Tour de France 2012 [congrats Bradley Wiggins!]

Priene

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I'm betting Wiggins is taking part in leading Cavendish out on the Champs-Élysées tomorrow.

..and so it came to pass. This year's tour was simply great. Roll on next year.
 

anguswalker

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Interestingly, the French are calling it the most boring Tour de France since the War and I sort of get what they're saying. In retrospect it was more one-sided even than any of Lance's or Miguel's many victories. Sky never looked remotely troubled and there was a certain repetitiveness to it all.

No disrespect to Wiggins of course: as he has said multiple times you can only beat the opposition who turn up. I do wonder though what the tour would be like without radios. Millar's description of the Sky team bus as the Death Star has some basis to it. Everything is so planned and methodical that it does take some of the mad unpredictability out of it all.
 

Priene

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Interestingly, the French are calling it the most boring Tour de France since the War and I sort of get what they're saying. In retrospect it was more one-sided even than any of Lance's or Miguel's many victories. Sky never looked remotely troubled and there was a certain repetitiveness to it all.

That may be partly down to the improved drugs regulations. Since competitors can no longer get a nightly blood infusion, they have less energy to launch big attacks in the mountains.
 

DreamWeaver

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I kept waiting for either Phil or Paul to refer to the Sky juggernaut at the head of the peloton mile after mile by saying, "Here come the Men in Black." But I never heard it :( .
 

DreamWeaver

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Adding after the Olympic Men's Road Race...

Vino off the front!!!!!!!

Didn't think I'd ever be hearing that again, especially not for a gold medal :D.
 

Priene

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'Is that a Spaniard at the front? No, I think he might be Dutch or maybe Australian but I can't read his number so he could be Cadel Evans or maybe Rolf Harris. We don't know what the gap to the lead group is or whether it's growing or shrinking but Mark Cavendish is leading Team GB up Box Hill or maybe it's Froome or Bradley Wiggins or David Millar or that Stannard guy. I'd like to tell you all sorts of interesting statistics but I can't see my screen because the sun is shining...'
 

DreamWeaver

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'Is that a Spaniard at the front? No, I think he might be Dutch or maybe Australian but I can't read his number so he could be Cadel Evans or maybe Rolf Harris. We don't know what the gap to the lead group is or whether it's growing or shrinking but Mark Cavendish is leading Team GB up Box Hill or maybe it's Froome or Bradley Wiggins or David Millar or that Stannard guy. I'd like to tell you all sorts of interesting statistics but I can't see my screen because the sun is shining...'
The Tour broadcasts--especially the graphics--really have me spoiled. Didn't ever see a listing of who was in the breakaway.
 

DreamWeaver

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...and now it turns out that the thousands of fans tweeting on their cell phones from Box Hill maxed out the wireless capability & prevented the GPS information from the bike transponders getting to the Olympics TV graphics operators. At least, that's what they're reporting.

That's a new one. I guess it sounds plausible. It was a pretty rural area and they probably didn't have great wireless coverage to begin with. Or am I being naïve?