Tour de France 2010

I go to mumsnet for bike stuff.

They're too radical for me.

aerospok pram wheels, which Silver Cross is best for skidding, discount on a Chrome papoose, Assos stretch mark cream.

The 'sort-of mums that are cracking you up at the moment' is pretty funny though.[URL="http://www.lfgss.com/thread28041.html"][/URL]

The 'sort-of mums that are cracking you up at the moment' is pretty funny though.

arf.

i think contador's realised he made if not an error of judgement, at least what will be perceived as an error of judgement by many fans and has apologised. it can't have been an easy decision in the heat of the moment. i can't condemn him for it.

the next few days could be spectactular.

he has sorta said sorry, but meh!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/20/tour-de-france-contador-schleck

Henri Desgrange was right - the tour should be a straight contest of man against man without the intervention of technology to muddy the issue. If Schleck and Contador had been on fixed this situation would never have arisen!

Brilliant, cos fixed bikes never get punctures or mechanicals and it would look awesome seeing the peloton descending the Pyrenees looking like a bunch of hipsters hitting the archway roundabout, sat bolt upright, bouncing up and down like monkeys humping beach balls.

Brilliant, cos fixed bikes never get punctures or mechanicals and it would look awesome seeing the peloton descending the Pyrenees looking like a bunch of hipsters hitting the archway roundabout, sat bolt upright, bouncing up and down like monkeys humping beach balls.

That's my idea of fun.
A fixed Tour would be great.
Forum ride?

Enough of this Contador/Schleck nonsense, the real story yesterday was the treachery in the AG2R team over who finishes 17th!
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling-i-wanted-to-smash-his-head-in-i-couldnt-stand-to-be-near-him-2264978.html

Damn. WAC

Finger's crossed Gadret needs a wheel from Roche at some point.

Damn. WAC

Finger's crossed Gadret needs a wheel from Roche at some point.

Yeah, all this 'betrayal' stuff is well & good, but Roche Senior performed the one the greatest flicks of a team-mate ever in the 1987 Giro.

Brilliant, cos fixed bikes never get punctures or mechanicals and it would look awesome seeing the peloton descending the Pyrenees looking like a bunch of hipsters hitting the archway roundabout, sat bolt upright, bouncing up and down like monkeys humping beach balls.

If I can descend at 180+rpm in the drops with a fairly static upper body, I'm sure the pros can.

I think you'll find it's an Aussie trackie who's famous for looking like a monkey humping a [st]beach[/st] tennis ball.

If I can descend at 180+rpm in the drops with a fairly static upper body, I'm sure the pros can.

For how long?

I'm actually sure many of them won't and have never tried. Anyway, fixed on the road is for winter training, standing starts and hipsters to ride to coffee shops, not the supposedly best cycle race in Le Monde

Yeah, all this 'betrayal' stuff is well & good, but Roche Senior performed the one the greatest flicks of a team-mate ever in the 1987 Giro.

80s fashion was all about great flicks (which is maybe why it's so en vogue at the moment).

For how long?

I'm actually sure many of them won't and have never tried. Anyway, fixed on the road is for winter training, standing starts and hipsters to ride to coffee shops, not the supposedly best cycle race in Le Monde

Long enough to get from one hairpin to the next.

not the supposedly best cycle race in Le Monde

"supposedly"? Miaooowwwwwww.

I think it's vaguely sad (the Roche comments). He's going to finish somewhere between 11th and 20th which no-one, other than his family, will remember for very long. Gadret, on the other hand, is the highest placed French rider on GC so at least has some publicity value for the team.

Yeah, all this 'betrayal' stuff is well & good, but Roche Senior performed the one the greatest flicks of a team-mate ever in the 1987 Giro.

Did that incident involve a mechanical or was Roche just the stronger rider?

I think it's vaguely sad (the Roche comments). He's going to finish somewhere between 11th and 20th which no-one, other than his family, will remember for very long. Gadret, on the other hand, is the highest placed French rider on GC so at least has some publicity value for the team.

What's his time gap over the next Frenchie?

Did that incident involve a mechanical or was Roche just the stronger rider?

No, it involved Roche attacking a team-mate, Roberto Visentini, the acknowledged leader of his team, whilst the guy was in pink.

Sounds fine to me. :)

More here: http://bit.ly/dgio37

What the CW report neglects to mention is that at one point the entire Carrera team was put on the front of the peloton to chase down a 2 man breakaway, one of whom was a Carrera rider - Roche.

It sounds like he got a lot of shit for that so his move wasn't entirely without repercussions.
Reckon Contador is going to be attacked or Schleck pushed up the Tourmalet?

Roche had already lost the pink in the TT to Visentini:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/346950/from-the-cw-archives-the-1987-giro-d-italia-part-3.html

"Stage 15, Lido Di Jesola to Sappada: Johan Van der Velde
Roberto Visentini was destined to wear the pink jersey for just one day. He blew up in a big way on the final climbs to the hill-top finish at Sappada, losing 6-50 on stage winner Johan Van Der Velde ( Gis).

More importantly he lost 3-12 on Stephen Roche who regained the overall lead while Visentini slumped to seventh overall."

So, hang on, this doesn't sound like Roche attacked Visentini. It sounds like Visentini was fucked and Roche carried on - why would you have the team lose pink just because your current 'leader' is toast?

No, the report doesn't really cover what happened. On the Sappada stage, Roche counter-attacked over an early and got away with another guy. On the flat, on the way to the last climb, Carrera put everyone on the front behind Roche. In Roche's book, there's an account of the 2nd team car coming up to Roche, and Roche being told to stop riding. Roche refused, Carrera carried on riding behind him, and he was caught at the bottom of the climb. When the counter-attacks came on the climb, Roche was barely able to hold on, but Visentini was dropped, and Roche got the jersey by a handful of seconds from Rominger.

In his book* (which is recommended reading for anyone that wants to understand stage race tactics), Roche says that there was no doubt in his mind that had he not got the Maglia Rosa that day, he would have been sent home.

Have you thought about writing a book, Bill? you have a sharp recollection for tons of tour tidbits of yesteryear.

Or maybe some kind of online zine?

So, hang on, Roche got into an early break and his own team tried to fuck him over by chasing him down?

No wonder he told them to piss off and carried on, proving to be far stronger than Visentini anyway.

This one?

or this one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Road-Victory-Stephen-Roche/dp/0091737389