Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 1: Florence (Firenze) - Rimini, 206.0k

[Eyeballs Out]

Only just caught up with the stage now. Masterclass from DSM. Disasterclass from EF. As we've seen most of the year Abrahamsen is very strong.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Tried to watch the full stage but the only compelling bit was the final few kilometers. Has cycling always been this boring to consume on TV?

My strategy is I doze off a lot, it's easy to do when coverage starts at barely 3am here on the West coast. And then someone posts that they showed a nice castle or some great scenery, so then I feel like I need to rewind because I had missed out on something neat while I was napping.

 

[joe_papp]

Really? I thought the stage was great, watching KOM chasers explode, seeing who prepared for the heat, laughing Jumbo doing Jumbo things and Bardet with a huge performance

There were great moments, and the final 50km was interesting. The nearly 6hrs broadcast though was, overall, very boring. Watching the final hour of racing would be a better decision for me.

 

[joe_papp]

You signed up 15 years ago, I take it you watched at least some cycling in those years? So wth are you talking about? Lol.

15 years ago cycling was fun to watch on TV, especially the Giro. I don't follow the sport much tho now. Much prefer watching (nhl) hockey.

 

[joe_papp]

Joe has the added knowledge of how it is to race in a hot sh*tty race to just try and finish. He must have forgotten that and how little family and friends care when you try to describe how "hard" it was. They are already bored because you're a racer.

Haha. I've been ruined by becoming an ice hockey fan.

Way back when, one of the most real things an old timer said to me was, "Road racing is fun to do but boring to watch." To think I used to complain about our not being able to recruit volunteer race marshals! Very entitled!!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Kim Kay is an even better fit imho.
Fair warning, TURN THE SOUND OFF before playing this video. It is by far the worst thing ever to come out of Belgium. This crap makes listening to 2 Unlimited a good idea and the Confettis sound like Mozart.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gwR1-DdQg

 

[scribers]

15 years ago cycling was fun to watch on TV, especially the Giro. I don't follow the sport much tho now. Much prefer watching (nhl) hockey.

Ficking hate that Florida denied another Canadian team glory

 

[fbjim]

15 years ago cycling was fun to watch on TV, especially the Giro. I don't follow the sport much tho now. Much prefer watching (nhl) hockey.

15 years ago they didn't show the entire stage, which might have something to do with it

 

[proffate]

But I hope he retires from play by play calling before he ruins his rep.

Too late for that I think. He's quite ridiculous and has been for over a decade. He said today this was the hottest tdf stage ever. He said the group was down to <30 when it was at 55ish. I think he's batting less than .500 on factual statements. The only reason he still has a job is bc of people who don't even listen to the words, they just want to hear a voice. Van De Velde drops non sequiturs that make no sense as well. Wow that's scary, senile at 45! Bob Roll is only boring.

The random text that peacock covers the screen with is also infuriating. Why are they listing off the kom competition points from last year, the classics mvdp has won this year, etc. etc.

 

[42x16ss]

15 years ago cycling was fun to watch on TV, especially the Giro. I don't follow the sport much tho now. Much prefer watching (nhl) hockey.

You would have still known a fair number of the peloton in 2009, which would have made it more interesting as well

 

[joe_papp]

Ficking hate that Florida denied another Canadian team glory

Yes--very, very, very unsatisfying outcome. 2-1 made it even worse 🤮 lol

You would have still known a fair number of the peloton in 2009, which would have made it more interesting as well

That's a good point. Plus I knew some of the roads pretty well, for example having ridden up/down both sides of the Turchino many times (stg11**).

(**just realized Cav' won that stage. Bet that feels like an absolute lifetime ago for him)

 

[shadowrider]

It was so obvious there was a plan to send Pogacar in the attack. The UAE did a hard pace..... until Ayuso was almost dropped. Also one or two other UAE-teammates fell backwards. Than VLAB took the control, but at a lower pace ensuring that Van Aert could follow. That lower pace, even when the team was helped in the final by Lidl-Trek and a few other teams, was not strong enough to close the gap with Bardet en VDB.
Conclusion. The UAE-team was not that monstruous strong. Maybe due to the heath and having to deal with a first stage (always tricky for several riders, especially when on a difficult course.)

 

[topcat]

I see head/crosswind on San Luca predicted.. Should mean tailwind in the final stretch home.

Stage 2 comment in the Stage 1 thread. Never mix your threads, you'll get frightfully sick.

 

[Netserk]

@Armchair cyclist

(reminder to un-sticky the previous stage)

 

[Peyroteo94]

UAE was also very weak in the Giro's opening stage. After that they were fine. I think we will have the same history here.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

With the hair like that he reminds me of a female singer or actress but I just can't put my finger on who.

Maybe the Irish singer Wallis Bird that I'm thinking of.

My first reaction was Bart Simpson...

 

[KZD]

The group was short, about 35/40 riders, naturally it was the time to put ayuso, yates and almeida working. Soler and sivakov would never be able to drop more riders.

How could Ayuso be put to work if he was already dropping with Sivakov's pace?

Plus, its better to save Almeida and Yates to a day like where the climbs are closer to the finish like today or Tuesday.

 

[Sciatic]

I'm a big Visma fan, but I loved watching Bardet and Van Den Broek working together to secure the win!

Beautiful bike racing!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Too late for that I think. He's quite ridiculous and has been for over a decade. He said today this was the hottest tdf stage ever. He said the group was down to <30 when it was at 55ish. I think he's batting less than .500 on factual statements. The only reason he still has a job is bc of people who don't even listen to the words, they just want to hear a voice. Van De Velde drops non sequiturs that make no sense as well. Wow that's scary, senile at 45! Bob Roll is only boring.

The random text that peacock covers the screen with is also infuriating. Why are they listing off the kom competition points from last year, the classics mvdp has won this year, etc. etc.

Peacock's screen is obnoxiously busy during the Tour, and I can't get used to them constantly switching between miles and kms to go. (I really don't care about miles when watching a bicycle race, just give me the kilometers like usual please.) For the Tour it's obvious they're trying to appeal to as many people as possible.

 

[Carols]

15 years ago they didn't show the entire stage, which might have something to do with it

Not true! One had to be so hardcore they got one of those Huge satellite dishes and watch in a foreign language .

 

[Carols]

Peacock's screen is obnoxiously busy during the Tour, and I can't get used to them constantly switching between miles and kms to go. (I really don't care about miles when watching a bicycle race, just give me the kilometers like usual please.) For the Tour it's obvious they're trying to appeal to as many people as possible.

It drives me crazy! Just show kms!

 

[Danskebjerge]

Kelderman hasn’t crashed today?

 

[proffate]

Peacock's screen is obnoxiously busy during the Tour, and I can't get used to them constantly switching between miles and kms to go. (I really don't care about miles when watching a bicycle race, just give me the kilometers like usual please.) For the Tour it's obvious they're trying to appeal to as many people as possible.

Honestly I think they're trying to annoy as many people as possible. Whoever it is that needs everything in miles is not watching luh tore duh fwa.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Not true! One had to be so hardcore they got one of those Huge satellite dishes and watch in a foreign language .

Dang, just how big was the satellite dish? Being it was so long ago I imagine something of this size...

 

[Carols]

Dang, just how big was the satellite dish? Being it was so long ago I imagine something of this size...

LOL you probably weren't born yet . They where as tall as a 2 story house. I had one in my back yard. Needed my horse racing and cycling from around the world.