Tdf 2012

[Hans Tucker]

Great to see the Australian Cycling Team Orica-GreenEDGE had a great debut in this years TDF with Brett Lancaster taking 6th place in the prologue. :thumbsup:

[inline_online]

Yep, i'm super excited about this year.
The next three weeks will see me being very sleepy at work after watching too much cycling. I'l try and skip a few nights to do some astronomy...we'll see what happens!!!
I hope GreenEdge do really well. Go Australia!!!

[Astro_Bot]

Hopefully, weather will be clear on the two rest days! Otherwise I'm afraid that viewing will resume in August.

I've already organised to shift my working hours a bit so I can watch the TDF and still get some sleep. Small companies are good that way.

I'm rooting for Cadel, but it's great to see 12 Aussies in the race this year. I'm amazed at how hard the "domestiques" work for virtually no glory. Stuart O'Grady comes to mind. I sure hope they're paid well.

Anyone seen the latest on Lance Armstrong (and the drug allegations)?

[Ric]

I always enjoy the TDF each year, its a bit like chess on two wheels, fascinating.

[JB80]

I'm glad it's back on even though I have to watch it in French.
It's a difficult one to pick this year, Wiggins is on form, Cadel doesn't look great but then does he ever?
Franck Schleck might seize the opportunity with his brother being out and I bet they have upped their game in training. The GC is too hard to call this year.

I'm thinking Sagan may just brain them all for the Green jersey, his tour of California was immense and it looks as though he's continuing that form. Plus it's nauseating watching Cavendish win.

[Hans Tucker]

What??...no Phil Liggett commentation....you poor thing. Well at least you are in one of the top European countries for Criterium Racing...now that is an experience.

[clive milne]

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore will be pleased as punch.

[alocky]

I'm already fed up with Sherwin and Ligget frothing on about Wiggins - last year when he crashed out we were relieved because we thought we'd heard the last of him, but no; they spent the reset of the tour speculating on how much he would have won every stage by if he wasn't nursing a broken collarbone.
Cavendish reminds me of those w@nkers who sit right up behind you in a headwind and never go in front to do any work. Mind you, they don't hand out world championships to anyone...
Either way - looking like yet another fascinating tour!

[Astro_Bot]

Oh well, the Tour de France is over for another year. :sadeyes:

I can't fault Sky - their execution was brutally methodical. But I wonder how Cadel v Wiggins would have turned out without half the Sky team (including #2 Froome) leading Wiggins up the mountains. Cadel didn't really seem to have the legs this year, at least not against that competition. But I've just heard that Cadel will be back next year for his final TDF.

So many crashes this year. It was spectacular but perplexing. The sabotage incident was outrageous. String 'em up, I say!

Green Edge seemed to aquit themeselves fairly well. I look forward to seeing them get some stage wins soon, I hope.

Well done to the winners. Commiserations to those who came close or crashed out.

Now for the Vuelta. It's no TDF, but I'll take what I can get. ;)

[alocky]

Yep - the big winner now is my sleep regime!
Can't even dislike Wiggins, he proved to be a good sportsman as well as a good performer. Be interesting to see how Froome goes when they take the leash off him. Finally, someone more annoying than Cavendish has emerged - Sagan!
Cheers,
Andrew.

[MattT]

Spoken like a real bike rider there Andrew! Plenty of wheel suckers going up and down Beach Rd here in Melbourne any day of the week. Cavendish gets paid to suck wheels though... what a job. This tour has been a bit of a bore to me just as it was in the Lance days... always looking to see who would come second. At least Wiggins has won plenty of other races this year unlike Lance really interested to see how Lance inc. will come out of the latest allegations.
Matt

[alocky]

Wheel suckers - love it! I've been calling them 'Lycra ticks', or more recently 'bananas' ( cavendish). Asked one last week if he had his name on his shoes in case I had to stop.
Cheers,
Andrew.

[MattT]

Lycra ticks!!! Very nice...easy to get rid of, take the speed up to round 40k's or so and see how long they last. 60 sec's tops or my favourite any thing that goes slightly uphill and the tick's gone...:D
Keep Spinnin' Matt

[Astro_Bot]

This is an interesting article that I came across on the impact doping has on cycling performance:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18921784

The seem to conclude that (occasional drug disqualification aside) the current crop of riders are "clean", according to their performance level.