...whereby a stone became caught up in his wheel

[Esteban]

 I was in the UK when TdF began, so I became accustomed to watching it live in the afternoon. When we returned nearly 2 weeks ago, I bought the NBC app and have been enjoying the Tour. I'm not a big racing fan, but I like Froome and especially Nario Quintana and am rooting for a Latin American champion. Quintana certainly looks more like a healthy human being than the other riders.

Anyway, for those watching today (no spoiler on the outcome here), you may have seen Froome stop and get off the bike for a mechanical problem at a critical point. Here's the report from today's Telegraph: "...launched his attack after Froome suffered from a mechanical problem, whereby a stone became caught up in his wheel."

Heh, the proverbial pebble caught in tight clearances!? Here's to plenty of clearances and Grant's wisdom :)

-Esteban

San Diego, Calif.

[franklyn]

Yeah, and people are criticizing Nibali's choice for attaching the group at that time. I have never raced anything in my life, but am fond of the idea of the technical trial described by Jan Heine in the past. I feel like the pro-bicycle race should have a much stronger element of "technical trial"--kind of like formula one racing, where bicycle design and setup should be a big component of the competition. A mechanical or crash is a testament of a rider or a team's choice--most of the time at least, and that should be part of the whole package. I was disappointed that none of the other big favorites went with Nibali when Froome had the slight mechanical. If they had gone with him, it would have been much harder for Froome to latch back on since he only had one teammate left, and the rest of them can collaborate for the rest of the way to eek out a big advantage, perhaps even unseating froome. That would have been so much more exciting!

Franklyn

[Liesl]

A race bike has certain appeal

Until stopped with a clatter and squeal

Oh what would he give

For a wide clearance Riv

When a stone caught up in his wheel?

[franklyn]

Unfortunately (or fortunately from Froome's perspective), not very much. That's why I was disappointed that other riders didn't make this a bigger deal than it is. Wouldn't it be great if he'd actually lost a lot of time because of that stuck pebble to cause a big stir about tight tire clearance?

I doubt this would do anything to the thinking of the racing segment of the bike industry

[cyclotourist]

And this is what you get when you move away from 19mm tires!
Stick with the skinnies, people, much safer!

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Cheers,
David

Member, Supreme Council of Cyberspace

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Garth]

    While I these days have no use for a race bike , I cannot critique their design in any way as they are about 1 thing and one thing only , speed .  

  As they say .... stuff happens ..... and stuff can and does happen to everyone !   It may be this issue, but is one really any different than another when you really get down to it ?  


  If there is one thing I have learned  . . . . . it is to gloat over a thorn in another's side .  . . is to suffer that thorn myself .

Celebrations are so much sweeter  . .  . .. and I need no reason for one . . .. . other than to live is great . . . . to be Life is the Greatest !

[Deacon Patrick]

I need bigger clearance between my ears. Sardonic grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Garth]

 
    Isn't the terrain grand though in France and all of Europe ?   I love watching all pro bike races that are broadcast mostly for the scenery .  The Giro is really cool as this year on Rai TV online they had the 2 moto and 2 helo cams you could access , with no announcers whatsoever .  That was the neatest thing .

[Garth]

 
   Who wouldn't love to ride this ?

[ascpgh]

While the pro races eliminated the consequence of equipment and team cars full of spares, I became appreciative of early MTB racing because of the overt responsibility of the rider to deal with whatever happened to their bike as a consequence of their riding or equipment selection. It was more like my experience as an individual rider. Why I enjoy reading about the technical trials and appreciate the advancements of the bike and its parts by such.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Edwin W]

Liesl,
Your verse makes a so valid point
Just a pebble put froome out of joint!
For a ride more fine-ah
We should teach him some Heine
Then to the podium he'll be annoint...ed

[Jim Bronson]

Wow that picture is amazing.

On Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 1:36 PM, Garth <gart...@gmail.com> wrote:

 
   Who wouldn't love to ride this ?

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Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down!

[Jim M.]

I saw that shot on tv and felt the urge to pack the bike and go ride that climb. Some of the descents have looked grand this year too.

Not to burst any bubbles, but Froome said the rock was stuck between the brake and wheel, not his frame.

jim m

wc ca

[Minh]

Here's a neat story about that particular climb, http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/fan-less-lacets-climb-weird-in-the-tour-de-france_379366

[cyclotourist]

Would have been something if they kept it open to spectators and instead closed it to team cars. 

I'm all for bike races, but as Andy noted, noted, not team cars. 

Riders should have to finish on the bike they started with, repair their own flats, pick up food at neutral area.

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[Garth]

  Me too  . . . . . beam me and my bike up Scottie , France it is ! 

On Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 1:09:42 PM UTC-4, Jim M. wrote:

[Justin August]

Up or down?

On Friday, July 24, 2015 at 1:36:46 PM UTC-7, Garth wrote:

[Garth]

       That climb is just barely enough for one team car , let alone a rider .  It was only 3.4 km and despite the looks, it's a very steady and not very steep climb .

