Yes, or are they all CGI?
You never know with crowd scenes these days.
Brilliant ride by Contador today & Andy Schleck rode better than anyone thought he could.
Wiggo will need his team to support him better on Saturday if he is to have any chance of a podium finish.
Top 10 will still be awesome, top 5 even better.

No, I though you might have been referring to tv coverage.

Ah, Alberto is still in yellow then.

in what way?

as a spectacle its probably as boring as crown green bowling if you're not into it, but it doesn't claim to be visually entertaining.

As a test of physical endurance it's clearly just about the most demanding in the world of sport. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

I just admire you.

*Ahhh*

This is the scariest thread ever !!

Jealousy gets you nowhere!

Me too. You're alright as well, hate everyone else. Love me though. Ace aren't I?

It is generally held to be the world's biggest annual sporting event. The only two events that are considered to be bigger are the Olympics and the Football World Cup. I think I read somewhere that the Tour is actually shown on TV in more countries than the World Cup, but does not quite attract as many overall viewers, but it is still a huge amount.

Having followed the Tour in the flesh on quite a few occasions and stood in the crowds on Alp'd Heuz on three of those I can tell you it is awesome and it really makes you understand just how big this thing is! There are something like 6000 people who move with the tour everyday in around 3000 vehicles. They erect their own start village every morning which is around the size of a football pitch, so the riders, teams and others can chill before the race start.

Oh, and Alberto was always going to finish in yellow for me. He is the best climber since Pantani (RIP) and can now time trial just as well Indurian and Armstrong ever could.

Chapeau to both Armstrong and of course Wiggins who has just been brilliant. Wiggins does look like he has it him in to win the Tour but I suspect it might have to be at Alberto's expense from a fall or not starting. However, I expect Alberto to match his fellow Spaniard Indurian and take at least 5 Tour wins (although not consecutive now), not sure he has it him in to win 8 though!

My brother-in-law & his US pals who are all good standard club cyclists rode up Alpe d'Huez, it took them nearly 2 hours compared to the 40 or so minuts it takes the tour riders. It is literally like riding up the side of a house.
Re Wiggins he needs to surround himself with a team as capable as the Astana team to stand any chance of winning the tour.
Tuesday's stage showed that to perfection.
Saturday's stage ending on Mont Ventoux will I believe show the same again to prevent him from getting a podium finish.
Nevertheless he's had a brilliant tour, together with Cavendish & the news that Sky is sponsoring a GB team managed by Brelsford(sic?) has ignited terrific interest in the sport following on from the fantastic Olympic performances.
Trouble is it will lead to more cycle lanes!!

I am not sure if the two hours is correct, the fastest I rode up the Alp was 49mins and it has always taken me less than an hour. Granted, I only ever did it after a 10k warm-up and when I did it in 49mins I was a 2nd Cat rider at the time. I am wondering if they have done after a long full day ride, then I think it would take me 2 hours, so when you see the top guys do the Alp in 40+ mins after 6 hours in the saddle, that is amazing!

Ventoux is just an awfull climb, it is like riding to the moon, that is what makes it such a great spectacle. You can't escape the sun and the heat like you can on the Alp. Of course, I have no idea how long it took me to get to the top of Mt Ventoux because everyone always stops to pay their repects at 'Major Tom's' memorial quite rightly, but of course it is also a bit of an excuse to get a little rest and your breath back before heading for the top!

If you have got into it and like to read their are two books you should read - put me back on my bike, in search of Tom Simpson by William Fotheringham and the brilliant In Search of Robert Millar by Richard Moore.

Thanks for the recommendation. I did see Robert Millar when the tour of Britain visited Leeds a few years ago.
I first got into Le Tour thanks to Eurosport in the early 80s in the days of Stephen Roche (good to see his lad doing some good things in this year's tour) followed by Lemond, then the mighty Indurain but Lance is still the man. Which other sportsman could come back after 4 years out of his sport & do what he's done, simply incredible.

Roche Jr has huge potential and the next couple of years will show if he can follow his Dad and win the Tour.

Armstrong is amazing but even with his comeback feat, Indurain is still the man as far as I am concerned. First man to win 5 consecutive Tours and of course IIRC 2 Giro wins, World hour record, beating Obree's, World and Olympic TT champion plus a host of other major wins.

