ToCalifornia Stage 8: TO/Westlake/Agoura Hills 134.4km

[flicker]

Well one thing I think we can all agree on is that this AMGEN Tour of California has been great for American cycling. We've seen a week of thrilling racing and the domestic US teams have really shown that they can mix it up with the European super-squads.

Rory Sutherland was basically the only impact the domestic teams had on the race, he got a 2nd place and a 4th place, and seventh overall. And he's not even American!

I know the UKs been about for a bit longer than the US. I visited the cemeteries in Ediborough, Hadrians wall, the Tower of London, snakebite pubs etc.

To let you know road racing and stage racing do not get much press here. It is a fact that the European Peloton is about 3 miles per hour quicker than us. I am not talking about the bull-larky crits the pros have here.

For whatever reason the europro circuit is another world. Financially, dope wise, popularity # of races/proven fact. # MPH3 worlds apart.

 

[Boleyn]

Why did Bruyneel jump out of the car to help with a bike change????

Bottle needed a boost.

 

[Vanspringel]

so finally after a week we got 20k of action...

whens the next proper race? oh yeh, tommorow

+1

It shows this is a mickey mouse race when there are 37 finishers out of 130 starters. Kudos to Rogers but a high proportion of non finishers usually means
a) extreme weather conditions or
b) no one except a hand full really care.

At least races like the TDU are realistic about their place in the importance of events. I think the Yanks get a bit carried away with their importance. Still for some riders a nice place for a rest instead of a real race in Italy where you might get a bit dirty and sweaty.

 

[ViaPagliano]

Just wanted to share my favorite photos today from the ToC.

 

[dolophonic]

Garmin snatch another win from George... ouch.!

 

[SpartacusRox]

+1

It shows this is a mickey mouse race when there are 37 finishers out of 130 starters. Kudos to Rogers but a high proportion of non finishers usually means
a) extreme weather conditions or
b) no one except a hand full really care.

At least races like the TDU are realistic about their place in the importance of events. I think the Yanks get a bit carried away with their importance. Still for some riders a nice place for a rest instead of a real race in Italy where you might get a bit dirty and sweaty.

While not arguing the importance of the Giro relative to the ToC, the Giro has also had 48 abandonments. I agree that for some the ToC is just training but then so is the Giro for many teams. Especially those that hope to be contenders at the TdF (Italian teams excepted). I think even you , talent that you are may have been sweating a bit at the ToC over the last few days.

While I am at it. Why do so many people get off on running down one race just because there is another race on that may be more prestigious. There are other races on around Europe now or coming up during the next week and I bet that they won't bear the brunt of stupid derogatory comments.

If the Giro was so great how come almost all of the top GT riders are not there? Because it does not rank in their mind (or their teams or sponsors) as being close to the TdF. Only perhaps two out of the top six GT riders choose to be there. Exciting race, hell yeah, but a very distant second to the TdF in terms of importance.

 

[theswordsman]

The non-Magnus announcer at Eurosport UK said yesterday that the ATOC was now the second best race after the Tour de France. I think they must be supplying people with hookers or something

It's a nice enough event. It's well run, and some of the scenery is decent. I'm not sure who told the fans that it's a costume party. And there was no snow for riders to shove fans into this year. It would be better if they invited more Pro Tour teams, even if some said no thanks. But when the schedule is posted for next year, I'll be way more excited about Paris-Nice, the Dauphine, and the Tour de Suisse. California should aspire to be more like them, not claim to be better than the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta.

 

[hamperium]

good laste stage of Sebastiaan Langeveld.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamperium_espana/3636870232/

 

[Vanspringel]

While not arguing the importance of the Giro relative to the ToC, the Giro has also had 48 abandonments. I agree that for some the ToC is just training but then so is the Giro for many teams. Especially those that hope to be contenders at the TdF (Italian teams excepted). I think even you , talent that you are may have been sweating a bit at the ToC over the last few days.

While I am at it. Why do so many people get off on running down one race just because there is another race on that may be more prestigious. There are other races on around Europe now or coming up during the next week and I bet that they won't bear the brunt of stupid derogatory comments.

