You'd have to be an artist to make that ugly flogger something worth clicking on.

ROFLMAO!!!!

where's our report on the 'great taswegian TT'?......you & dave get to the top or what?

Hitchy

....of course you are doubtless referring to wattsy?

No. Tiger!

It's there under the other thread. I think. I had a couple of settling glasses of wine after getting home and before posting.

Long and short of it, I broke 20 minutes and did a PB on my fixie. First (and only) fixie home. Dave did well after shedding the rack and panniers and broke through to the 17 minute range, I think. Best time by the hotshots was in the 12-minute range, I think. Around 50 starters, which is a pretty good turnout. It's probably the most popular free-for-all series of cycling events in Hobart... I reckon we'll have 100 out there one Tuesday night in January once the word get about.

Mine was probably the crappiest looking bike there, but, gee, it created a bit of interest among those "in the know", and might encourage a couple of track bikes out in a fortnight's time.

How good is this!!!!

Aussies get Tour live
By John Stevenson

Australian broadcaster SBS has announced that starting in 2005 it plans to broadcast the Tour de France live in its entirety, making it the only free-to-air broadcaster in the English-speaking world to do so.

Since 1991 SBS has screened the Tour de France as a daily edited highlights package; a few years ago it started screening two or three live stages each year, an event that was an excuse for some lengthy beer and pizza evenings among Australian cycling fans.

SBS head of sport Les Murray explained to Cyclingnews that the broadcaster has decided to ramp up its coverage for a number of reasons. The popularity of the show was one of them, but more significant was the quality of Australian cyclists in the Tour for the last several years. "The high quality presence of the [Australian] cyclists drove us to decide that we have to do more than what we have been doing," said Murray. "Half hour highlights per day, two or three live stages per year simply didn't do justice to the event.

"It became clear that because Australia was the most represented country among successful riders in the Tour de France - which is quite remarkable given that cycling is supposed to be a minority sport in this country - we had to do more than what we'd been doing. It was not right that French television, Italian television, German television, Spanish television was doing this blanket coverage when their riders were inferior, in terms of success, to our riders."

Another factor was the desire of Tour organizer ASO for SBS to do more with the Tour. It's no coincidence that this initiative comes alongside the news that SBS has renewed for five years its contract with ASO to screen the Tour. "Yes, there was pressure from ASO [to do more]" said Murray. "ASO is always keen for us to do more than we were doing. ASO is very keen on promoting the event globally, it's very keen on gaining exposure for the event globally on free to air TV. We always had a very willing partner in ASO if we wanted to take this event up one notch."

That said, Murray told Cyclingnews the decision was, "primarily driven by saying 'we have exposed this event for 13 years, lets see if we can capitalize on that and get some reward for our investment.'"

ASO also organizes several other major races, including Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Nice, and the deal includes the rights to screen those races live too. However, at the moment SBS intends to show those events on a delayed basis. "Live access is available if we want to do it," said Murray. "It depends on the programmers, my colleagues at SBS who sit in judgment of program scheduling. If they want to schedule it live we can do that."

The 2005 Tour de France starts in Vendée with a 19km individual time trial from Fromentine to Ile de Noirmoutier on Saturday July 2. Time zone differences mean this stage will screen on SBS in the very early morning of Sunday July 3.

Hey guys,

Made it up there, and took over 30 seconds off my best practice time too. 17:49 was my time. The only problem now is I'm gonna have to train a bit to beat that in the next one
Looking forward to a nice slow group ride tonight (Wednesday nights is the 'girls ride', as in the girls set the pace)

Met up with Rowan, and his green machine fixie. Can't believe he broke 20 minutes on that thing!

Yeah, I was contemplating a ride today but the weather might have other ideas. To be honest, I really only started to feel half human last night, so I might go for a light spin on Thurs or Friday. The scratches are nothin'- it's the non-visible wounds that suck.....although I am > < this far away from posting a pic of my arse!

Man, awesome news about the Tour. Hopefully this year that boring Seppo Whatshisname will decide to find something else to do so it won't be so sleep inducing. You know, like trying to be as good as Coppi, Merckx et al by racing something else AS WELL as the TdF.

YOU FARKING BEWDY!!!!!....never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would happen....no sleep for next July then!....I'm emailing SBS now to tell them I'm removing the Fatwah I placed on them for going to an ad 1km from the stage finish last year!......now if we can just work out how to get rid of Mike Tomilaris!

Hitchy

Live Paris-Roubaix.....only seen it live once. That would be uber-cool.

did I tell the story about MT trying to get an interview from Neil Stephen's at the prologue for the '96 Tour?? He came trotting over, mic in hand and was told to "Fahk orf" by Stevo.....shame THAT wasn't live.

Tomilaris is OK. It's that dude they get in every year in the local studio (god, I've met the man and done a workshop session with him and I can't remember his frigggin name... it's a bad day today) they need to get rid of. I did a count of how many time he said "fantastic" in one two-minute grab two years ago, and it was nigh on 20. Someone needs to give him a few synonyms... Hitchy, you're good at it... maybe a few "farrken fabulous you're not here" s would be handy.

Actually, Hitchy, go post the good news on the "Armstrong sighting" thread. On second thoughts, don't. It would only encourage them to come over here to watch it.

Andrew Orsatti (host)
or
Stephen Hodge (Aussie cycling legend)


have you heard how many times Phil Anderson says "y'know?" in an interview??? Jaysus....

Yeah, Hodgie, that's it.

Look, he's a nice guy in person. Knows a bit too much for his own good (I suppose most legends do). He's just not suited to that role on TV until he can wean off the old "fantastic" *****.

....i've stolen your good news, ed, & posted it in the racing forum......positive feedback to SBS would be good to guys!

comments@sbs.com.au

i think i might be the happiest man in Oz!....(after Ed!)

Hitchy

I'm doin' backflips....Sh1t I'm gonna drive my family nutz next July. I'm gonna have to get back on the coffee, though....lotsa late nights.


E-mail to SBS coming up....

Thank heavens for small mercies. I was getting sick of listening to things like "Welcome to OLN's live coverage of the blah blah blah. Coverage of today's stage will begin momentarily" followed by 30 minutes of silence.

Not a "meeja performer", as they say.

yeah & just when it starts...the bloody internet connection drops out!...then it takes 2 hours to get back 'in'.....this is the greatest day for Aussie cycle fans, since......since......forever!

hitchy

Live Tour and Roubaix !! Died and gone to heaven. Many e-mails of thanks to SBS will hopefully keep it this way every year. And maybe we get more on TV, even some MTBing might come along too.

If they start showing some 6-day and cyclocross action, I'm gonna need a box of tissues.

oi...a new contributor to the thread!....ya can't post here until you post pictures of your girlfriend/wife/bike....(whichever you love the most!)...then ya have to take the pledge...."we the people........blah blah blah".....& most importantly of all, if you can be bothered doing any of that.......we don't want ya!

hitchy

Good point. Bike pics, ploise!