T minus 35 days and counting, to the Grand Depart from Leeds 5th July, with two stages in the White County, and then a third from Cambridge to the Mall in London. It's just soo exciting!
It's the biggest biking event in the world, with approx 190 professional riders in about 20 teams racing across tarmac and cobbles, up mountains and down Dales and ending on 27th July on the Champs Elysee, Paris in the now traditional sprint finish there.
So here's the thread to share in it all, swop info about accommodation for Tour watchers, road closures, the parcours (courses), peloton gossip, potential meet ups, tv coverage, who's got the nicest legs etc.. and everything to do with the thrills and occasional spills with the event that is a game of poker played out every day on 380 wheels.
OF course if you are a newbie to all of this and are curious about the whys and hows of racing then ask and someone will pop up to answer questions. Hopefully.
So I'll depart here next with the routes of the UK 3 stages being taken so no-one gets lost and ends up in the dreaded broom wagon.
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Tour de Yorkshire, Cambridge...and oh yes France as well!!
Panwearsjaune · 31/05/2014 13:05
Most excellent, SDTG - I'll send over the magical jersey pattern.
This thread is getting a bit heavy to refresh, n'est-ce pas?
Shall we take an early jump on Greipel et al and go early to a new thread?
Thank you!
- I definitely recommend the cobbles - Paris Roubaix is a fab day out if you fancy a weekend trip. (For the last two years we have done a week's holiday with the Tour of Flanders on the first Sunday, and PR on the second.)
- It was truly horrible weather. We were in full waterproofs. And we had to walk down a very muddy lane to get there.
- Lol! Guilty as charged
Thank you ever so much, I am really chuffed.
Here's a photo of a mud-splattered spare-wheel-monger.
The thread jersey score over the TdeF jersey in a crucial aspect. They are a 'cameleon jersey' and have been prepared so that they automatically complement the hair style, skin colouring and tone, body shape, personal style and accessories already worn by the wearer. They are a magical jersey.
The panel also unanimously voted to create a "Most Aggressive Post" jersey this week. And this went to.....
Bolshy! For these posts:
Dammit! Watching on husbands iPad using his Eurosport subscription and he must have just logged on at work so I've lost coverage. We'll be having words when he gets home! and I'm going to spit in his lasagne tonight, the slacker.
The panel were impressed by the sheer, naked angered response at this transgression of civilised conduct, and also the cool and sneaky revenge plan. The desire for domestic harmony plays a very poor second fiddle to viewing needs of peloton members. Priorities.
And the holder of the "Queen of Posts" jersey into next week is.....
AtiaoftheJulii! For this post:
On Wednesday we were at sector 4, just near Tornado Tom Frits It was really bloody grim out there, every bit as bad as it looks on tv, if not worse. When it's dry for the Paris Roubaix etc, they use the hard-packed dirt gutters, but of course they were all just muddy puddles this week and completely useless. The pavé is a great place to watch a race though - you're so close (as the roads are all so narrow!), and they're not going super-fast, and you can really see the miserable expressions on their faces .
The panel were impressed by a number of aspects:
- We could not recall ever having a live report from the famed cobbles before.
- Whilst we were all bathed in the Yorkshire/Peaks sunshine, Atia was stood in the winds, mud and rain of Northern France. Commitment.
- And this was the clinching part, it was the sheer sadism exhibited in the reporting of the pained and tortured expression on the riders' faces, delivered purely for our enjoyment.
Wear it with pride, you earned it!
Whoops. Is raining at the moment.
They should have stayed here :) :)
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Just back from a tapas bar in our town and got accidentally chatting to a bloke who had seen the video - he said it was evidence, like the Olympics, that we could actually put on an international event, and NOT mess it up!
Vid posted up above brought a little tear to my eye (Cav's crash...) mind you so did walking onto The Headrow at Leeds a week ago
Perhaps I'm a bit of a softy.
We have a stage of the tour of Britain starting in my city, I'm already planning how to get to our local 'mountains' so I can see some climbing
Enjoyed the racing today, particularly like Chris Boardman and Ned Boulting's "bloke on a bike" sections on the highlights programmes.
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