Tour de France 2012

Duke · Post by **Duke** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:42 pm

Can't believe norbs or CLP didn't put a thread up yet.
Anyway here it is & good to see MS Bing has commemorated the moment.

So what ARSE predictions are there for this years edition of the "La Grande Boucle?"

Post by **norbs** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:11 pm

Been slightly busy.

Mission control.

smithcorp · Post by **smithcorp** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:10 pm

Prediction - Cadel will be fragile and petulant.

Hey, our company, Aurecon is a corporate sponsor of GreenEdge. Cool, eh?

Duke · Post by **Duke** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:31 pm

Go Cadel!!!

If he does loose I hope it's to our 1/2 cousin from across the ditch (The want to be Beatle) Bradley Wiggins. Another Anglo win in succession would stick it up the Euro pansies.

I reckon this year's race could be even more exciting than last. The Green jersey competition could be just as nail biting too. Go Gossy!!!
Also look for Matty Lloyd (Lampre) who might try for the Polka-Dots.

Orica-GreenEdge will be pushing hard for an historic TdF stage win with Goss & Albasini in the flat stages, then Gerrans on a classic rouleur stage.

Let's not forget all the other Aussies who will play major roles for their leaders.

Should be another EPIC!!!

Crowella · Post by **Crowella** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:26 pm

I have very high expectations for this tour. I think Wiggins will probably take it out but I'm hoping for Cadel.

GreenEDGE has a lot on it's shoulders in my opinion. If they can pull off a stage victory, it'll be a great result for the sport over here.

bengatta · Post by **bengatta** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 6:10 pm

Mr prediction is by mid race there will be another drug controversy and then we will be subjected to many theories on whether lance armstrong was clean.... then by the end it will be a wonderful victory for somebody worthy... I think it is one of those events that regardless of who wins I will be happy... it is not an event where favourites matter, it is an event where the event is a winner every time... that is why it is so special...

Duke · Post by **Duke** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:53 am

Cav is a freak!!!

Proves he don't need the best lead-out to win.

Post by **norbs** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:26 am

Man, he has some fucking speed. Can can just do a remora. Great finish to a boring stage last night. Cav, Greipel, Goss and Sagan all going hard at the end. Excellent!

Fuck i am struggling this year. Wanted to ride in this morning but just couldn't face the westerly winds.

Post by **Bauer** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:39 pm

wtf is up with the french grinding raw duck bones to make gravy. made me want to

Fair suck of the croissant Gabe!!

bengatta · Post by **bengatta** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:44 pm

norbs wrote:Been slightly busy.

Mission control.

is that IE7 ???

bengatta · Post by **bengatta** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:14 pm

started early this year...

http://www.news.com.au/sport/tour-de-fr ... 6418109647

Post by **norbs** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:35 pm

bengatta wrote:started early this year...

http://www.news.com.au/sport/tour-de-fr ... 6418109647

Well there has already been plenty of kerfuffle. This was expected to come out in the last week I have reliably been informed. Better now than right before someone wins the fucking thing.

nutty · Post by **nutty** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 4:13 pm

Soo matty goss gets DQ and loses 30points.. basically out of the running for a Green.. think its BS imho..

nutty · Post by **nutty** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:49 am

Crazy stage last night, Sagan is a beast to keep up with those 4 guys over that hill

but in the 15 years I have been watching the tour never seen anything like the tack thing.. lucky only one guy was injured

CLP · Post by **CLP** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:17 am

nutty wrote:Crazy stage last night, Sagan is a beast to keep up with those 4 guys over that hill

but in the 15 years I have been watching the tour never seen anything like the tack thing.. lucky only one guy was injured

unfortunately, the Tour has a bit of history for being the stage for protests.. though anonymously disrupting the race seems less like a protest and more like sabotage.

Last year we had tacks thrown on the road for the Tour Down Under.. fortunately/unfortunately, depending on your point of view, the Challenge tour ran through there before the pros and cleaned them up.. lots of unhappy amateur riders though

Montey · Post by **Montey** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:55 pm

They're going to have to introduce camera cars to watch the crowd for future tours.

Have a few cars with 360 degree cameras mounted on the roof (a bit like Google street view cars) watching the crowds that can drive just in front of the larger groups that might be able to catch things in action or at least record people's presence to support future prosecution.

I think they also need to get a bit more formal with where the motorbikes position themselves. e.g. For each group stick two bikes positioned just in front to the far left and just in front to the far right. This will push the crowd back and stop all of the interference (bum slapping, etc...) with the riders.

Great sportsmanship from Sky to ensure no one benefited from the anarchy.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:56 am

I haven't watched last nights stage yet so don't know if there this was mentioned in the coverage but Frank Shlek has withdrawn from the tour after his A sample tested positive for a banned diuretic.

Post by **norbs** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:11 am

Tour rest day, another drug scandal. I feel like selling my fucking bike!

Brett_S · Post by **Brett_S** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:50 am

norbs wrote:Tour rest day, another drug scandal. I feel like selling my fucking bike!

Feel like hopping on the doping bandwagon

Post by **norbs** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:10 am

I'm off for a ride. Will rant if I am still fucked off when I get back.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:08 pm

I guess this solves the pay dispute.

Post by **norbs** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:31 pm

Man, Team Datsun are fucking hopeless.

pixelboy · Post by **pixelboy** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:48 pm

Why does it wind you up so much norbs? Are you pissed at UCI or the riders that get busted?

Shouldn't affect your enjoyment from riding or watching the clean guy's ride.

Crowella · Post by **Crowella** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:56 pm

I don't ever think there is a place for cheating in the tour so IMHO, the UCI are doing their job,I think it's a fair call and we shall let the proper organisations sort it out. I don't think this is something Frank would have done intentionally but I won't throw things into the balance. If it's the wrong decision at the end of the day well that's tough.

Sadly though, this is the point we are at now. Now that one really prolific rider has been found with drugs in their system (whether intentional or not), we will start hearing more accusations across the field for the entire tour (more than we have heard now) then there will be this whole mass debate once again about riders in the tour on drugs, how other teams may have sabotaged others (already begun with Schleck turning himself over to police), will some riders be cheating at the Olympics, how local riders on our roads are all really drug cheats waiting to happen, etc. It becomes a nuisance and it doesn't get dropped from the tour discussion from here until the start of the next tour.

It basically becomes a governing topic of the sport. Which is a shame, because there really is a lot more sportsmanship in cycling than a lot of other sports. Wiggins and the Sky Team showed that with the tacks on the road but those actions don't ever get as much praise as the bad press gets shown.

bengatta · Post by **bengatta** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:56 pm

pixelboy wrote:Why does it wind you up so much norbs? Are you pissed at UCI or the riders that get busted?

Shouldn't affect your enjoyment from riding or watching the clean guy's ride.

it bothers him because he knows he could ride a bit faster if he used drugs, and does not know where to get them....

A.R.S.E.