Le Tour

[Pumpkin Becki]

Oh jeez! Why do they think they can get away with it?!

[Two_Sheds]

He's been hoofed off the tour but needs more than that. ... one of the two said there was nobody to blame, it was an accident and at least nobody died

It was shocking, pishpoor driving.

Sorry, soapbox: that kind of sideswipe happens ~ or nearly happens ~ to me virtually every time I get on my bike, except that here the drivers deliberately cut up cyclists and if challenged by the police (rare, that) they just have to say "I didn't see her" or "she pulled in front of me" or "I had to swerve to avoid a tree" and they don't even get a caution.

I've been knocked off my bike 3 times and Mr TS once (with injuries resulting in a trip to A&E, many more times with minor bumps & bruises) and no driver has ever been 'done' for it. Oh, except that last one when I decided enough was enough and I sued

I can't watch le Tour any more, it's just too nasty this year, someone's going to get killed.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I can't watch le Tour any more, it's just too nasty this year, someone's going to get killed.

This is certainly one of the worst years I've ever watched, and I've been a fan for 19 years. As David Millar said, there are just so many riders at a similar level, and their team bosses are urging them all to be at the front to avoid trouble...well logic says they can't all be at the front, but they are all under a lot of pressure. Maybe it is time for race radio to be banned, then they won't be receiving this kind of pressure from the team cars.

The car accident was horrific, I couldn't believe my eyes, and how the Astana boys got Vino out of that copse with a broken femur, I'll never know. But what a beautiful display of team work.

[bobleponge]

Bad though it is this year, the main reason (IMHO) that such a deal is being made is because the riders are better known names than in previous years.
I'm sure MBE will have the stats to hand, and I refuse to use the Satanic Search Engine but I'm sure that 4 years ago, the number of riders already retired by day 9 was at least 5 or 6 higher than this year. This year though, we have had Boonen, Vinokourov and other higher profile riders, whereas 4 years ago they were predominantly domestiques.
Yes the crashes are shocking to see (especially the race car) but they happen on a daily basis in riding. Australia lost a very talented female rider only last week, due to an accident on her bike. Its a dangerous sport, riding downhill at over 70kph with tyres about the width of a paperclip brings inherent risks, and all the riders know that.

[bobleponge]

[QUOTE=Pumpkin Becki;872528]. Maybe it is time for race radio to be banned, then they won't be receiving this kind of pressure from the team cars.

QUOTE]

I would love no race radio. For me its too controlled these days. I'm sure this was mooted a couple of years ago but the riders (or perhaps the DS') were having none of it.

[Pumpkin Becki]

. Maybe it is time for race radio to be banned, then they won't be receiving this kind of pressure from the team cars.

I would love no race radio. For me its too controlled these days. I'm sure this was mooted a couple of years ago but the riders (or perhaps the DS') were having none of it.

They tried it on the Team Time Trial didn't they...was that last year or the year before.

[mrbadexample]

I'm sure MBE will have the stats to hand, and I refuse to use the Satanic Search Engine but I'm sure that 4 years ago, the number of riders already retired by day 9 was at least 5 or 6 higher than this year.

Well, I don't know about "to hand", but in 2007 at the end of stage 9, there were 18 withdrawals from a field of 189 starters. I haven't checked to see if they were all accident related.

This year, by the end of stage 9 we'd lost 18 riders from a field of 198, so a slightly lower percentage of the main field, but the same number of riders.

I was looking at the attrition rate over the last 15 years or so, from a link I found on Twitter, but I can't find it now. The general point was that it's not especially high this year, just slightly above the average I think. It did seem to show that the accident rate was higher when the starting field was bigger - eg 198 riders from 22 teams this year, compared to 180 from 20 teams in some previous years.

It may suggest that 20 teams should perhaps be a limit, especially when they are continually trying to find new routes, and smaller, more "challenging" roads.

Personally, I think that it has been highlighted more this year, as many of the GC contenders have been affected (as you suggest Bob). I also think that the severity of injuries this year has been worse compared to previous years. Sunday's crash involving the media car was, thankfully, unusual.

There have been some horrific accidents over the years - Jens Voigt a couple of years ago & Joseba Beloki in 2003. Nelisson & Jalabert in 1994 (remember the policeman "not" taking a photo) & Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Champs Élysées 1991) also stick in the memory as being particularly bad.

It's part of what makes the sport so exciting, but there's a big difference between a bit of road rash and serious injuries. I don't think anyone enjoys watching that.

So come back TS, it's actually not much worse than usual.

Vive le Tour!

[bobleponge]

Revenge for Cav today? Must have been a bitter pill for him yesterday, especially after saying in the past that Greipel does well in small races!!
Come on the Manx Missile, get in there. He's closing on the green jersey leader too, which is good to see.

[bobleponge]

Supermanx, in green. Great finish.
Starts in earnest tomorrow.

[mrbadexample]

If he stays upright then I think the Green is his now.

Can't wait for tomorrow. Let the fun begin!

[bobleponge]

Well well well, have the Luxembergers found out Mr Contador? The old one two certainly seemed to do for him today. Good ride by young Thomas today, although somewhat suspect descending at one point.
Few more points for Cav today which is good.

[bobleponge]

The more I see of Voeckler the more impressed with him I am. Can he TT though?
Cav still in green, which is good, 2 more sprint finishes, if he wins one he should be just about there as long as he sticks it through the Alps.

[mrbadexample]

The more I see of Voeckler the more impressed with him I am. Can he TT though?

Certainly not as well as the likes of Contador & Evans. He'd need to take another couple of minutes to have a realistic chance, I think. His work through the Pyrenees has been phenomenal, & ably assisted by Pierre Rolland. But seriously, did we expect anything less? He proved in 2004 that he was worth his money, hanging on to the Maillot Jaune for 10 days. He said on Sunday that "I will give it all I can", and I think yellow suits, and motivates him. Plus the fact he's been on great form this year.

I was in Perpignan in 2009, hoping to see a Cavendish victory. Voeckler beat him to the line by a scant handful of seconds. He was just about the one man I was happy to see make the escape stick, even though it cost Mark another win. I like riders that aren't afraid to graft. Hushovd, Voigt, Roy etc. I used to like Jacky Durand for the same reason - used to lug the lantern rouge about, yet be in every breakaway going. Got to love a trier!

[bobleponge]

I thought Roy was going to burst into tears when he finished a couple of days ago, but Hushovd is the world champ for a reason, great ride by him.
I dont think Voeckler will take any more time out of the "big hitters" but agree that his team all round have helped him greatly. From memory the majority of his 10 days in yellow before werent in the big hills (although happy to accept I'm wrong) but he does escape well, he climbs well, and is a good all round rider.
From what I've seen, and coverage is patchy at best here, I wouldnt bet against Evans being in yellow in Paris.

[mrbadexample]

From memory the majority of his 10 days in yellow before werent in the big hills (although happy to accept I'm wrong)

Can't be sure about all of them, but he made it through the stages to La Mongie & Plateau de Beille, at least. He did have a bigger time cushion then though.