Why so little reporting of the Tour de France?

[somebloke123]

We've had massive publicity about Andy Murray being the first Men's Singles Finalist since the 1930s.

And quite right too.

But little notice - in this country - is being taken of the event across the Channel.

There, Bradley Wiggins is holding the Yellow Jersey into the 2nd week of the Tour, and is currently favourite to win the event.

This would be the first T de F win for a British cyclist in the entire 100+ year history of this gruelling race, and would follow Mark Cavendish's fantastic Green Jersey win last year.

Great stuff.

It's not exactly gripping telly is it, road cycling? The solitary camera angle is the one hanging off the back of the lead vehicle and the races go on for hours.

I LOVE the Tour, though we have to catch up 18 hours later, or watch it live at stupid o'clock at night here in Oz.

Sooo chuffed that Bradley, with his very very thin legs is doing so well:o

Obviously in Oz all interest is on Cadel Evans, who is also lovely, IMHO, because of his unfailing modesty. That's what I like about the Tour, the teamwork makes the winners properly humble.

There never has been in this country.

It's great to watch, and a gruelling race.

People in the UK are now becoming marginally interested because of Cavendish & Wiggins, but it'll never be football (or Wimbledon).

Hope Wiggins continues to do well.

Cycling is SO much more interesting to watch than a little ball pinging back and forth!

CES

As a live spectator sport yes - they just go past in the blink of an eye and you can't follow what's happening.

But looking at the highlights on ITV4 every evening I think it's quite fascinating. There are so many different aspects e.g. the sprints, the battles for stage wins, quite independently of the race for the overall leadership. Also the way in which it's partly individual and partly team. And the TV coverage in general seems more intelligent and articulate, as compared with monosyllabic football commentary or emotion-obsessed tennis.

As a totally unsporty person I can sort of imagine what it might be like to be good at tennis or football, but I can't really imagine putting myself through the 3 weeks of torture which is the Tour de France.

Agree- although nice big cycling section in guardian today. I was appalled that bloke on five live (meant to be a sports Station) couldn't pronounce Fabian cancellara name last week.

Also itv I think makes a great effort on coverage- some of camera angles are great.

It is completely engrossing with tactics, drama and sheer effort of all involved. I am bereft as its a rest day.

Did you see this?

I love it. I didn't even know Wimbledon was on until Murray lost, but the countdown to Le Tour starts in about April Chez Bike. If you ever get a chance to see it live - take it! A time trial stage obviously better than a road race stage, but atmosphere is electric, the athleticism and power of the riders amazing, and the whole race can change on a crash caused by the tiniest thing.

Not impressed with Wiggo's sweary interview though. I agree with the sentiment, but the terminology won't have made him any friends.

Gigondas - Guardian has always been pretty good a cycling coverage. Manchester roots, and Wills Fotherigham on the staff. I have the G front page with Chris Boardman winning his hour record in 2000 in our downstairs loo!

Yep spring classics onwards and we are getting excited. Fotheringham is good.

Wiggins has always been free with his phrases - you wonder how it plays with corporate sponsors (no matter how right he might be).

HMT

I did hear Wiggins' (heavily bleeped) outburst on the TV highlights last night. The comments following your link are interesting.

I know that drugs have been an issue. I'm old enough to remember Tom Simpson dying on one of the mountain stages back in the 1960s - his final words "Put me back on the bike" - and it seems he was drugged up to the eyeballs. Following that I remember the several times winner Jacques Anquetil casually saying in an interview "Yes, of course we all take drugs".

The testing does seem more rigorous these days but who knows, except those directly involved.

I thought we only had big coverage on sports we are likely to lose at as a nation, so the tennis and football will get a large amount of coverage and sports we are more likely to win at will get little coverage.

Don't forget we like doom and gloom as a nation so it would creat a rather poor culture for doom if the press showed the nation winning at sport.

Rebecca Addlington and Jessica Enis are ridiculed rather than placed on a podium as a good example to young girls. Helen Jenkins and the Brownlee brothers are not likely to get decent coverage and in fact got an hour of coverage on channel 4 at 7am on a Sunday morning at their last big triathlon but even that they gave 25% of the show to chefs

The press will cover only the medals we dont' win next month - I doubt there will be much coverage of stuff we do well at

I disagree about lack of coverage, given it is a minority participation sport, 5-Live are covering it lots (Cav to win today?!). & 5LExtra has been covering it most days recently from 3pm, including a rather anoraky conversation with Sean Kelley about how he got recruited into pro-cycling.

I feel it's gripping telly; far better than cricket or tennis. Not least because there are so many different races running simultaneously, the personality & inter-team politics, the tactics, the possibility of horrid crashes. Canal+ get fantastic visuals or surrounding areas& the days of frequent transmission cuts are over. There's always loads of stuff going on everywhere you look.

Love it especially the pert bums

Great interest in our house and the the Olympic cycling is coming right past our front door !

It was on radio 4 about the sabotage with the carpet tacks, and the team spirit with some of the unaffected waiting for the others to catch up

Love the Tour in this house and I think the ITV4 highlights program is fab, Chris and Ned are funny people! My first sporting love is equestrian and that gets next to no tv coverage or news coverage either....... Our Dressage team won the European Championship gold medal last year for the first time ever - didn't even make a news bulletin! Team GB are in with a good chance of medals in 3 day eventing and dressage at the Olympics, not that you'd know it from the pre-games hype so far.....

TdF has long had a very honourable side about not attacking when your opponent is unfairly delayed: they don't attack when yellow jersey stops for the call of Nature, either or at feeding stations.

So nice to see some good publicity about pro road-racing, for a change. Cav deserves a lot of credit for being so openly passionate. And Le Gentleman Wiggins, too!

Eurosport coverage is way better than itv4. Also re the drugs, cycling is trying really hard to get drugs out of the sport. A lot if the drs implicated in operation puerte also treat football teams (eg barca) but there haven't been any further investigations by FIFA on those. It does mean cycling gets a bad press re drugs, but that's because it does a lot more than other sports to eliminate them.

And I think once you understand all the tactics it's great viewing!

ITV 4 are delivering splendid coverage available on catch up...boring...far from it. Sportsmen who say it how it is and are not afraid to tell journalists to get a life in less pleasant terms...and sabotage on the roads plus glorious and sunny french countryside.....oh I forgot the uber fit cyclists of course....:)

Very excited, they are cycling past my house on Friday morning (I live in the south west France). I'm going out with flags, whistles, alcohol and anything else I can think of. All our street is lined with flags in the shape of t shirts!

In a funny sort of a way it reminds me of cricket. Not the activity itself of course but the fact that at first sight to the uninitiated it seems totally monotonous and boring but the more you get into it the more interesting it gets. The battles within battles, the different specialisations of different participants, the complex rules plus even more complex set of conventions and courtesy.

Also the massive hinterland: especially the rich history and interconnections with the culture of the country. I like the way that in the live commentary they break of to comment on the local countryside and landmarks etc.

Last year I read a fascinating book "A Race for Madmen" by Chris Sidwells (a relative o Tom Simpson IIRC) which I can thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in the Tour. Also on a more light hearted and day to day level "How I won the Yellow Jumper" by Ned Boulting, one of the ITV4 commentary team.