Le Tour de France 2016! - MN Peloton takes to the road again!

[thewheelscomeoff123]

Yes it's July almost, which means only one thing. The biggest, craziest, Frenchiest push bike race in the world. Three weeks of riding round France in multi-coloured lycra, sweating, swearing, playing poker on 380 wheels, tears of joy and frustration, in the saddle for about 5 hours per day, up and down massive hills, throwing the odd tantrum. Then going to bed, and getting up in the morning and doing it all again! Questions: Why? Well we just don't know. When? Starts on Saturday 2nd July with a flat bit from the beautiful Mont Saint- Michel on the Normandy coast to Utah Beach, and ends with the sprint finish on the Champs Elysee, Paris on Sunday 24th July. Where do they go? Essentially they ride for 2,200 miles around the edge of France, and wandering a bit into Spain, Andorre, and Switzerland. This is for the sake of going up and down the Pyrenees and the Alps. Which we know as the 'lumpy bits'. There's a route map coming up. There's always a route map. Is it tiring? Evidence suggests it might be. In the 3 weeks the riders consume the calorific equivalent of eating 252 McD's double cheeseburgers. Some of us are both proud and ashamed of the fact we could eat all of that in the 3 weeks without riding anywhere..... So who wins? It's the person who covers that distance in the shortest time. BUT..it's a team game and the winner cannot do it without all 9 team mates. The prize is 500,000 Euros, which the winner will partly hand out to his buddies. Is it on UK tv? Yes, ITV and Eurosport carry a lot of live action and both do a highlights package for an hour or so each evening. Is there a 'virtual' competition where you can 'buy' a team of riders within a budget and see how they do? I'm glad you asked that. here is a link to everything you will need to show off your directeur skills and have a bit of added interest for the race Do I have to know loads about pro-cycling to understand what's going on? Nope. Have a watch, have a read, ask anything on this thread and your layered knowledge will build and you will get so much more out of it. When are you going to shut up and show the route map? Now.

Just seen it Drama! This is going to be am interesting last week....

Rest Day. Thank goodness!

They picked the right day for a rest - it's even hotter in France than it is here. I am barely functioning, can't imagine cycling silly distances through it.

Speculation that the Olympic selectors have cracked the whip and demanded that Cav returns home

Dimension Data are tight lipped.

Cav has gone and Cummings is replacing Peter Kennaugh (voluntarily withdrawn) for Rio. Go Stevie!

Ah nuts, Cav definitely gone? He must have been so torn, he hates to miss a chance at winning on the Champs DE.

What a thing for Pete Kennaugh to do.

Sensible decision from Cav, I think. Roll on Rio!

We are in Switzerland and the Tour is passing nearby tomorrow - complete novice to this and trying to work out timings and when we should try to head over to take a look. What is the Caravan?

Caravan is about 200 vehicles that drive the whole length of the same route that the peloton does, about 1-2 hours before the cyclists arrive, beeping horns, revving horns, and throwing out freebies to the crowd. There are some silly/ gimmick vehicles. You haven't done the TdF experience if you aren't there for the Caravan.

Usually there are places on line that give approximate timings of when the lead riders are expected to be at certain points on the route.

Thanks! So we should get there for the Caravan and then wait to see the riders. I can see approximate timings but wasn't sure which to aim for - Caravan or riders.

ps: taking a phone with 3G or even a portable TV is a good idea when you are on the roadside, so you can follow what is happening as the riders get close, you know what to look for. Also you know when the riders are close because of the manic helicopters.

'98: I was half way up some French climb (Les 2 alpes??). Fans watching portable tellies were going nuts, but I was too shy to ask them what was happening. We expected Ullrich so we're confused at tiny little bald rider came thru first. Soon after that we saw Ullrich being towed by team mates.

The euphorbia should have made me realise the guys with portable tellies were Tifosi. If I had known what was happening; then I might have snapped a decent picture of Marco Pantani who only passed 3 feet from us.

ps: take a picnic, drinks, weather stuff... have you worked out a route? They close the roads early, won't even let casual cyclists cycle up after about 7am, only pedestrians.

The olympic bosses must have just had a big meeting and decided to get themselves all ready then. Fair play to Kennaugh it takes a big man to step down like that. I know Cav will be gutted but the chance of a touch of wheels or spectators dog causing chaos and injury are surely too much this close to Rio.

Thanks for all the advice! We are just going to drive as close as possible then walk the rest. It's on the mountain road so hoping I'll be able to stop ok.

Am welljel Just! With a nice picnic and a warm sun it's a perfect day.

You're obviously now obliged to get your camera rolling and post the piccies on here.

Couple of things:

• that Skoda advert on ITV4, the one which begins with the close up of a woman's face, and then pans out to see her setting off from some road works. A cut away shot shows her clipping her red shoes into the pedal. The panned out shot shows her wearing black shoes, on flat trad pedals. As if we wouldn't notice!

• before last nights show there was motogp. The level of mechanical doping was outrageous. Commisars missed it all. They weren't even pedaling. Just crazy.

I thought that the woman with red shoes was the "competition"?

Enjoy, just! Take a loud rattle or a cow bell, if you've got one. Always good to be able to make a lot of noise!

oooh ....could be. I'll have another look this evening.

It's the guy beside the lady who has the red shoes.

Thanks for all the advice, we had a great time! Really glad to have made the effort

Struggling to post photos though

Great action photo Just. Froome being shepherded down with what looks like Quintana at his wheel. Surely there must be a penalty for wheel sucking over 2,000 miles? It's like Q. is trying to use Froome as a lead out man, but failing to deliver.

Yep re the advert - she looks over to her right and that's when the clip-in takes place. derrr.

There are now three of us within 9 points of each other, so it's all to play for in the last week

Oh Pan, pay attention, we'd all worked out that it was the woman on the outside with the clip ins in the first week of the tour.

Just what a fantastic photo, glad you had a good time, I'm horribly jealous.

Very exciting watching the top of the velogames table.