State of the forum 2025

[Rackham]

Pogacar vs Vingegaard in July is like Santa Claus during Christmas.
The question should be: is the forum prepared for its absence?

I'd love for a Rian Johnson tier 'subversion of expectations'. Sure fans (of both) would be angry but I feel like we've seen script too many times now. 2021,2022,2023,2024. Toss a coin regarding who is now better (apparently Pog since last year).

Both deserve some humbling as well - including their respective teams and fans as well. I was reading an interview of Mathieu Heijboer this morning and as always, it's just a repetition of comments saying Jonas, Pogacar, Jonas, Pogacar, Jonas, Pogacar. In whichever order.

So I'll write a letter to the Santa of July and ask him for a different and more amusing TdF. We need our own Grinch to steal their Christmas.

 

[rallybanana]

The Forum was on drugs earlier?

12-hour suspension for the forum seems a bit lenient

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I'd love for a Rian Johnson tier 'subversion of expectations'. Sure fans (of both) would be angry but I feel like we've seen script too many times now. 2021,2022,2023,2024. Toss a coin regarding who is now better (apparently Pog since last year).

Both deserve some humbling as well - including their respective teams and fans as well. I was reading an interview of Mathieu Heijboer this morning and as always, it's just a repetition of comments saying Jonas, Pogacar, Jonas, Pogacar, Jonas, Pogacar. In whichever order.

So I'll write a letter to the Santa of July and ask him for a different and more amusing TdF. We need our own Grinch to steal their Christmas.

Judging by discussion in the following thread the forum seems ready (and eager) for Christmas without Santa Claus!

Question - The Tour 2025 without the mutants: who would win?

Let's have a bit of alternate reality fun (it can become an actual one though). Imagine Pogacar and Vingegaard are our of the Tour for some reasons (i.e. due to crashes in week 1). Suddenly a lot of options are possible. Who would win the race of humans?

forum.cyclingnews.com

 

[topcat]

I'm at low altitude camp in Toronto right now. With the atmosphere around the place you wouldn't know the Tour was days away. I'm getting the hard miles in - 12 km run in searing heat every day. I fly home to Ireland on Wednesday with plenty of time to adjust to the time and culture differences and to soak in the real atmosphere of the Tour on tg4 from my sofa.
(With the state of cycling over the last few years, I've decided it's best to indulge in personal ramblings with obscure references to cycling rather than attempt a serious discussion.)

 

[the delgados]

I'm at low altitude camp in Toronto right now. With the atmosphere around the place you wouldn't know the Tour was days away. I'm getting the hard miles in - 12 km run in searing heat every day. I fly home to Ireland on Wednesday with plenty of time to adjust to the time and culture differences and to soak in the real atmosphere of the Tour on tg4 from my sofa.
(With the state of cycling over the last few years, I've decided it's best to indulge in personal ramblings with obscure references to cycling rather than attempt a serious discussion.)

topcat:
I live in the bottom of the basin -- i.e. Toronto -- and can attest to the oppressive heat. I very nearly crashed while descending the huge hill on Bayview Ave. due to dehydration and heat stroke. I lost control of my arms and barely managed to stay upright. All I could think about was trying to save my brand new kit from being shredded.
Anyway, I'm wondering with all respect if the heat has made you a bit loopy.
Why talk to yourself about obscure references to cycling when we can all share references to euphemisms for doping?
Remember Dr. Allen Lim? You know, the guy who invented rice cakes.
Today I saw the headline in cyclingnews (I can't read the entire story) about revolutionary aero socks. I'm assuming they're talking about wattage, so maybe you can fill me in.
This got me to thinking about all the revolutionary stuff that doesn't mention the real revolutionary stuff.

 

[topcat]

topcat:
I live in the bottom of the basin -- i.e. Toronto -- and can attest to the oppressive heat. I very nearly crashed while descending the huge hill on Bayview Ave. due to dehydration and heat stroke. I lost control of my arms and barely managed to stay upright. All I could think about was trying to save my brand new kit from being shredded.
Anyway, I'm wondering with all respect if the heat has made you a bit loopy.
Why talk to yourself about obscure references to cycling when we can all share references to euphemisms for doping?
Remember Dr. Allen Lim? You know, the guy who invented rice cakes.
Today I saw the headline in cyclingnews (I can't read the entire story) about revolutionary aero socks. I'm assuming they're talking about wattage, so maybe you can fill me in.
This got me to thinking about all the revolutionary stuff that doesn't mention the real revolutionary stuff.

