Cobbles in le Tour

[Don't be late Pedro]

"It's a big nonsense" isn't exactly a good translation of "C'est une connerie."

"It's bull****" would be more accurate.

Thanks. That certainly sounds more like the Badger

 

[Echoes]

Sure, he's said it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6hlRSw7jjE

"What people have always thought is that I did not like Paris-Roubaix but it's not really that. When you are a rider and you know you can win the Tour of France, you don't want to take risk on Paris-Roubaix, to break a collarbone or have a hip problem that does not enable you to race anymore."

"When I see a young rider now, I tell him, you've got to race Paris-Roubaix at the start. The first two years when you are not in prime yet in order to learn."

..and to the question whether cobbles belong to the Tour of France, he's given the most brilliant answer he could give:

"They are part of cycling! Just like the track, cyclocross, MTB ! A champion must be able to adapt to every terrain."

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Sure, he's said it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6hlRSw7jjE

"What people have always thought is that I did not like Paris-Roubaix but it's not really that. When you are a rider and you know you can win the Tour of France, you don't want to take risk on Paris-Roubaix, to break a collarbone or have a hip problem that does not enable you to race anymore."

"When I see a young rider now, I tell him, you've got to race Paris-Roubaix at the start. The first two years when you are not in prime yet in order to learn."

..and to the question whether cobbles belong to the Tour of France, he's given the most brilliant answer he could give:

"They are part of cycling! Just like the track, cyclocross, MTB ! A champion must be able to adapt to every terrain."

Thanks for that. I will take your word on it since my French is poor (sadly). I have to say that agree with the last part. Of course you have to consider the riders safety but the most memorable stages tend to be ridden in adversity. That is why (a rainy) PR is (truly) the Queen of the monuments.

 

[Tournesol]

Cobbles are part of Le Tour,they always have been,CP is more or less saying they will always be in the TDF as long as the TDF exists.

 

[The Hitch]

At least every year that they are in North East France. Like 2011 for example when they go anti clockwise from West to South and are nowhere near them, fine but 2012 for example they were in ****ing Belgium doing loops around North East France, spitting distance from Roubaix and they didn't touch them. Was stupid.

 

[icefire]

Sure, he's said it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6hlRSw7jjE

"What people have always thought is that I did not like Paris-Roubaix but it's not really that. When you are a rider and you know you can win the Tour of France, you don't want to take risk on Paris-Roubaix, to break a collarbone or have a hip problem that does not enable you to race anymore."

"When I see a young rider now, I tell him, you've got to race Paris-Roubaix at the start. The first two years when you are not in prime yet in order to learn."

..and to the question whether cobbles belong to the Tour of France, he's given the most brilliant answer he could give:

"They are part of cycling! Just like the track, cyclocross, MTB ! A champion must be able to adapt to every terrain."

He talks now like a politician: too many words but not an answer to the question he's being asked.

Does he mean that the Tour should include some off-road stages?

 

[purcell]

Ok, that's it.

Time to eliminate dry flat roads from the Tour.

After all, how fair is it that peoples' GC ambitions are going to be determined by what happens on dry flat roads??

 

[Tournesol]

At least every year that they are in North East France. Like 2011 for example when they go anti clockwise from West to South and are nowhere near them, fine but 2012 for example they were in ****ing Belgium doing loops around North East France, spitting distance from Roubaix and they didn't touch them. Was stupid.

Agreed,i voted for having them every year after the enjoyment of watching yesterday but maybe only every 2-3 years when they are in the North East region would work better.CP is delighted by yesterdays stage from the interviews he's given and no wonder,magnificent stage and race still wide open.

 

[winkybiker]

Yes, but can we put an end to the use of the term "cobble gobbler" for those "laterally stiff but vertically compliant" bikes that the manufacturers make for rough roads, please?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I have to repeat what I said yesterday. The Tour should be about the best all-round racer, not the best climber on MTFs. So I think more often than not the Tour should include some cobbles. It also should have more TT's and longer TT distances (during the Mig years they were close to 200km total each year). I also like to see a couple dirt passes every so often.

