Tour De France

[Tiberius of the Drake]

Ahh..the Tour De France. This event has made July my favorite month of the year, even over december(christams etc), and September(my birthday). Has anyone else found that the month of July is spent almost entirely devoted to the watching of Tv coverage of the Tour morning day and night. Please do not tell me im alone in this addiction. I know im in a minority here in in America (8 years in a row...). but, unlike what some peopel think, I watch it for mostly foreign riders like Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen.

*note this message was not in anyway supported or funded by the UCI

[Andres]

Ahh..the Tour De France. This event has made July my favorite month of the year, even over december(christams etc), and September(my birthday). Has anyone else found that the month of July is spent almost entirely devoted to the watching of Tv coverage of the Tour morning day and night. Please do not tell me im alone in this addiction. I know im in a minority here in in America (8 years in a row...). but, unlike what some peopel think, I watch it for mostly foreign riders like Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen.

*note this message was not in anyway supported or funded by the UCI

I used to, when I was still a student.

Sadly, I can only watch during the week-ends nowadays.

During the week, I have to work. By the time I come home, they already arrived.

My favorite étappes are/were those in the Alps or the Pyrenees: live coverage from start til finish, beautiful landscapes and always exciting, sometimes heroic

[Warmaster Horus]

Strangely enough, my father loves it. That's what inspired him to bike again, and I, as the loving son, decided to follow him.

But me, oh no! No way I could stand just watching the guys do it.

[Bijo]

People riding bikes? Meh :P

[Shieldmaiden]

People riding bikes? Meh :P

I'll be deep in the cold cold ground before you take my Chariot!

[emperor michael]

I just listen to where the aussies come. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!!! Being halfway around the world also means I need to get pay tv and stay up and its too boring for me sry.

[Bijo]

I'll be deep in the cold cold ground before you take my Chariot!

Eh? Silly girl :P

[Xehh II]

Oh my God, bicycle racing is, like, totaly my favorite sport

[Csargo]

Lance Armstrong shall win again wait and see.

[Warmaster Horus]

With or without the help of illegal subtances?

[Peasant Phill]

Yeah well, bicycle racing is only popular in a few European countries and I must admit that so far the Tour wasn't very interesting (except maybe yesterday).

But I invite all of you to come to Flanders just once when there is a bicycle race (preferably the 'Ronde van Vlaanderen') and you'll know why it is so popular here. Imagine, 10.000 people at the start, double that at the finnish and and an almost endless string of spectators along the way. Music and beer tents in every village on the parcours. The atletes are also very approachable (I padded McEwen on the back, tuesday).

I dare everybody to come and get the taste of a real race (not on television) and still say they don't like it.

[Peasant Phill]

With or without the help of illegal subtances?

Yes well, I'm afraid we have to go back to or before Indurain (1991 to 1996) to get a non doped Tour de France winner.

[Robin From Da Hood]

Bike sports are so boooooooooooooooring Football RULEZ Now i have to wait 3 years till the next World Cup comes(GO GO GO Germany)

[Tiberius of the Drake]

Lance armstrong may be the most drug tested man in the worl but He did not Dope. I do not belive Floyd Landis did either, it would have shown up earlier. anyways...

@ichigo-err...Lance retired two years ago.

[Peasant Phill]

Lance armstrong may be the most drug tested man in the worl but He did not Dope. I do not belive Floyd Landis did either, it would have shown up earlier. anyways...

I don't want to start a discussion with you but let us not be hypocrite or naïve. Lance was doped but so were his closest competitors.

And about Floyd Landis: if it were possible get a huge rise in testosterone just by drinking a beer and some wiskey, we (including a lot of ladies) would all have deep voices and screw everything that walks by.

[Deutschland Uber Alles]

Oh guys.You like bike sports?They are boooooring.Fotball rules.(3 more years till the next WC )

[Shieldmaiden]

Yes well, I'm afraid we have to go back to or before Indurain (1991 to 1996) to get a non doped Tour de France winner.

Its pity, as its hurting the Tour de France event and bikings credibility as a sport

Oh guys.You like bike sports?They are boooooring.Fotball rules

Deleted my original post as I'm perhaps being a bit too harsh about football as a "sport". I will intead say biking and footy

[Deutschland Uber Alles]

Oh please ,don't talk about football Shieldmaiden.

[Shieldmaiden]

Oh? And why not, Robin?

[Deutschland Uber Alles]

I had never seen a girl who knows to play football in my entire life.Football is for men.And whats with Robin???

[Andres]

Tom Boonen won yesterday ! Yeeha !

Go Tom. Let's hope he can keep 'le maillot vert'!

[Warmaster Horus]

I had never seen a girl who knows to play football in my entire life.Football is for men

I know a girl who can easily beat me at football. And I don't think I'm a bad player.

And whats with Robin???