Anyone ever go to the Leeds Classic that was held in the middle 90s?


I had my photo taken with Mr Armstrong (god knows where it is now

) and Bjarne Riis wouldnt sign my programme grrrr Dope head

I did, got my photo taken with Sean Yates! IIRC Max Sciandri (rode for GB as he was born in Derby, but really an Italian) won it from a solo break? They did three 'laps' of Leeds, it was basically up through Little London, into Headingley and back down Burley Road into Leeds. God only know how the riders did not get shot at with air guns as they rode through Little London!

I was in awe of Bjarne Riis and they way he rode Indurain off his wheel to win the Tour, but once he admitted using EPO I lost all respect for the guy. IIRC as well, Indurain had bronchitis after it p*ssed it down in the first week and Riis still needed EPO to beat him!

One of them I was on the barrier next to the finish line and that was soo good to see live


I beat you here lad, I met Jimmy Saville

Actually, I think I am the only person from Leeds to have never met Jimmy!

Ok, that is a lie, I have met him at least twice. Actually, my son has never met Jimmy and he was born in Leeds! That said, he is only seven months old, so it is only a matter of time and Jimmy living long enough!

On one of the Leeds Classic races I went to stand at the top of Snake Pass after they'd just climbed and then descended Holme Moss, we thought we might get a good view if they were coming slowly uphill.

They came up Snake Pass faster than I dare go down it and did two circuits around that area, while all that was happening we drove down to New Mill to watch them pass through there after coming down off the moors - they flew so fast through the village that the motorbike cameramen were having trouble keeping up through the bends.

After that it was back in the car and a drive back up the M1 into Leeds for the finish, despite them having to do the three circuits around the city centre we didn't get to see them until they actually crossed the finish line, christ knows how they got back to Leeds before us.

The scary thing is that was 15 years ago, surely they (the riders) will be faster due to technology

It is scary to be stood on a kerbside when a peloton passes you, especially when they have just descended one of the highest hills in our region, I can't estimate the speed they were maintaining when they took a right and then an immediate left in the centre of New Mills but one of the motorbikes who was trying to keep up hit the road with a footrest and nearly pitched himself off right in front of us



If you've never done it, its also interesting just how fast you can ride a bike on a fairly flat road in close formation with other riders, if you get very tight up behind the one in front of you (like one or two inches from their back wheel) you can almost stop peddaling - riding across Holland like that is a dream

As an ex-racing cyclist it is the speed of their descending that I most admire. I was generally held to be quite a good descender and have big 'kahunas' but the pro's are just fearless. I remember seeing Mr Armstrong come down the Gallibier (as we did not get there in time to ride to the top!) chasing a break on his own and having ridden down it few times at what I thought was a fast pace, Armstrong just made me look like I was pootling down it!

Lawrie - The generally held belief is that road stage decending speeds have slowed slighty due to carbon fibre frames and overall much lighter bikes, while climbing speeds have gone up because of the same thing. Just not quite as much momentum as you got with an old steel frame! When it comes to Time Trials though, the overall improvement in aerodynamics means that average speeds have gone up quite a bit and now they all go in wind tunnels to try and improve their position of the bike!

Everyone is saying that Wiggins TT bike could have cost him a good 30 seconds or more yesterday as Felt TT bikes are not as cutting edge as Cervelo and Trek!

Trek - great bikes - I have one

By my standards, and I have the kahunas of a small gerbil, I flew down Hartside in the Lakes last weekend, absolutely flew down, loved it.

Of course it meant that I missed my right turn near the bottom and had to turn around and go back uphill again, but still, great fun

Just wanted to say 'Chapeau' to Wiggins and Cav on their Tour successes. Wiggins rode a great Ventoux and as for Cav's sprint on the Champs Elysees - just amazing!

Agreed it was great to see Cavendish get the stage win on the Champs Elysee, it was good to see Mark Renshaw finish in second place too.
Cav to go for green next year and Wiggins to go for a podium finish.
It will be fascinating to see Armstrong & Contador going head to head.
I don't think Armstrong forgave Contador for blowing Kloeden out of the water in the last week letting Andy Schleck into 2nd place thus preventing an Astana 123
Can't wait for next year.

Typo corrected