Robert Merivel said:Let's face it, the Tour starts Sunday. Well, hopefully.
I think the designers of this years tour started out right with the ITT. But then it seemed to fizzle.
The TTT should be thrown out. Or limit the losses to no more than a minute.
All the Pyrenees stages (3) should have been mt top finishes. Or at least more stages there.
The sprinters stages seemed to become France's big opportunity to get some glory in a breakaway. Throw them a few scraps...it is their race.
The race thus far seems to lack pizzazz, flair, spirit!
Boeing said:the no limit losses in the TTT is a problem.
Cadel was toast after that. Dude is over
The tour deserves more than 3 Mtn Top finishes in a 3 week span IMHO
and the second week needs some sort of TT
Boeing said:I like the TTT and often wonder why some teams don't focus on it going in. Teams with GC contenders too. Clearly Lotto didnt care about it
some adjustment is needed
another thread suggested a mtn top TTT. interesting
auscyclefan94 said:MTN top ttt - ridiculous
Boeing said:I find it tough to watch this 3 week tempo ride to Ventoux.
Typically I like watching bikes go up hill as much as I like riding bikes up hill.
They over (or rather under) did it with this profile.
c-
marinoni said:Pro riders get more cautious and conservative every year and this race shows that off like no other. We had 3 stages in the Pyrenees won by(with due respect) riders who have no business winning Tour mountain stages. When did the Tour and many other races become all about doing the absolute least? You're right, Boeing, it's a 3 week training ride with a race up Ventoux at the end. The only thing is it won't be a race up Ventoux, it'll be a race up a small part of Ventoux because apparently even a stage with only one real mtn in it is too much for these guys. I foolishly posted after the TTT that the bright side is the time gaps would force riders to attack. I guess even the prospect of losing the biggest race in the world isn't enough to get these guys off their butts and DO SOMETHING!!!!
You know I'm only 45 and I can't tell you how much I hate sounding like a grumpy old man gassing on about the old days. But you know what? It's true, the old days where better. Even as recently as the late 80's the racing was far better. Watch, for example, the 89 Worlds on youtube or wherever and see if it bears even the slightest resemblance to todays racing. I love this sport but lately it just makes me want to cry.
On the brighter side, I had a 90yr old woman today call me "a whole lotta man". So I got that goin for me.
Boeing said:maybe a short cat one climb with a wild descent into the flats TTT
Regardless Evans would be out so i understand your reaction
They're at the side of the road, loading their pellet riflesyetanothergreenworld said:It amuses me to remember that when they added the special time-loss-limit system in 2005 people cried that it was part of some evil French anti-Armstrong conspiracy. Four years later, Armstrong returns, and the organizers bring back an old-fashioned TTT. Where's that evil French anti-Armstrong conspiracy when you need it??
auscyclefan94 said:A MTN ttt is just stupid. Don't put in stages just for tv ratings. C'mon that's plain ridicuolus. My ttt point has nothing to do with Cadel Evans. In 03-05 the ttt was ver significant to the end result as many guys were forced out of contention. A ttt above 30km is ridicoulous. It closes the race up too early and is too descisive in that stage of the tour. The tdf is about the best in the itt's and the climbs. Either remove ttt or make the ttt's short so the time differences are insignificant.