   As far a teams and cars for support ,  "been there done that" as they say .  That's how it used to be when the TDF started.  Riders in fact could receive no support from anyone .  That combined with primitive roads up and down mountains , it was as much a sport of survival as anything else .  Now it's evolved to what it is, it is what it is  ..  . . lol ;-) 

   I love this vintage pic . . . . . pouring what is likely oil on a riders chain .  Then I noticed that guys legs  . . . . . holy cow  . . is that a cyclist or body builder ? ! 

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/tour-de-france-repairs.jpg

[Peter Adler]

I believe that's called "Eroica" (add prefixes, suffixes and locations as necessary). I'm guessing no TV network is interested in paying for broadcasting rights for that.

We should probably also consider the fact that for professional bicycle racers (and the teams/crews/sponsors that are components of professional bicycle racing), riding bicycles is a job, not a hobby. The pros will ride on whatever equipment the sponsors buy them, according to whatever rules are in place; most of them have few other talents to sell. If the rules were rewritten to require all riders in the Tour/Giro/Vuelta to ride Eroica-style (one steel bike only, no teams, carry your own spares and fill your own bidons at the water fountain), you'd still get riders. You'd get a lot fewer of them, no TV time and the prize money would be a lot lower. Presumably, the times will slow way down, if only because an extended stage race without sponsors pumping money into it may demand more money to fill a rider with the calories necessary to finish than the purse pays out.

I'm not deliberately trying to be a buzzkill about this retro-idea, which I admit I find very appealing. But there are reasons that big-time bike racing works the way it does, and it's fairly similar to most spectator sports. If the Super Bowl was played by chunky 12-year olds in blue jeans, nobody would watch it except the players' parents.

I suppose that one way to distinguish between a professional athletic competition and a leisure event is to see which way the money goes; does the promoter pay the athletes for competing, or does the leisure participant pay the promoter for permission to participate?

[cyclotourist]

I find Race the Divide, the Stagecoach 400, Leadville type events more
interesting than TdF.

The 12 year olds would probably be more interesting than the Super
Bowl as well :-) Super Bowl Sunday = best day to go ride a bike
without cars out!

[Jim Bronson]

It looks to me in that pic that the rider is wearing loafers!

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[Allingham II, Thomas J]

LMAO

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[Daniel D.]

Sounds like a possible riv product, riding loafers, similar to driving shoes http://store.tods.com/Tods/US/categories/Shop-Man/Spring-Summer/Driving-Icons/Shoes/Gommino-Driving-Shoes-in-Suede/p/XXM0GW05470RE0S810

[stevef]

I think Nibali was attacking for a podium position and thus didn't feel as though it was an unsportsmanlike attack on Froome (who had too much time on him to realistically be a target)  Just an assumption on my part, though. 

I too watch the tour mainly for the scenery--what amazing views!  Once drones replace choppers it'll be even better I'll bet.  B-)

And swapping bikes due to a mechanical is one thing but when they swap one working bike for another, say lighter one, for a climbing section, that seems a bit much...

Steve

[Brewster Fong]

On Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 6:34:50 AM UTC-7, stevef wrote:

And swapping bikes due to a mechanical is one thing but when they swap one working bike for another, say lighter one, for a climbing section, that seems a bit much...

 

I wonder if that was really the reason for the switch. After all, the UCI has a weight limit of like 6.8 or 6.9kg (14.99lbs), so how much lighter wouldthe new bike be?!  I suppose he could have had a heavier, more aero bike, but they had just had to go up the HC Col de Fur prior to climbing alpe d'huez, so why not have the lightest bike throughout the entire race, like everyone else?  Good Luck!
 

Steve

[Garth]

     Yep, that's pretty much how cycling shoes were up until the 70's and into the 80's .  Sidi made a classic model for both racing and touring , simple and elegant .

http://velosniper.blogspot.com/2008/12/sidi-touring-road-bike-cycling-shoe.html

some more : http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/02/classic-cycling-shoes.html


 Low and behold do a google search in images for "classic cycling shoes" and you'll find some still being made today . Some for cleats, some flat .  Like these :

http://www.quocpham.com/products/fs0905.html

http://www.dromarti.com/cycling-shoes/race-classic

[Lungimsam]

Maybe I am ignorant about racing rules, but I am not understanding why it was unsportsmanlike to attack when Froome stopped. Noone else stops and waits when other people crash or have to stop in the TdeF, so what made it wrong? Losing due to a mechanical, crash, or otherwise happens in races. Why was this different?

[Daniel D.]

Etiquette doesn't always make sense sometimes it's just the way it is :p.  My take is so the race is decided by who has the best legs rather than the wheel of misfortune.  At least it's not as bad as baseball with their stupid unwritten rules .

[GAJett]

Imagine this happening on a 100 kph descent.