Tour de France 2013

childrens party tricks

Fuck, cycling seems to be just like every other sport after all. Fucking bone head fans.

In other news, Cav came off really good in Matt Rendell's interview with him yesterday. He continues to go up in my estimation. I think it's mostly his fans now that annoy me.

Yeah, but he can't wheelie. He tried just before the line yesterday.

@ww I am slightly serious about wiggo and BMC. I probably don't know enough to know why that is ludicrous.

Sagan will be endoing next year, and popping table-tops on the mountain tops.

You can fix the points jersey by having the points double as you go up the places, rather than just increase by 2. While you're at it, the stage winner on a flat stage should get twice the points of any intermediate sprint winners on the same stage.

^^ Sexist!

xx

I'm going to say this right now (may have already said it somewhere here..) - I was underwhelmed by Sagan this year. Perhaps not underwhelmed by him as a rider, but by his approach and also by the way that points jersey is decided.

I am disappointed that the jersey went to someone who was clearly not the strongest sprinter (just the most consistent wheel sucker) —*whereas if you look at the KOM standings they seem pretty representative.

Cavendish and others have touched on it before, but it really does seem like sprinting is a devalued specialism in the tour - I would happily see intermediate sprints binned and a points system that is stacked in favour of the person who wins the stage.

Obvious arguments against this idea are that it would make it more predictable and the winner would win by a bigger margin (didn't seem to stop Sagan running away with it this year). However, it would at least be more representative and encourage an exciting rider like Sagan to make a bid to win other stages rather than just play the numbers game on the flat ones and roll in with the cunts on the rest.

Good points. Sagan was a shadow of the swaggering young turk he was last year, has spent a lot of energy chasing classics and a pointless (no pun intended) ride in the Tour of Cali for the benefit of the sponsors.

Of course the green jersey system has already been re-jigged, in order to address the fact that Cav was consistently winning the most stages but Hushovd was just as consistently hoovering up the green jersey despite being a massive cunt and getting beat everytime the two of them went head to head, unless he cried to the commissaires. Or Renshaw went feral and ate someone else's head in the final k.

They can't change it further to favour the flat stage sprinters over a puncheur like Sagan, so what they should have is a stage winner's jersey, and perhaps something at the end for the winningest rider, although most will say winning stages is reward enough in itself.

That said, the anticipated green jersey battle never really m,aterialised and was porbably the dullest competition in the race. Perhaps Sagan realised it was as dull as 15 years old pants and tried to over-compensate with zany hi-jinks i.e. popping lots of wheelies. That kid is cuh-razy

I'm going to say this right now (may have already said it somewhere here..) - I was underwhelmed by Sagan this year. Perhaps not underwhelmed by him as a rider, but by his approach and also by the way that points jersey is decided.

I am disappointed that the jersey went to someone who was clearly not the strongest sprinter (just the most consistent wheel sucker) —*whereas if you look at the KOM standings they seem pretty representative.

Cavendish and others have touched on it before, but it really does seem like sprinting is a devalued specialism in the tour - I would happily see intermediate sprints binned and a points system that is stacked in favour of the person who wins the stage.

Obvious arguments against this idea are that it would make it more predictable and the winner would win by a bigger margin (didn't seem to stop Sagan running away with it this year). However, it would at least be more representative and encourage an exciting rider like Sagan to make a bid to win other stages rather than just play the numbers game on the flat ones and roll in with the cunts on the rest.

I disagree. Here's why:

1) there were more sprinters winning stages this year, hence the stage finishes not playing as large of a roll (unlike in recent races). This makes more exciting sprints.

2) the other sprinters could try and win some intermediate points. Remember when Thor fucked off up the mountains to make up the points Cav had lost (and moaned about having given Thor the Green) a few years ago? That was fucking rad. That's what Sagan did. I didn't get to see the Ventoux push, but Sagan pushing for those points must have been awesome! And in the early stages Cav didn't even seem to be bothered with the intermediate points. That's less exciting.

3) sprinting devalued? Against what? Green is, imo, the most prestigious jersey after yellow and it wasn't such a big deal this year because it had been decided before white and polka dot.

@VB
Yes, I take that point. Aside from the nomenclature - it also shackled one of the most exciting riders in the peloton and stripped the tour of some of his panache. This cannot be a good thing.

Who?