Look at it this way, let's say we had a GT with a few TT's that combined were over 200km, plus 2 cobble stages, 2 MTF's and 2 non-MTF mountain stages. Would it be so wrong if Cancellara or Sagan were up by 5+ minutes heading into the mountains? What if it were over 10 minutes ahead of the likes of Contador or Nibali? They'd still very likely lose if it were double that. Is that such a bad Tour? We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

 

[Oldman]

I have to repeat what I said yesterday. The Tour should be about the best all-round racer, not the best climber on MTFs. So I think more often than not the Tour should include some cobbles. It also should have more TT's and longer TT distances (during the Mig years they were close to 200km total each year). I also like to see a couple dirt passes every so often.

Look at it this way, let's say we had a GT with a few TT's that combined were over 200km, plus 2 cobble stages, 2 MTF's and 2 non-MTF mountain stages. Would it be so wrong if Cancellara or Sagan were up by 5+ minutes heading into the mountains? What if it were over 10 minutes ahead of the likes of Contador or Nibali? They'd still very likely lose if it were double that. Is that such a bad Tour? We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

+1. What's devilling the Wattage Watchers is the uncertainty of it all. That's the heart of bike racing as much as climbing for me. Alpe-do you remember the Tour of Willamette? The hardened Euro Pros were amazed it existed, complained about the roads/organization/weather...and kept coming back for no money. Loved that.

 

[cineteq]

We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

This +1 The purists hate you!

 

[pigoonse]

Voted for having cobbles every TdF. These are road bike racers, on road bikes, on cobbles, in the land of cobbles. It makes sense that they are included - just happened to be raining this year, otherwise, it would not have been so dicey. But what are they supposed to do, neutralize the race because it is raining? I am so done with listening to the likes of TJVG whine about it.

 

[hfer07]

I have to repeat what I said yesterday. The Tour should be about the best all-round racer, not the best climber on MTFs. So I think more often than not the Tour should include some cobbles. It also should have more TT's and longer TT distances (during the Mig years they were close to 200km total each year). I also like to see a couple dirt passes every so often.

Look at it this way, let's say we had a GT with a few TT's that combined were over 200km, plus 2 cobble stages, 2 MTF's and 2 non-MTF mountain stages. Would it be so wrong if Cancellara or Sagan were up by 5+ minutes heading into the mountains? What if it were over 10 minutes ahead of the likes of Contador or Nibali? They'd still very likely lose if it were double that. Is that such a bad Tour? We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

Amen

10 char

 

[ggusta]

I really cant tell if this is trolling or not. If its not I dont think that there are enough face palms in the world to cover it.

i am sorry, did you say something? I was looking at your avatar.

 

[gooner]

I have to repeat what I said yesterday. The Tour should be about the best all-round racer, not the best climber on MTFs. So I think more often than not the Tour should include some cobbles. It also should have more TT's and longer TT distances (during the Mig years they were close to 200km total each year). I also like to see a couple dirt passes every so often.

Look at it this way, let's say we had a GT with a few TT's that combined were over 200km, plus 2 cobble stages, 2 MTF's and 2 non-MTF mountain stages. Would it be so wrong if Cancellara or Sagan were up by 5+ minutes heading into the mountains? What if it were over 10 minutes ahead of the likes of Contador or Nibali? They'd still very likely lose if it were double that. Is that such a bad Tour? We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

Agree.

If I had my way a bit of the Tro-Bro Leon route would be given a go.

 

[rhubroma]

I have to repeat what I said yesterday. The Tour should be about the best all-round racer, not the best climber on MTFs. So I think more often than not the Tour should include some cobbles. It also should have more TT's and longer TT distances (during the Mig years they were close to 200km total each year). I also like to see a couple dirt passes every so often.

Look at it this way, let's say we had a GT with a few TT's that combined were over 200km, plus 2 cobble stages, 2 MTF's and 2 non-MTF mountain stages. Would it be so wrong if Cancellara or Sagan were up by 5+ minutes heading into the mountains? What if it were over 10 minutes ahead of the likes of Contador or Nibali? They'd still very likely lose if it were double that. Is that such a bad Tour? We need to stop thinking the Tour is about who can drop each other in the last few KM of a couple mountain stages.

Great, so that way a Tour champion can accumulate enough time in the flat lands, to then manage his time in the mountains a la Indurain. How thrilling.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Alpe-do you remember the Tour of Willamette? The hardened Euro Pros were amazed it existed, complained about the roads/organization/weather...and kept coming back for no money. Loved that.

