Tour de France

What is it?

Some folks should really be more engaged with the world around them.




@SPST doubtful, maybe I'll stumble onto it at some point and watch a bit, but its not really my thing. That said, what they are doing is incredible, they do more miles in a day IN THE MOUNTAINS than a lot of folks will drive in a week
 
Some folks should really be more engaged with the world around them.




@SPST doubtful, maybe I'll stumble onto it at some point and watch a bit, but its not really my thing. That said, what they are doing is incredible, they do more miles in a day IN THE MOUNTAINS than a lot of folks will drive in a week

If it's happening in France, it's really not worth the time...
 
Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
 
When I was in high school there was a professional tour come through my hometown. They did three laps around town before heading up the mountains. All I could say is WOW. It really gave me a new appreciation to riding a bicycle. They were going what felt like 100 mph in groups of like 20+ people inches from each other.
 
Those guys are animals. Very dangerous riding. Lance is still their daddy.

I know everyone was doping back then but it was afterwards with what Armstrong had done to people that lost my respect. That guy is probably on of the worst people in all of sports all time.
 
I know what it is, and I still don't understand.

The fans along the route are crazy.

What is there to understand?
They're racing bikes in France.
Simple enough, right?
 
What is it?
It's a bike race where the participants experiment with new and novel ways of "doping and denying" while biking up the Alps.

Supposedly a great test of will power but I can't ever get past all the cheating so I just look and try to figure out who's going to get caught and who's going to skate by this year.

Some great wrecks occasionally with massive pile ups. So it has that NASCAR element to it except with a southern France flair.
 
I'll catch the recaps on the web. I haven't had TV for a year now.

I did watch some bits and pieces of the Giro this year. It got exciting toward the end.

ETA: Sagan right there as always. He's fun to watch.
 
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I kinda lost interest after the Lance Armstrong thing. He had me interesting in bikes again. Even still have a blue USPS saddle. I used to love riding though. Before it became the realm of $5000+ bikes, hundreds of dollars in biking togs (clothing) and $200+ shoes.

A few years back there used to be a local ride in the mountains. It was something like Greenville, SC to Asheville, up I-26 uphill the whole way. I remember thinking, the Tour must be like this. I wouldn't even try.
 
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I kinda lost interest after the Lance Armstrong thing. He had me interesting in bikes again. Even still have a blue USPS saddle. I used to love riding though. Before it became the realm of $5000+ bikes, hundreds of dollars in biking togs (clothing) and $200+ shoes.

A few years back there used to be a local ride in the mountains. It was something like Greenville, SC to Asheville, up I-26 uphill the whole way. I remember thinking, the Tour must be like this. I wouldn't even try.
Oh it is much more than Greenville to Asheville, it is from Spartenburg to the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Still being run every year. It's called "Assault on Mt. Mitchell" and it 102.7 miles with total climbing of 10,000 feet.
 
Oh it is much more than Greenville to Asheville, it is from Spartenburg to the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Still being run every year. It's called "Assault on Mt. Mitchell" and it 102.7 miles with total climbing of 10,000 feet.

Yep, one hell of a race. Luckily when I was riding I was smart enough to never attempt that one. I just tell myself I was too old by the time I moved here. I rode from Syracuse, NY to Burlington, VT between my junior and senior year of high school. It was about 230 miles or so. Took 2 days to get there. Spent a long weekend and took 3 days to return. Back to back days of that distance and hills were easy back then. Not so much as the years went on. Rode a 100 mile ride in PA about 9 years ago. Some serious hills in that one. Would have been much easier if I had 4 functioning arteries at the time. :eek:

The Tour is one beast of an event. Even with dope.
 
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You guys are reminding me of another race I called about in Savannah. The guys decribed the course to me and I said, Wait, you come straight off the island and on to the bridge with what feels like a 20% grade?? He said, yep. I asked him what the attrition rate was in that first mile. He chuckled and said, About 15%.
:eek:
 
I haven't done the assault on Mt Mitchell but I did the old Bridge to Bridge. 100 miles of pure Hill. Lenoir to the top of Grandfather Mtn with 10k feet of climbing too. The leaders finished in 4 hours 45 minutes it took me 6 hours and 15 minutes. Plus, I was 47 years old when I did it.
 
They've had some nasty crashes in the first 2 stages. I believe the team time trial was today. Getting ready to watch it now on NBCSN.
 
Cobblestones today! And lots of them. There will be lots of suffering today.
 
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