Cycling 2016

[rufus]

Re: Cycling 2016

The mindset of the peloton is shown by Tejay's quote the other day about being dropped. Paraphrasing, he says, "I didn't give up, but what's the point of fighting and fighting and fighting just to finish in 15th place(on the stage)".

Well that is the point, to keep fighting.

I know he was doing it to try to set up Quintana the other day, but at least Valverde tried to go away a couple times. It ended up costing him, and he lost a couple minutes, but at least he tried to do something. Quintana could see Froome being gapped by his own teammates, and still didn't even make an attempt.

[XYZ]

Nah. It's just after listening to those Eurosport guys call the classics and smaller stage races, and sometimes the Giro and Vuelta, over the past four or five years, I just cannot abide Phil and Paul anymore. Phil's call of the TT yesterday just served more to confirm that the guy has gone senile, and needs to hang it up. Paul too, cause he's even worse when he's not with Phil.

I know. I was merely channeling Paul Sherwen on your behalf

[PrezdeJohnson09]

huge day for me today with Izagirre winning and Alaphillipe 4th. I vaulted up into the top 4000 overall. Aru falling apart hurts me in the final points. Need Kristoff/Sagan to do well tomorrow to keep a high placing.

[Probert]

Re: Cycling 2016

Tour of Utah is on FS 2 starting Monday. I believe it will be Phil, Bobke and Paul free.

[manurespreader]

Re: Cycling 2016

I really can't understand how they can allow Lizzie Armistead to compete in Rio. I guess I can, but it's just sad.

[XYZ]

I really can't understand how they can allow Lizzie Armistead to compete in Rio. I guess I can, but it's just sad.

Same reasons guys like Justin Gatlin and Yohan Blake will be wasting the time of anyone who is dumb enough to watch the garbage that is set to besiege those willing to get worked.

The most interesting thing with the Armistead case is that British Cycling itself paid for and handled her defense. That is...unprecedented and a huge conflict of interest. Defending her in direct opposition to UKAD on an appeal UKAD had already smashed...oy.

[Probert]

Re: Cycling 2016

Looks like UHD is showing 2 hours of Vuelta coverage nightly, no live coverage unless you have other access I guess.

I note that their was no PHil during the Olympics does that mean he is being eased out?

[rufus]

Re: Cycling 2016

Phil doesn't do much besides the Tour these days, and I guess the TOC. Not sure if it's wish, or the networks.

Not a huge loss though, but the only thing worse than Phil and Paul is Paul in the play by play role with someone else being the color guy.

[manurespreader]

Re: Cycling 2016

A real good tweet came out today from Bob Roll regarding WADA's BS statement about the hacking of TUE data. Also Velo news had a commentary on it yesterday regarding Wiggins' TUE. Point being the TUE program seems on the surface to be really easy to abuse and has been abused. Despite what they say.
Aside from all that, some really interesting signings in the last few weeks.

[rufus]

Re: Cycling 2016

Yeah, I read somewhere that the first thing a team does for a rider is get the doctor to arrange a TUE for asthma. Probably something like 60% or more of the pro peloton seem to suffer from it.

[Probert]

Re: Cycling 2016

Phil doesn't do much besides the Tour these days, and I guess the TOC. Not sure if it's wish, or the networks.

Not a huge loss though, but the only thing worse than Phil and Paul is Paul in the play by play role with someone else being the color guy.

Universal's Vuelta commentary was horrible with Paul and Roll on the commentary, they also did the Tour of Britain as well.

[rufus]

Re: Cycling 2016

Universal's Vuelta commentary was horrible with Paul and Roll on the commentary, they also did the Tour of Britain as well.

I know. They absolutely destroyed any excitement for me about what was probably the best grand tour of the year.

And the Tour of Britain. A few years ago when Universal Sports covered it for the first time, they used a pair of the Eurosport comentators, Rob Hatch I think and maybe Brian Smith(?). And it was great, because being Brits, they knew the landscape, the traditions, the routes, and the riders riding for the small British pro teams that got invited, and were invariably in breakaways every day. So they were able to tell us stuff about them, their careers, and their teams, that had you rooting for them and their squads. With Paul and Bob, and I think Gogo and Shlanger last year, if you weren't a member of the big pro squads, you didn't get mentioned.

So there's be a break with five or six young British riders, and maybe one or two low level Pro Tour teams, and all they would talk about was the Pro Tour guys. It was like the other guys didn't even exist.

I haven't watched my recordings of the Tour of Britain yet, but I can imagine it is probably pretty much the same as when Schlanger and Gogo did it, endless yammering about Pro Tour domestiques, and nothing about anyone who isn't a member of those teams, other than "the Chain Reaction rider" or what have you. I like watching riders from teams I've never heard of, or barely hear of. I love watching like Wanty Group, or Topsport riders in the spring classics. I like to learn more about them and their teams, and the history of the races they're riding in. Watching him at Topsport the past couple years made me a fan of Edward Theuns. Still wish he rode for them instead of the friggin' Trek team.

The Eurosport guys know these things. Phil, Paul, Schlanger, Gogo, Roll and CVdV don't. Or if they do, they don't bother to pass it on to us. Instead they spout cliches like "pain locker" and "suitcase of courage". Over and over and over again.

They are tiresome.

[manurespreader]

Re: Cycling 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/op...ping.html?_r=0