Yes, it was held in the Coast Range near Eugene in April, right? The temperatures were often cold, the roads wet and remote. I think people don't realize how big or sharp the hills are there. Some of those days of "rolling hills" lead to over 8,000' of climbing in 100 miles.

I am so done with listening to the likes of TJVG whine about it.

He actually later cooled his head and tweeted that it was an epic day.

But your point is well taken.

 

[RedheadDane]

Voted for having cobbles every TdF. These are road bike racers, on road bikes, on cobbles, in the land of cobbles. It makes sense that they are included - just happened to be raining this year, otherwise, it would not have been so dicey. But what are they supposed to do, neutralize the race because it is raining? I am so done with listening to the likes of TJVG whine about it.

Didn't he go out afterwards and admit that he'd been wrong about it, and that it actually was pretty fun.

Adding a bit to my initial post; I don't think they should be used every year, but a max of five years between usage would be good.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Great, so that way a Tour champion can accumulate enough time in the flat lands, to then manage his time in the mountains a la Indurain. How thrilling.

I don't know. How many riders out there really are like Indurain? Could kill in ITT's, and sustain climbing over very long distances like him? Can you name one? If the 2015 Tour had a 8km prologue, a 30km TTT on stage 3, a 55km ITT on Stage 8, a 20km uphill ITT on stage 14, and another 50km ITT on Stage 20, who do you think that would favor?

What if you tossed in a cobbled road stage like yesterday?

What if you cut the MTF's down to 2 or 3? Or not?

What if you included an epic 250km mountain stage sandwiched between an easier stage and a rest day?

Yes, a good race for Indurain, circa 1994. But today, it's not so easy to guess who would win, is it?

Again, not advocating this every single year. Just every other year or so.

 

[Oldman]

I don't know. How many riders out there really are like Indurain? Could kill in ITT's, and sustain climbing over very long distances like him? Can you name one? If the 2015 Tour had a 8km prologue, a 30km TTT on stage 3, a 55km ITT on Stage 8, a 20km uphill ITT on stage 14, and another 50km ITT on Stage 20, who do you think that would favor?

What if you tossed in a cobbled road stage like yesterday?

What if you cut the MTF's down to 2 or 3? Or not?

What if you included an epic 250km mountain stage sandwiched between an easier stage and a rest day?

Yes, a good race for Indurain, circa 1994. But today, it's not so easy to guess who would win, is it?

Again, not advocating this every single year. Just every other year or so.

No one's allowed to have the hematocrit that Indurain raced with so your point is right on. I do like that the race tests teams' ability to actually race, rather than control this early on. Rain is a great equalizer that way.

 

[Warhawk]

Didn't he go out afterwards and admit that he'd been wrong about it, and that it actually was pretty fun.

He did. And frankly it seems to me like the kind of thing that you'd consider a lot more fun in retrospect once you've had a shower.

 

[Afrank]

Yes, it was held in the Coast Range near Eugene in April, right? The temperatures were often cold, the roads wet and remote. I think people don't realize how big or sharp the hills are there. Some of those days of "rolling hills" lead to over 8,000' of climbing in 100 miles.

Such a great race that was. I know many of the people that raced in it and I ride the same exact roads it was done on all the time.

 

[Jagartrott]

He did. And frankly it seems to me like the kind of thing that you'd consider a lot more fun in retrospect once you've had a shower.

Or when your press officer has just told you that the public doesn't like whiners and that he should be more positive...

 

[rhubroma]

I don't know. How many riders out there really are like Indurain? Could kill in ITT's, and sustain climbing over very long distances like him? Can you name one? If the 2015 Tour had a 8km prologue, a 30km TTT on stage 3, a 55km ITT on Stage 8, a 20km uphill ITT on stage 14, and another 50km ITT on Stage 20, who do you think that would favor?

What if you tossed in a cobbled road stage like yesterday?

What if you cut the MTF's down to 2 or 3? Or not?

What if you included an epic 250km mountain stage sandwiched between an easier stage and a rest day?

Yes, a good race for Indurain, circa 1994. But today, it's not so easy to guess who would win, is it?

Again, not advocating this every single year. Just every other year or so.

I'm simply for a rider that can kick a$$ on the cols, as it should be in a grand tour (let's not forget that: I mean it's not the classics), and do well, or kill them, in the TT's.

But this business of cobbles in modern Tours is so passé. Even several giants of the cobbles today have said so.