the project came together pretty quickly, and the French partner was crucial in getting it going. They approached teams they thought might have an interesting story in them, and UAE said 'no,' explaining why there's not as much Pog coverage as you might expect. Jumbo and EF among others saw the potential to create awareness and joined in enthusiastically. I have been enjoying the EF storyline particularly. as we're seeing that 'team of misfits' off to a really good 2023.

Eric F 

EF Education has a new movie out on Amazon called "Enter the Slipstream". I'm intending to watch it on my Friday morning plane flight.

slcbob

I watched the series this past week. It's thoroughly adequate. It pains me that I couldn't remember some of the outcomes so the racing results were way more exciting than they should have been. I have recommended it to a good friend who is trying to better understand the sport. I think it might play well to a marginally motivated novice fan. I'll be curious what she says. TBD.

HeyItsSara

that looks nice but it cost extra.

Eric F 

Yes, it's extra. I got about 1/2 way thought it on my trip. The footage is from the 2020 Tour, and has a similar feel to "Unchained", but focuses on just one team.

diphthong

just whetting the appetite...

https://www.letour.fr/en/

once you click on a stage, scrolling down past the stage profile reveals the "heritage" of the area/towns encountered during the day's proceedings.
phil and paul were pretty good at mentioning the highlights but this gets slightly more in depth (e.g. local food and drink specialties). well done.

GrainBrain

I've almost watched most of the first episode, will watch all of them for sure! I caught the EF preview above that seems cool as well. Interesting (and welcome) to hear the voice of McCrossan on the EF video. I was disappointed with the Netflix series as they seem to have omitted the English commentators voice overs from the race footage. Can't remember the exact scene now (multiple) but they'll have this boring sounding narrator commentate on the stage as a rider crosses the line. I want to hear Rob Hatch's excited voice. Other then that I'm excited to watch it, looks good to watch with non cyclists.

Was going to watch more but I had my kiddo with me and forgot exactly how much they swear!! I think it was the JV DS just pause-dropping an F bomb that made me stop it for moment . Maybe it was Vaughters I can't remember, I had forgotten how poorly Bisseger had done in that TT.

boozergut

Thanks so much for sharing this, my wife is a foodie, she will love looking at the food of each region.........

slcbob

Tune her in to the GCN coverage and the foodie, sites, etc. injects from Jonathan Harris-Bass. See also @Jhbfoodiecyclist on Instagram.