He expressed the same views as yours, I believe. It's difficult to say now, because he's been instagibbed.


By the way, to stay on topic, how has it come to be that the Tour de France (emphasis on "France") has it's first mark/waypoint/whatever it's called (étape, in french) in England?

[CountArach]

I'd watch it, but we don't get a great deal of coverage down here, and what we do get is only a summary that is on either late at night or early in the morning.

Robbie McEwan is great though.

[Tiberius of the Drake]

The prologue and or 1st stage usually always starts in a special place like another country. last year it started in Germany.

@CA-I feel bad for ya youre missing out. :( Robbie Mcewen is one of my favorite riders though. Him, Hushovd and Hincapie.

[Bijo]

What is it that people like about this cycling? I never understood what is so good or fun, etc., about watching men who bike for a long time while some narrator -- or sometime more than one -- utters -- or sometimes hardly utters -- words that are silly to heed.

I have respect for the fact that these people are able to make it through a voyage so painfully, tiringly, and proudly, but watching it is plain boring.

[Andres]

What is it that people like about this cycling?

Ah, but watching cycling is the summum of all summums: it's a perfect excuse to a) spend all day in laziness before your TV and b) drink beers throughout the whole day without anybody finding it odd.

And it is even more so in the company of some good friends.

[Caius]

I had never seen a girl who knows to play football in my entire life.Football is for men.And whats with Robin???

Dont be harsh.

[Peasant Phill]

Firstly the "football is for men" comment:
I play football but I have to admit that it is a sport for sissies. All the faked fouls, the faking of injuries, ... Most cyclist continue if they injure themselves, broken bones or not.
Besides, Women can play football as good as men. I sometimes enjoy it more seeing a womens match as it is more technical and less fysical.

Secondly why the 'Tour de France' visits other countries:
In 2 words "Commercial benefits'. If people from other than the normal bicycle loving countries can get interested in de Tour, it means more income for the organisation. Secondly cities have to pay to be a starting- and/or finishingpoint. Some cities will pay more than others and cities that don't have the chance every year will be more willing to pay more.

And last, What people like about cycling:
That's a hard one. A bicycle race is very long and can be very boring. BUT it is not the race alone that does it, nor the endless stream of tidbits of information one recieves during the coverage of the race, it's the ambiance around the whole. It's hard to understand for people that aren't familiar with the whole bycicle culture (France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and to a lesser extent Germany, Switserland maybe Australia).
I know no other sport where you can get so close to the atletes. Last tuesday padded McCewen on the back and yesterday I rode next to Van Petegem (Winner of Paris-Roubaix and the 'Tour of Flanders', two of the most important classical bicycle races). I know little other sport where the race/match/contest can be so heroical ( I can't count the times when the first few competitors fall down meters after the finish line out of sheer exhaustion and delirium/dissapointment).
Just watch one (big) race in Flanders and you'll know what a bicycle race is and you'll appreciate it so much more.

[Deutschland Uber Alles]

You can watch match OMG OMG They are so . .Have you ever watched a real football match?Just go and watch some champions league games,not .Biking is very easy ,but football takes years to practice and even learn how to kick a ball.So please just go watch biking........or football cause real football isn't for .Of course everyone fackes at football cause that is a part of the game and at cycling if you injure and fall you gain nothing so you must continue but at football if you injure and fall you get a free kick or a penalty.Nobody cares about you football-haters cause football is the king of sports.Football is the most loved sport in the world and you can't do nothing.You said you know to play football but i never saw a man who knows to play football well but doesn't likes to watch it on television...

[Andres]

Allow me to suggest you read the stickied thread about posting etiquette, which can be found HERE .

For your convenience, I'll quote a major part of it:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Dear junior members, members & senior members,

recently some people seem to have forgotten what the Org is about.

A friendly place where everyone feels welcome, with interesting topics and discussions. A place to ask how it is that your cavelry always gets beaten by camels or how exactly you have to modify your files so elves can fight stormtroopers.

A place where people will respond in a respectful & contructive way. This is especially true for the Entrance Hall, where most new members will start.

If you haven't already, read the forum rules. If you already have, read them again. When posting, remember the rules, but just as important : use your common sense. Treat others the way you'd like to be treated yourself. If you feel something you're about to post could be taken as offensive, rephrase it or don't post it at all.

Hopefully needless to say : trolling, baiting and flaming will not be accepted. The staff has a variety of tools at their disposal to make a patrons virtual life a whole lot harder, but we don't like to use them. So please make sure there's no need for it.

If you feel offended, do not post a return-insult or a defensive post, but instead send any of the moderators a Private Message. They will act appropriately.

If you disagree with any of the above, feel free to send me a Private Message to discuss. If you think I've missed something, please post it.


-Mithrandir

Thank you for your time and please, keep this in mind when posting at the Org. Let's keep it the friendly and lovely place it is, shall we?