Sagan

Not exciting?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-celebrates-99-point-lead-with-a-wheelie

Wheelie. Big break. And: " "I hoped to arrive at the foot of Mont Ventoux with enough time to have a chance to finish the stage in top 15 and so take other points"!!!

That's awesome.

"...the stage winner on a flat stage should get twice the points of any intermediate sprint winners on the same stage."

Believe the winner of intermediate sprints the so-called flat stages was awarded 20 points compared to 45 points for winning the stage.

Hilarious casual racism in the Guardian today, on Rigo Uran "If there are doubts about his potential, they stem from the fact that Columbians tend to lose motivation when they land a big contract ... "

First time I've read an actual newspaper for a long time, and tbh its not convincing me to start again

^^^ Yeah I don't buy that. Sorry. Not awesome. It's just a wheelie, it was funny last year.

I disagree. Here's why:

1) there were more sprinters winning stages this year, hence the stage finishes not playing as large of a roll (unlike in recent races). This makes more exciting sprints.

2) the other sprinters could try and win some intermediate points. Remember when Thor fucked off up the mountains to make up the points Cav had lost (and moaned about having given Thor the Green) a few years ago? That was fucking rad. That's what Sagan did. I didn't get to see the Ventoux push, but Sagan pushing for those points must have been awesome! And in the early stages Cav didn't even seem to be bothered with the intermediate points. That's less exciting.

3) sprinting devalued? Against what? Green is, imo, the most prestigious jersey after yellow and it wasn't such a big deal this year because it had been decided before white and polka dot.

1) I'm not sure I understand your point - if the jersey was just for final sprints, it wouldn't have made it any less exciting. Just more representative.

2) What was rad back then (yes, that was cool by the way) - just made for boring shit this year, Griepel hoovering up a sprint with Sagan on his wheel and Cav not really bothering. Just looks stupid. Intermediate sprints also make it harder for breakaways to stick earlier in those stages, which makes reeling them in at the end (more) inevitable.

3) This is exactly what I'm talking about - pure sprinters are completely devalued by it. It's just a wheelsucker/"tactical riding" jersey.

^^^ Yeah I don't buy that. Sorry. Not awesome. It's just a wheelie, it was funny last year.

Did you miss the part where he said he was seriously considering getting to the top of Ventoux in the top 15? I heard a report somewhere that said he actually had a little hope he could win it! That's mental and awesome.

1) I'm not sure I understand your point - if the jersey was just for final sprints, it wouldn't have made it any less exciting. Just more representative.

2) What was rad back then (yes, that was cool by the way) - just made for boring shit this year, Griepel hoovering up a sprint with Sagan on his wheel and Cav not really bothering. Just looks stupid. Intermediate sprints also make it harder for breakaways to stick earlier in those stages, which makes reeling them in at the end (more) inevitable.

3) This is exactly what I'm talking about - pure sprinters are completely devalued by it. It's just a wheelsucker/"tactical riding" jersey.

I don't understand your points.

So there!

Hilarious casual racism in the Guardian today,

The Grauniad is Rasitc? But dsoent taht mean the wlrd will epxlode!?

I didn't think that the loathing of Cound stemmed from her gender but from the fact that she was a rather pushy Saffir. I thought it was racist rather than sexist, if pushy Saffirs are a race.

We didn't know she was South African until she spoke yesterday on the box, she's still despicable regardless of gender, race, species.

She's Welsh isn't she?! Which is an entirely different can of worms.

I think the accent is for Chucky's benefit.

Sagan had a green beard this year, a clamour of cock on anyone who says that this was not a step up in performance from last year. Seriously though, he's maybe not been as effervescent as last year but he's been bloody consistent and it's exciting having him in the mix as opposed to just waiting and watching to see which of the sprinters trains is most organised.

Did you miss the part where he said he was seriously considering getting to the top of Ventoux in the top 15? I heard a report somewhere that said he actually had a little hope he could win it! That's mental and awesome.

yeah but he didn't, did he?

If he hadn't been hoovering up scraps for the green then he might have actually done some stuff like that this year.

I don't understand your points.

So there!

ha!

yeah but he didn't, did he?

And Contador didn't get yellow, but I'm glad he was there trying.

I feel like we're running out of steam here - but that comparison doesn't really stack up. Maybe we should just leave it. I was just hoping that everyone would stop talking about Froome's lady for a bit.

Me too! Success!

high-five

I thought that ten Dam's snot was the real winner this year.

We certainly put that bouncy ball in the back of the goal sack.

white man claw