You know, once you get past the lycra clad bell end heads this TdF stuff is quite nice

[Classic Jorge]

YOOOOOORKSHA!

[Mo Britain less Europe]

[Classic Jorge]

The World Cup just makes every other sporting event look like a frivolous, trivial game.

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

[Mack]

[Ashberto]

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

[Ben.]

You fancy Cav here?

[Classic Jorge]

I think the thing that really rams it home is seeing the world cup in other countries too.

I've seen it in Spain, Tunisia, Holland and France - pretty much by accident - and you can pretty much feel the excitement everywhere.

[Classic Jorge]

Though I doubt any match I played in would be described as competitive.

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Supermac1976]

[Supermac1976]

[Ashberto]

[Mc Gooner]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

Bit of a windy run in, but they've got 60km from the last categorised climb.

Finish is slightly uphill, so Sagan might be good too.

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Ashberto]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Classic Jorge]

Which was sort of my point.

[Classic Jorge]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

The Danish commentators can't get over it, they're truly shocked.

I didn't point out to them that this is Yorkshire, and there's no ticket price :-D

[Ashberto]

I believe his point is that it's good for them to be able to enjoy some football for a few weeks every few years.

[Ben.]

his team lets him down constantly.
In the Giro Kittel looked unbeatable at times, interesting to see what happens here.

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Classic Jorge]

Tour de Win!

[Mc Gooner]

[Ashberto]

rather than the quality of fare on display.

modd gave a decent critique of the quality of football last night, I thought. And I was saying to someone at work that I thought it's been massively entertaining in terms of drama and excitement, rather than technical quality.

[Ashberto]

[Nicosia Gooner]

:driving:

[Supermac1976]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

he isn't as good in a flat sprint as the top sprinters, he isn't as good on a steep finish as the true puncheurs. But he has the niche that he's still very good at both. He can't climb like the grimpeurs and he can't TT like the testers. He just a very good Jack of all trades.

He won the green jersey two years running, but only won a single stage last year. He's yet to win a monument. He will do though, he's got plenty of time ahead of him.

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

Last climb coming in a mo.

You should just check out what an occasion it is.

[Ashberto]

[Classic Jorge]

The quality is a constant variable, and the popularity of anything is pretty much impossible to measure - and I worked in PR & Research long enough to know about measures of popularity.

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

that like football, but think that people that don't really like football shouldn't be allowed to like the world cup.

[Ben.]

he is still competitive and when you consider what else he brings all round , it's seriously impressive especially given his age.
I still maintain that his team don't do enough for him generally, there was one stage last year where they set it from a long way out for him.
Put him in Quickstep or Shimano and he would win a lot more imo.


p.s while I have you, is the avatar thing broken?

I can't add one :-(

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Mo Britain less Europe]

happened to most of them.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

he'd be well beaten by Cav, Kittel, Greipel plus a load of the second tier sprinters. But he's a consistent top ten finisher on anything other than a mountain stage.

He can pull a mean wheelie though.

Yes, the avatar thing is totally buggered I'm afraid.

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

They hardly bother testing in most other sports by comparison.

[Ben.]

I just think he is outstanding , almost unique , to be able to sprint and climb to the level he does.


p.s bugger, let me know if it gets fixed.

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

Or at least give him a ride for his money.

Once he learns a bit more racecraft he'll make a superb classics rider.

[Ben.]

Yeah I'm not sure tbh it's difficult as he is never set up and always has to find someone's wheel, which he's great at.
No doubt about Cav and Kittel though.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

[Ben.]

about Sagan v second tier sprinters, I wasn't restricting it to this race.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

[Ben.]

Cav and Kittel are probably on their own, think Griepel has dropped back a bit.

Sagan is the best rider overall imo

[devongunner]

And those women at the presentation!!!

[Mo Britain less Europe]

[Ben.]

I think he's exceptional, you're right he will probably win green and be way off yellow, but he's very young, that may come.