TOC Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 2010, Nevada City - Sacramento, 167.8km

[Anonymous]

It needs some gravel and some rain

or a hill
or an attack..

good god, theyve managed to find the longest, straightest, flattest road in the world to ride down.

 

[santacruz]

why isn't team sky riding ToC?? and seriously how did they decide this long flat road was a good place for a bike race.. wtf.. is it against the rules to make each day interesting??

 

[Anonymous]

why isn't team sky riding ToC?? and seriously how did they decide this long flat road was a good place for a bike race.. wtf.. is it against the rules to make each day interesting??

Giro was more important to them for obvious reasons, and financially they have no american sponsors, no american riders, nothing to gain from doing it.

 

[Moondance]

why isn't team sky riding ToC?? and seriously how did they decide this long flat road was a good place for a bike race.. wtf.. is it against the rules to make each day interesting??

I don't really know either...

Maybe Murdoch wants nothing to do with the left-wing Sodom and Gomorrah that is California, perhaps?

 

[zapata]

i don't think I've seen a bend in the road since i turned on the TV. anyone know what the finishing circuit looks like?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Team Sky aren't riding because they decided it was better for them to ride the Giro, and to do Dunkerque/Picardie/Bavaria, and they would only be sending the leftovers to California, and for a new team the costs of it were slightly concerning so they didn't go.

dim - it's like the Tour of Qatar all over again, only without the wind...

But Phil and Paul have just called it 'a great day of racing' and 'perfect racing conditions'.

If I was a novice watching this I'd have long since switched off. This is pretty damn tedious.

 

[The Sheep]

Giro was more important to them for obvious reasons, and financially they have no american sponsors, no american riders, nothing to gain from doing it.

Change it to Team FOX in America

 

[Anonymous]

Change it to Team FOX in America

sounds like the name of a girls team

 

[Anonymous]

oh good god, the motorcyclists have umpires jerseys on

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Liggett "This is one of the top races in the world now. It is no exaggeration to say that. With a field like this it has to be!"

er, Critérium International? Tour Down Under? Vuelta a Castilla y León? Are these 'top races in the world'? They've got fields every bit as good. Some of them with more depth too. I don't think I've ever seen a wider gap between the highest and lowest ranking riders in an event. The Jayco Herald Sun Tour last year, with Garmin vs. all the Aussie continental teams, was close.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

im bored.....

will be interesting to see how cn can dress this one up to more than a paragraph though.

You should have taken your own advice and started the drinking game.

It makes the race much more enjoyable. Im watching 400 riders travelling at 60mph, hope Alberto and Merckx stay away.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You should have taken your own advice and started the drinking game.

It makes the race much more enjoyable. Im watching 400 riders travelling at 60mph, hope Alberto and Merckx stay away.

Bartali will catch them, mark my words.

 

[zapata]

Team Sky aren't riding because they decided it was better for them to ride the Giro, and to do Dunkerque/Picardie/Bavaria, and they would only be sending the leftovers to California, and for a new team the costs of it were slightly concerning so they didn't go.

dim - it's like the Tour of Qatar all over again, only without the wind...

But Phil and Paul have just called it 'a great day of racing' and 'perfect racing conditions'.

If I was a novice watching this I'd have long since switched off. This is pretty damn tedious.

Good point. Isn't this race supposed to be PR for the sport in america? If this was the first race I saw, I would not be keen to watch another.

 

[Moondance]

Liggett "This is one of the top races in the world now. It is no exaggeration to say that. With a field like this it has to be!"

er, Critérium International? Tour Down Under? Vuelta a Castilla y León? Are these 'top races in the world'? They've got fields every bit as good. Some of them with more depth too. I don't think I've ever seen a wider gap between the highest and lowest ranking riders in an event. The Jayco Herald Sun Tour last year, with Garmin vs. all the Aussie continental teams, was close.

In his defense he has been force fed the whole "Fourth Grand Tour" narrative that the ToC has been building up via the media and shills like Bob Stapleton.

 

[Jamsque]

Bartali will catch them, mark my words.

Who... who's that? I think it's Stephen Roche!

 

[bobs nob]

Good point. Isn't this race supposed to be PR for the sport in america? If this was the first race I saw, I would not be keen to watch another.

Spot On.

I was thinking how great it is to have a pretty good stage race in such a beautiful area....and they turn it into a yawner. Missed opportunity.

Americans may not have a depth of knowledge of cycle racing, but I think we know an interesting sporting event when we see one...and dis ain't it.

 

[Anonymous]

ooh.. danger moment coming according to eurosport..

edit: was a road sign.. panic over

 

[Cobblestones]

Ok, just tuned in with ~10 km to go. Did I miss anything?

 

[The Sheep]

ooh.. danger moment coming according to eurosport..

a corner to the right

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Spot On.

I was thinking how great it is to have a pretty good stage race in such a beautiful area....and they turn it into a yawner. Missed opportunity.

Americans may not have a depth of knowledge of cycle racing, but I think we know an interesting sporting event when we see one...and dis ain't it.

To be fair, maybe the other seven days will be dead exciting, and we have been spoilt by the Giro the last few days... but this was NOT the way to start the race if you were trying to suck in new fans.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, just tuned in with ~10 km to go. Did I miss anything?

****** off you sarcy sod.. weve had to sit through two hours of this.

 

[Moondance]

Ok, just tuned in with ~10 km to go. Did I miss anything?

Lance was in the picture a couple of times.

 

[afpm90]

Ok, just tuned in with ~10 km to go. Did I miss anything?

No. Boring stage so far.

 

[theyoungest]

I'm starting to really appreciate the Tour of Qatar.

 

[Cobblestones]

VS just went to commercials. LA downing a Michelob. I'm having a Sam Adams right now (I know I'm cheap).