Tour de France 2013

To Mark the occasion my dad (artist Jeff Parr) is reducing his poster prints of Cav to £10 each plus P&P but I can pedal them over if you're around!
Have a look and Go Cav!
https://www.lfgss.com/thread75572.html

i will have one! :)

It seems that everyone I've ever shopped with has emailed me to tell me how wonderful it is that Wiggo won the TdF and, by the way, would you like to buy something else? No. Rapha, Howies, Planet X...

I really hope that the route next year is a real tour de force of the most brutal stages they can fit in - imo there were not enough killer climbs this year

Including Evans with a truly ugly limited edition t-shirt.

It seems that everyone I've ever shopped with has emailed me to tell me how wonderful it is that Wiggo won the TdF and, by the way, would you like to buy something else? No. Rapha, Howies, Planet X...

I really hope that the route next year is a real tour de force of the most brutal stages they can fit in - imo there were not enough killer climbs this year

If you haven't seen already, first 3 stages are on Corsica followed by an TTT in Nice. Then they start from some town near Nice, which is I reckon just about in range for Ventoux.

I have spent years trying, in vain, to enthuse others with my love of cycling and so why is it that now, when everyone is suddenly interested and excited by cycling, that I feel a little miffed?

That band you really like that becomes popular and now your little bit of cool exclusiveness is shared by everyone who wasn't there at the start man. Or something.

Wiggins? I preferred his early stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnTtmkKUF_s

If you haven't seen already, first 3 stages are on Corsica followed by an TTT in Nice. Then they start from some town near Nice, which is I reckon just about in range for Ventoux.

i've already started looking into flights to corsica.. it's tricky.. sunday flights only with sleazyjet or more frequent £799 with Air France.. gulp

now thinking van the bikes to Livorno and ferry to Bastia or let's hope a more straight forward route to this stunning island

definitely want to plan a holiday around the Tour next year, ideally all 3 weeks following it around in a camper van with a bike or two on the back

Some initial info about the 2013 Tour has been 'leaked':

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/report-ventoux-and-two-ascents-of-lalpe-dhuez-for-2013-tour-de-france

d'Huez will be mad with two ascents.. I bet some Dutchies have already parked there and started drinking in preparation for 2013..

Two ascents .. on the same day? Time to break out the EPO.

Two ascents .. on the same day? Time to get injected with the EPO.

ftfy

Didn't you know, cycling is clean as a whistle now.

Lance Armstrong aka Dr Evil aka Skeletor aka the Bad Guy has quit and given all his jerseys and winnings to Cadel 'first actual human to finish the Tour' Evans.

definitely want to plan a holiday around the Tour next year, ideally all 3 weeks following it around in a camper van with a bike or two on the back

Loads of people do this, (mostly retired) - the way to do it seems to be to alternate travelling days and stage days, so that you see every other stage. But if you want to see any of the big mountain stages then you need to get there a week in advance to get one of the best spots!

I'm not sure how the routes going to work out this year for northern France. Starting on Corsica then going to Nice puts the race south of the Alps, but then they have to head west to do the Pyrenees before hitting the Alps/Alpe on July 18th, so either there are longer than usual transfers to stretch out the transitions, or they only do a couple of days in the Pyrenees before heading north. I suppose that Mt Ventoux could be the penultimate stage again, then TGV to Paris.

The route looks brutal.

The route map;

fotheringham's thoughts on the route..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/24/tour-de-france-centenary-route

The centenary Tour de France will have a brutal final phase with a twin climb of l'Alpe d'Huez on the final Thursday and a gruesome summit finish at Mont Semnoz, high above Annecy, on the closing Saturday. The combination of a viciously hard time-trial on the last Wednesday, followed by three Alpine stages back to back, make this a strong candidate for the hardest finish to any Tour de France.

Good to see they are doing their bit to encourage clean racing...

Lazy comments like that get my goat. If the route was devoid of challenges everyone would complain, yet if it's deemed too hard everyone complains it encourages doping.

It's the Tour de France, it's meant to be a fucking challenge.