For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1856420
Rob P wrote:It is gripping stuff


I'll take your word for it...

I've stayed in the same hotel in Luxemburg as the tour. Never seen so many bikes or spare parts of bikes. At breakfast, girls kept coming up to blokes to ask for their photo with them, sometimes sitting on the blokes' laps. I had no idea who the blokes were.

I did watch the end of the race as I found myself almost next to the finish line. I saw the trophy presentations as well.
#1856441
Rob P wrote:
If Cav can win a couple more stages, ideally on the Champs Elysee, I couldn't care less about the overall winner.

...

The Tour is definitely a sport made for TV



I agree. I must admit I didn't think Cavendish would win a stage again.

I've also done an end to end, but I did mine the hard way - doing it downhill must be easy. :wink:
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By Rob P
#1856444
Paultheparaglider wrote:I've also done an end to end, but I did mine the hard way - doing it downhill must be easy. :wink:


Joking apart I would suggest it is actually far harder doing it the way you did, rather than starting at John o'Groats

The hills in Scotland are large and the roads tend to take as level as possible a track through them, presumably a legacy of the days of horse drawn vehicles. There are still a lot of climbs, but by and large they are lengthy and progressive

The roads into and out of the many valleys running out to the coast in Devon & Cornwall are steep and vicious. Far better to have some strength in your legs when you come to tackling them. Or route along the A30. But what fun is that?

My observation has always been that standing on the cliff in Scotland the sea was 100ft below. Having climbed for 90% of the journey I expected the cliffs at Lands End to be several thousand feet tall. They weren't, they are just about 100ft :(

Rob P
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#1856447
Rob P wrote:
The roads into and out of the many valleys running out to the coast in Devon & Cornwall are steep and vicious. Far better to have some strength in your legs when you come to tackling them.



I have to admit they came as a real shock to the system. Everything that followed was much easier.

My route was non traditional. It covered about 1,200 miles or so, but I wanted to visit places like Girvan in Ayrshire that I hadn't seen since a young boy, and places like the North West tip of Scotland that I had never seen.

I followed it up with a few hundred miles around the Orkneys as I had time to spare for my return train booking.

Definitely lots of good memories.
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By Rob P
#1856455
I am loving that the podium used to have a couple of T&T girls flanking the winners, these days one of them has been replaced by a fella.

Rob P
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By kanga
#1856458
Rob P wrote:The Tour is definitely a sport made for TV

I too have seen the Tour pass 'live' and it is truly underwhelming.

Rob P


ISTR it used to be a handy pub quiz sports round Q&A, and particularly good trivia to ask of US sports fans:

"Which sporting event is watched live at the venue by most spectators ?"

to which the answer used to be the Tour de France (computed, presumably, by aggregating all those who turn up to watch along the entire route as it passes). I have no idea if it still is: perhaps those interested (not I, nor in any sport) have realise it's better on TV :wink:
By Highland Park
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1856481
Nine years ago, I was the duty driver that transported three work colleagues plus bikes and equipment to Beaumes de Venise in the south of France, so that they could ride up the side of Mont Ventoux leg of The Tour for charity.

I’m very glad I was duty driver and photographer, not riding it! Their biggest hazard all weekend was a group of Porsche drivers hooning around going downhill as they were cycling uphill…

Ian
By Mike Tango
#1856728
skydriller wrote:" Media removed due copyright "


It was a nice bit of video of the young fan’s reaction when maillot jaune Matthieu Van der Poel passed him his drinks bottle…