Tour de France 2007

[David Ayers]

Well, I thought I didn't care so very much... but since the Tour was coming to Canterbury and finishing practically on my doorstep how could I resist? We were there at 50m from the finish line watching a blur that subsequently turned out to have been Robbie McEwan staging a remarkable win.

These are quiet stages so maybe not too much to quicken the pulses in these first few days... though Cancellara's Stage 3 win was BOSS.

It was great to see the whole Tour setup in Canterbury - and the crowds here in Kent were massive. So kudos to us all for turning out! Hope it is back here soon but I won't hold my breath...

PS I do a certain amount of cycling myself - but I am a bit off the Tour after all the doping scandals. Maybe I can regain a bit of faith?

Edited July 11, 2007 by David Ayers

[JohnS]

Seems to have had more UK coverage this year in the UK or maybe I'm just more aware of the tour because of the UK start. Got to admit it's very intersting, not sure I get the tactics yet.

I also found the various Olympic cycling events very entertaining too.

[Unk]

I do care deeply about the 2007 Tour. Just not in the positive sense. I'm heartbroken to say that. Cycling was, for well over half my life (in duration), my WHOLE life - riding, racing, coaching, supporting, advocating... No more. I do miss it.

[T.D.]

The doping shouldn't really bother me, since it's been going on forever, including years when I paid great attention to the TdF, but the Puerto-related stuff just seems too sleazy for my taste. And I suppose we shouldn't have too many illusions about any professional sport being drug-free...

I'm following the Tour casually, enjoying the spectacle but not caring overly much about the results. The field seems wide open this year, which is a plus.

I followed the Giro much more avidly this year, as I find it (esp. the Dolomites) much more beautiful than the TdF, and some of the mega-climbs (Tre Cime, Zoncolan) were spectacular. I don't expect this Tour to match the Giro for excitement. [Yes, I know that the Giro's probably more "dirty" than the Tour...]

Edited July 11, 2007 by T.D.

[clifford_thornton]

Agreed on all fronts.

[Claude]

I can't watch the Tour TV transmissions, because of this annoying sound effects tape loop they are playing all the time when a certain motorbike camera is on.

It's the motor of a bike roaring two times, and then someone screaming "YEAH YEAH ... Yeah yeah yeah" (2 long yeah and 3 shorter ones), looped at 15 second intervals. It's supposed to mimmick live sounds, but it's so amateurish.

At the London stage individual time trial), I first thought it was the team manager of a certain team, driving behind his racer and motivating him, but then he could be heard with every racer. And now the "YEAH YEAH ... Yeah yeah yeah" guy is in the Alps, at every street corner of the 200km stage. On all the TV channels showing the Tour.

[porcy62]

The answer at the thread titled: "Tour de France 2007, does anybody care?" should be: "Yes, the International Commision for Doping.

I completely lost interest in watching cycling in the last ten years and it was my fave "TV sport".

The doping wiped off all the heroic aspects from it: suffering, strenght of will, ecc..In my teenagerhood I lived in countryside with lots of hills and mountains. I used to ride my bicycles on those hard climbings, so I had a lot of respect for les grimpeurs of the Tour or Giro d'Italia, but now?

Cima Coppi, Tourmalet, Izoar are empty names, a pale memory of the past. You never know if the hero of the day will be caught drugs' positive next morning. Sad.

Edited July 14, 2007 by porcy62

[porcy62]

The doping shouldn't really bother me, since it's been going on forever, including years when I paid great attention to the TdF, but the Puerto-related stuff just seems too sleazy for my taste. And I suppose we shouldn't have too many illusions about any professional sport being drug-free...

I'm following the Tour casually, enjoying the spectacle but not caring overly much about the results. The field seems wide open this year, which is a plus.

I followed the Giro much more avidly this year, as I find it (esp. the Dolomites) much more beautiful than the TdF, and some of the mega-climbs (Tre Cime, Zoncolan) were spectacular. I don't expect this Tour to match the Giro for excitement. [Yes, I know that the Giro's probably more "dirty" than the Tour...]

Agreed.

The point about doping is that nobody has the guts to take the broom up and make some serious cleaning.

I find ridicolous equating cocaine or marijuana to drug that enhancing performance.

Let's put in this way: if they found you positive to steroids or whatever, you're out, forever, not for a couple of years. I think things can change only if they'll start to be inflexible.