I don't need the heat to make me loopy. I'm Irish, we're all loopy. I alternate between getting riled up about doping and just accepting it and looking at the funny side of it because these explanations about improved performance are about as convincing as Froome getting the hard miles in. The Tour will be shocking.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

to soak in the real atmosphere of the Tour on tg4 from my sofa.

Given the low opinion of the quality of commentary on major broadcasters, I'd have to wonder how good TG4 can be. If the whole of the English speaking world can't throw up better than Liggett, Kirby and Hatch, how good is the knowledge, analysis and descriptive ability from the fairly small Venn diagram intersection of cycling experts and gaeilgeoirí?

 

[topcat]

Given the low opinion of the quality of commentary on major broadcasters, I'd have to wonder how good TG4 can be. If the whole of the English speaking world can't throw up better than Liggett, Kirby and Hatch, how good is the knowledge, analysis and descriptive ability from the fairly small Venn diagram intersection of cycling experts and gaeilgeoirí?

On tg4, they know absolutely nothing about cycling. The commentary being in Irish further removes you from the scene. It's completely brutal coverage but it's free. So you can watch and be on the forum and have a good time.

 

[E_F_]

So you can watch and be on the forum and have a good time.

We need a website that reads out the comments on the race-thread timed with the broadcast!

 

[Mayomaniac]

We had around 35°C for a good week in Bolzano now, so my heat training for the Tour is going well. Tapering a bit this week after a big last week to be in top shape this weekend.

 

[Netserk]

In-race testing is too dangerous, so I have prepared for the Tour in a remote and unknown location. The shape is thermonuclear, but I think I'm still glowing, so the first big test will be if I survive the opening weekend.

 

[Sciatic]

We need a website that reads out the comments on the race-thread timed with the broadcast!

Well, we can do that for ourselves by having both windows open (on a desktop). But do you mean so the announcers would see the comments too? (I know this is just theoretical)

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@CyclistAbi showed some strong form recently (fat shaming, poor Remco!) but hasn't peaked yet. I'm expecting a thermonuclear performance by him at the Tour, no matter if Rogla crashes 7 times or...wins the whole thing by 7 seconds.

 

[Red Rick]

Let's just say I'm grateful that Wimbledon is going on for the first 9 stages of this race, after that I'll just be sad it's not a Euro's/WC year.

 

[Salvarani]

Let's just say I'm grateful that Wimbledon is going on for the first 9 stages of this race, after that I'll just be sad it's not a Euro's/WC year.

Women Euros just about to start.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I recently had a panic-training camp in France and am flying. I rode some of the Paris Roubaix cobbles. I will be peaking in the first week and my goal is to compete with the likes of van Der poel and the Belgian pozzato. I am worried I will totally collapse by the time the mountains arrive, and I may not even make it to the end of the race.

 

[E_F_]

Well, we can do that for ourselves by having both windows open (on a desktop). But do you mean so the announcers would see the comments too? (I know this is just theoretical)

No, no, no we need the page to live update, as it is we have to reload every time we want to read new comments, we also need an AI voice to read out the comments for us so we don't have to take our eyes off the action, and most importantly we need to use magic to avoid having the comments be mistimed with our TV feed.

 

[Salvarani]

I recently had a panic-training camp in France and am flying. I rode some of the Paris Roubaix cobbles. I will be peaking in the first week and my goal is to compete with the likes of van Der poel and the Belgian pozzato. I am worried I will totally collapse by the time the mountains arrive, and I may not even make it to the end of the race.

Are you Arnaud De Lie?

 

[Sciatic]

No, no, no we need the page to live update, as it is we have to reload every time we want to read new comments, we also need an AI voice to read out the comments for us so we don't have to take our eyes off the action, and most importantly we need to use magic to avoid having the comments be mistimed with our TV feed.

Ah, I get it! I could do without the AI voice but I’ve gotten so used to refreshing the page that I forget we’re constantly having to do that!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I think I will suffer during the opening weekend. I'm getting poll allergy from all the new threads.

 

[Red Rick]

Anyone else starting to just forget about dates of appointments altogether? I don't know what date I have this work meeting, but I do know it's at 3PM during the stage 5 TdF time trial.

 

[Rackham]

Anyone else starting to just forget about dates of appointments altogether? I don't know what date I have this work meeting, but I do know it's at 3PM during the stage 5 TdF time trial.

It applies in reverse for me. I don't remember anything from 2021 except No risk, no glory.