If the Giro was so great how come almost all of the top GT riders are not there? Because it does not rank in their mind (or their teams or sponsors) as being close to the TdF. Only perhaps two out of the top six GT riders choose to be there. Exciting race, hell yeah, but a very distant second to the TdF in terms of importance.

My main point is that there is nothing wrong with races like TOC but people tend to get too jingoistic about them and the UCI should do more to protect the monuments. Hey I'm an Aussie but I wouldn't like to see the TDU ever be in opposition to the classic events. More power to the TOC and I hope it continues but some perspective is in order. Do you really think Schleck was trying? Even if riders say they are preparing for the Tour at the Giro they still race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

While not arguing the importance of the Giro relative to the ToC, the Giro has also had 48 abandonments. I agree that for some the ToC is just training but then so is the Giro for many teams. Especially those that hope to be contenders at the TdF (Italian teams excepted). I think even you , talent that you are may have been sweating a bit at the ToC over the last few days.

While I am at it. Why do so many people get off on running down one race just because there is another race on that may be more prestigious. There are other races on around Europe now or coming up during the next week and I bet that they won't bear the brunt of stupid derogatory comments.

If the Giro was so great how come almost all of the top GT riders are not there? Because it does not rank in their mind (or their teams or sponsors) as being close to the TdF. Only perhaps two out of the top six GT riders choose to be there. Exciting race, hell yeah, but a very distant second to the TdF in terms of importance.

48 abandons in the Giro over two weeks of extreme weather, chaos, crashes, rain, mud and misery.

93 abandons in California over one week with only one real challenging stage.

You do the math(s).

And on Kirby saying that this is the second biggest race in the world? I'd be 95% sure he's being sarcastic when he says that. His wit can be very dry and he has given some very droll and amusingly non-sycophantic voiceovers to the Planet Armstrong segments.

ETA:
The ragging on California is not because the Giro is better. It's because California has tried to hotshot itself to an international reputation, told people that it's more important than the Dauphiné, than the Tour de Suisse, than the Vuelta al País Vasco, than Catalunya, than Tirreno-Adriatico, than Paris-Nice... the attitude of "America is coming to show them parochial Euros how it's done!" can be detected in the hype of the Tour of California, as can "because it's in America, home of the free, it's immediately more important, because America is more important than Switzerland or Italy". So when the race falls miles, miles short of expectations, some people are taking delight at it - the same way as people want to see a loudmouth braggart cut down to size.

 

[Faserr]

After watching yesterdays stage I know how propagana in the US works:
"This is like Alpe d'Huez"
"This could be a scene of the Tour de France"
"The Camaera Crew is from the Tour de France"
"So, when you're were walking around at the start and the finishing area you were feeling like you are actually at the Tour de France"

The live ticker told me something like that:
"Well, that stage was better then riding with 10 mph while drinking champagne from plastic cups"

Bush could have used this funny commentators to make people believe that the Iraq has weapons of mass destruction

 

[theyoungest]

Rabobank have a habit of doing that and collecting favours later.

Well, everyone has a habit of that, Rabobank just have done it in more high profile situations.

Haha, what does Langeveld care about Rogers. He just went for the stage win. Quite obvious, really. Your sense of conspiracy is second to none.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Good stage. The best, along with stage 5.
Dump Big Bore and find something more punchy. Don't want just 35 riders finishing.
Well done to Mick Rogers for making the race "International".
Sad Shack.

And on Kirby saying that this is the second biggest race in the world? I'd be 95% sure he's being sarcastic when he says that. His wit can be very dry and he has given some very droll and amusingly non-sycophantic voiceovers to the Planet Armstrong segments.

Kirby = Tony Danielson abandons. Need I say more? A total tit. His 4th GT fawning was becoming truly embarrassing by the end. Even Maggie was lost so say something remotely supporting of his rambling.
None of his usual humour there.
He's far better with his anecdotal stuff at the Tour. He can't recognise riders for sh*t.

Maybe he fancies the 2 Pees jobs, when they eventually crumble to dust?

 

[Martin]

One of the most famous examples is probably the composer Пётр Ильич Чайковский/Pëtr Il'ich Chaikovskiy/Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Hmm.. see how many options you can write his name:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky

 

[tgsgirl]

Haha, what does Langeveld care about Rogers. He just went for the stage win. Quite obvious, really. Your sense of conspiracy is second to none.