The son of a friend, former cyclist, was in a cycling team. Well, my friend had to took him out because the trainer was giving to his eight years old son, some strange and unclear stuff. Can you imagine giving drugs to a 8 y/o boy! When my friend discovered it he almost killed the trainer for it. That's the situation even at the lowest level of young amateur team. Disgusting!

[T.D.]

The s**t has hit the fan big-time, with Vinokourov testing positive for blood doping and Team Astana withdrawing from the Tour.

Too early to say much, but stories are coming out all over the place.

[David Ayers]

[Claude]

This is no surprise of course, as doping is still widely spread. I'm wondering how many Tour editions screwed up by doping incidents it will take before a clean cut is made. Some teams really think they can sit this out and doping will be tolerated (either officially or by lax controls).

This edition is a huge success so far for my country (2 riders among the top 20), but I can't feel good about that because the event and the whole pro cycling sport is a joke, and I don't trust my countrymen either. It's not the best rider who wins, but the one who wins the poker game of continuing to cheat and not being caught.

Edited July 24, 2007 by Claude

[clifford_thornton]

The circus is what turns me off right now.

I think the doping thing is being blown way out of hand also, but the whole Landis fiasco was the death knell.

[brownie]

The only thing that surprises me here is that Vinokurov would so blatantly try to cheat after the Tour de France organisers had announced well before the start of the race that they would crack down on ethics violators.

After all, Vinokurov's 'personal trainer' as he calls him is none other than the controversial Dr. Michele Ferrari who looked over Lance Armstrong's performances.

All this will not prevent me from enjoying today's stage which should be more than interesting. Plus the TV coverage is first-rate! It will also be a great opportunity to enjoy the Pyrenean mountains at their beautiful best.

[ASNL77]

The yellow jersey, Rasmussen, has been sacked by his team. He is out of the race. What a mess the whole thing has become!

[B. Clugston]

Is Barry Bonds competing this year?

[Stefan Wood]

The yellow jersey, Rasmussen, has been sacked by his team. He is out of the race. What a mess the whole thing has become!

Yes, this Tour has become a farce.

[ejp626]

Maybe we can just end it with a series of penalty kicks. At least a shoot-out on bikes has some novelty value. I can't say I've ever cared about the Tour de France, but after these last couple of years, I don't see why anyone would bother.

[T.D.]

I don't care for musical theater at all, but earlier today someone mentioned "sending in the clowns" with respect to this farcical Tour, which led me to dig up these lyrics:

Don't you love farce?

My fault I fear.

I thought that you'd want what I want.

Sorry, my dear.

But where are the clowns?

Quick, send in the clowns.

Don't bother, they're here.

This s**t is just too much. I don't think I can follow the sport any more. Better to just ride my bike...

[Tim McG]

Is Barry Bonds competing this year?

Piss off.

The Tour has long been suspect in their drug checking practices and now it has finally caught up to their lying asses.

I fail to see how a baseball player, against whom absolutely nothing has been proved, has anything at all to do with the small-minded French and their hatred of American cyclists.

Time to exonerate Landis and get off of the back of the greatest cyclist in the history of Le Tour in Lance Armstrong.

Le Tour owes the cycling world and America an apology for their very existence....the morons.

[Tim McG]

The yellow jersey, Rasmussen, has been sacked by his team. He is out of the race. What a mess the whole thing has become!

Yes, this Tour has become a farce.

Correction: Le Tour is a farce and insult to the entire athletic world.

[brownie]

At least, the Tour de France race organizers are doing their job. Wish organizers of other sports events would do the same.

[tonym]

At least, the Tour de France race organizers are doing their job. Wish organizers of other sports events would do the same.

Exactement!

Goodspeak... you think doping isn't rife in other sports?

[mikeweil]

Those who renamed it "tour de farce" are damn right! Seems it has been so for years.

There is a lot of discussion here about doping and the government considers withdrawing their sponsoring for disciplines where doping prevails. I think they are right.

Edited July 26, 2007 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Also I think a basic problem lies in the assumption man can get faster or whatever all the time. There might be a limit to human physical abilities - no more new best timings etc.

We should accept a certain level that can be achieved without any other enhancement than simple training.

Edited July 26, 2007 by mikeweil

[Soulstation1]

if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'