Paris-Nice losing prestige?

[Jamsque]

Thanks for the photo! That grade looks awfully steep!

...and for your generosity in sharing that photo I'm establishing a Evans Bashing Moratorium to last till....I can't hold back anymore.

I'm glad I convinced you he's not all bad. I have more photos from the race, but they are mostly of podium girls...

 

[Angliru]

I'm glad I convinced you he's not all bad. I have more photos from the race, but they are mostly of podium girls...

Evans is okay, he just for some reason turns out to be my favorite cycling whipping boy because he makes it so easy. Actually he's a very distant second to the pathetic figure pictured in my avatar, Tyler "My Twin Did It" Hamilton.

"but they are mostly of podium girls"????? That is a part of the sport. One that needs to be shared as often as possible. For sharing those shots I will extend the Evans Bashing Moratorium for the rest of year!

 

[Angliru]

Are you not on cycling.tv? It's a godsend. You can watch it "as live" later, on demand.

I try to limit most of my extra-curricular internet time for work! Seriously I considered cyclingTV but I was skittish due to some negative comments that I had heard about the picture quality. After what I've missed the past couple of days I'm seriously considering taking the plunge.

 

[Jamsque]

Evans is okay, he just for some reason turns out to be my favorite cycling whipping boy because he makes it so easy. Actually he's a very distant second to the pathetic figure pictured in my avatar, Tyler "My Twin Did It" Hamilton.

"but they are mostly of podium girls"????? That is a part of the sport. One that needs to be shared as often as possible. For sharing those shots I will extend the Evans Bashing Moratorium for the rest of year!

I will save the podium girl photos for my hour of greatest need. Or possibly a photos thread.

 

[Angliru]

I will save the podium girl photos for my hour of greatest need. Or possibly a photos thread.

This is some twisted form of extorting some Evans goodwill from me! I will not stand for it! Okay I will but it'll be hard. I'll focus on pleasant thoughts and slamming Tyler and Mike Ball!

 

[ATBScott]

I strongly urge a "Podium Girl Photos" thread. it might be someone ELSE's time of greatest need, you know!

 

[ATBScott]

Christian's win today was fantastic. Especially after crashing in the prologue and being in a "working into the season" mode (it appears). I was appalled at the lack of spectators along the route, watching the YouTube clip earlier. There were more people out in the rain and hail on Stage II of the ToC, on the last few hundred meters of the Bonny Doon climb, than you could see over the last few kilometers of the race - the fans along the barriers were only 1-deep... Of course, maybe the French still have some economy there, and everyone was AT WORK. Or have they just gotten so jaded by having great events for the last century or so that they don't really care?

 

[Angliru]

Jamsque, thanks for the cyclingfans tip. After seeing yesterday's stage finish it looks like Flecha went too soon. After his teammate attacked and was almost caught they must have been more than 300 meters to the finish. I wonder why he didn't wait for someone else to start their sprint and jump on their wheel. He seemed to run out gas before the line.

 

[Angliru]

I strongly urge a "Podium Girl Photos" thread. it might be someone ELSE's time of greatest need, you know!

I strongly second this motion!

 

[Jamsque]

I'm not sure quite what kind of need you are talking about here...

 

[Stani Kléber]

ATB Scott, they went up Bonny Doon on Presidents' Day, a national holiday in the US. So many had the day off work. Today is a normal Wednesday in France.

 

[ATBScott]

Good point, Stani, but the next day (San Jose to Modesto stage) there were tons of people out on the road in Livermore for the sprint point, or up on Patterson Pass, or at the finish. Most of these people took a couple hours off of work, or left early to watch the stage finish, etc... Having worked for a French company for 4+ years, I know that most Europeans have no aversion to finding an excuse to spectate/party/cheer/etc... a bike race, football match, whatever. So I was a little dismayed to see how few people came to watch the finish of a major race.
Examples:
Modesto on a Tuesday afternoon - people 4 or 5 deep:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2...lifornia09/california093/JD_09TOCstg3_hushovd

Finish in Clovis on a Wednesday:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2...fornia09/california094/JD_09TOCstg4_cavendish

Just saying that perhaps the ToC is generating more excitement - maybe the sponsors are requesting the teams send more high-level or big name riders to the event as it seems to get a lot of attention? For the "historic" race that P-N is, I would certainly have expected to see more people along the finish...

 

[Anonymous]

Good point, Stani, but the next day (San Jose to Modesto stage) there were tons of people out on the road in Livermore for the sprint point, or up on Patterson Pass, or at the finish. Most of these people took a couple hours off of work, or left early to watch the stage finish, etc... Having worked for a French company for 4+ years, I know that most Europeans have no aversion to finding an excuse to spectate/party/cheer/etc... a bike race, football match, whatever. So I was a little dismayed to see how few people came to watch the finish of a major race.
Examples:
Modesto on a Tuesday afternoon - people 4 or 5 deep:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2...lifornia09/california093/JD_09TOCstg3_hushovd

Finish in Clovis on a Wednesday:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2...fornia09/california094/JD_09TOCstg4_cavendish

Just saying that perhaps the ToC is generating more excitement - maybe the sponsors are requesting the teams send more high-level or big name riders to the event as it seems to get a lot of attention? For the "historic" race that P-N is, I would certainly have expected to see more people along the finish...

From what I have read, the 2 million figure is off by about 1.5 million.

 

[Anonymous]

back to the original idea about paris-nice losing prestige... i dont think it is particularly..

someone mentioned that the teams dont seem as strong in paris nice, but i think its more a matter of the strongest individual non italian riders are riding P-N, the stronger teams are riding the sprint fest that is Tirreno Adriatico.. With the expecption of the italians PN has most of the best individual riders in the world, most of the tour de france GC contenders.. TA has the best sprinters in the world, and therefore pretty strong teams to back them up...

Not so much prestige, as Contador, Schleck, Evans being sent to PN to fight it out amongst themselves with no real backup...

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

We'll be starting the live report today a half hour earlier, at 13:30 CET.

 

[Merckx]

nice move by jeremy roy! can he hang on?

 

[Merckx]

gonna be a good finish. I'd like to se voeckler catch him

 

[Merckx]

Nice win, was that his first?

 

[53x11 in DC]

Wow - three GREAT stages of racing in a row, all for slightly different reasons. Interesting to see Voeckler honor the "don't chase a compatriot" rule. Also interesting to see the race officals assign a M.T. to Voeckler when he finished almost exactly between Roy and Martin, who was given a 3" gap.

Little home cookin' there!!

 

[Jamsque]

That was Voeckler's stage to lose. If he'd given just a little kick when Roy went and stopped him from opening up that huge gap right away, he would have won it.

 

[Stani Kléber]

They use electronic timing chips, so no playing with the timing.

Well done to Roy. He's a very nice guy and has a good degree in engineering and has done some work for Mavic in the past, not riding their wheels but putting his brain to work for them.

 

[53x11 in DC]

Nice win, was that his first?

According to Maggie Backstedt, yes.

 

[Bala Verde]

Ahhh, I can't wait till tomorrow's stage. I mean, losing prestige with such a profile...

 

[53x11 in DC]

Ahhh, I can't wait till tomorrow's stage. I mean, losing prestige with such a profile...

Ahhhhh.... la petite soeur du Mont Ventoux.... I'm fired up!! Contador must be drooling right now. I'm anxious about C VdV's showing tomorrow too.

 

[Merckx]

For sure, its gonna be one epic stage.