I didn't watch the stage, but Rabo does have a habit of "I help you now, you help me later". Was it Paris-Nice where the Rabo team car paced Contador all the way back to the peloton like he was one of their own?

 

[ak-zaaf]

I didn't watch the stage, but Rabo does have a habit of "I help you now, you help me later". Was it Paris-Nice where the Rabo team car paced Contador all the way back to the peloton like he was one of their own?

Bad example, that could have been any team car. In that situation you'll get helped out by the cars in front of you. Everyone, every time.

 

[tgsgirl]

Only example I could think of from the top of my head, I admit. And I'm not gonna research this. Rabo have done it before, but like I said, I didn't stay awake just to watch Cali.

 

[theyoungest]

Only example I could think of from the top of my head, I admit. And I'm not gonna research this. Rabo have done it before, but like I said, I didn't stay awake just to watch Cali.

So what's your point, exactly?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Bah, de Maar had a mechanical when he attacked, and then had another mechanical while being with the Sagan group.

 

[tgsgirl]

So what's your point, exactly?

Not quite sure, to be honest.

 

[armstrong4ever]

"In my opinion, the Tour of California has grown exponentially bigger and quicker than any race in the history of cycling," Leipheimer said. "The Tour de France and the Giro, they have a hundred years on the Tour of California. But are they 100 years ahead? I don't think so."

"This sport needs this," HTC-Columbia owner Bob Stapleton said of the Tour of California's importance. "We need this race in the USA. We need the economic power, the American sponsors, American television. We need American athletes and we need a big platform for them to perform on, and the Tour of California provides that. It's the biggest race in the U.S. by far and it needs to prosper. In my opinion, it's third and going up."

 

[tgsgirl]

"In my opinion, the Tour of California has grown exponentially bigger and quicker than any race in the history of cycling," Leipheimer said. "The Tour de France and the Giro, they have a hundred years on the Tour of California. But are they 100 years ahead? I don't think so."

"This sport needs this," HTC-Columbia owner Bob Stapleton said of the Tour of California's importance. "We need this race in the USA. We need the economic power, the American sponsors, American television. We need American athletes and we need a big platform for them to perform on, and the Tour of California provides that. It's the biggest race in the U.S. by far and it needs to prosper. In my opinion, it's third and going up."

I'm going to bookmark that quote for whenever I need a laugh. Works better than any comedian ever could.

 

[Anonymous]

"In my opinion, the Tour of California has grown exponentially bigger and quicker than any race in the history of cycling," Leipheimer said. "The Tour de France and the Giro, they have a hundred years on the Tour of California. But are they 100 years ahead? I don't think so."

"This sport needs this," HTC-Columbia owner Bob Stapleton said of the Tour of California's importance. "We need this race in the USA. We need the economic power, the American sponsors, American television. We need American athletes and we need a big platform for them to perform on, and the Tour of California provides that. It's the biggest race in the U.S. by far and it needs to prosper. In my opinion, it's third and going up."

The race was a complete failure in terms of marketing.
1. Only the spectators on the course got to see an entire stage because of rain. Thats right, rain. Not a tornado. Not a hurricane. Not an earthquake. Rain.
2. The next day, US viewers got to see almost all of the race...except for that part where the guy who won came across the line and the K and a half preceding it.
3. Landis dropped a bomb regarding 2 of the top 3, and the single biggest draw of the race.
4. The biggest draw of the race dropped out because his face got scratched.
5. California's poster boy got 3rd.
6. A guy who wouldn't be in the top 20 if he were currently riding in the Giro won. Think I am wrong, consider this, he only beat Dave Z by 9 seconds. 9.
7. 37 riders actually finished the race. 37. 127 started. Um, call me crazy, but finishing the ToC doesn't hold 100th of the prestige of finishing the Giro or TdF.

Its a sit com race featuring C-List stars that got put into prime time against a drama filled with A-List stars. Its Nielsen ratings cast doubt on whether the show will be picked up for a second season.

 

[Jamsque]

I think Cali might have actually been a better race in February.

 

[Anonymous]

I think Cali might have actually been a better race in February.

By a long shot. Going up against the Giro could (and should) be a death sentence.