Comments on: TdF Shocker! Stage 9 Cancelled Due to Lack of Interestingness

By: fatcat1111

fatcat1111 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:08:11 +0000

I think the US is just sticking it to the French when it comes to racing. First we send a cancer surviver, now a guy with a busted hip. Next year we’re going to send one of Jerry’s kids on BMX.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 23:35:55 +0000

Dude, you’re freakin’ hilarious!! That is EXACTLY why I have you linked on my site. My feeble brain bows to your razor sharp wit.

Keep those intrepid reporters out there for more of that kind of news.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:21:31 +0000

Jaded. You guys are jaded. Watching the TdF is fun, expecially on TiVo. It’s like some folks here like the Beaujolais Noveau, and others of us like drinking Bud Light.

Or something like that.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:47:34 +0000

FC – I sent your news article on to a friend of mine and apparently he was able to interview some of the riders.

Interviews with the riders after the TT:

Levi: I thought it was a rest day.

Julich: Turns, they put turns in a TT course. Those damn Frenchies!

George: I thought I was pacing Lance but he never showed up.

Floyd: Wanted: mechanic must be able to have bike ready for stage and capable of completing, no Frenchies need apply.

Dave Z: I remember what happened the last time I had the yellow jersey.

By: Fat Cyclist

Fat Cyclist — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:13:37 +0000

TheEdge: I also have been Tivoing the race, and have been triple-speeding the first 2:45 of the flat stages, slowing down for crashes and for occasional gap checks. without the tivo, i’d skip watching these stages altogether.

Mark Wan – you hit on a crucial point: where are the TTTs? Those are beautiful to watch, exciting, and race-affecting. why do we not have a TTT?

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:29:41 +0000

zzz izright. Good writing there, Fatty.
I would like to know FC’s opinion of radios and all that other electric gadgetry that immediately informs anyone within wireless distance of the tour caravan that Jacques Yabloko and breakaway pals is 7:14 up on the group. The DS’s then activate a little sub-program in their onboard computer that tells them to tell the riders on their team (through their cute litle helmet radios) that they have to ride 48.213 Kph for 52.25km to catch the break.
Boring. Incredibly boring…better that some small group of nobodies gets 13 or 14 minutes beforethe chalkboard motorcycle guy shows the peloton that they really stepped init this time and the pooch is screwed.
Still, at my best, when i was 24-34 or so, in 1978-88 or so, I don’t think I could ride 50kph for an hour or so, even in a big group (or so).

By: jim

jim — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:08:02 +0000

I TIVO every race but have been so bored that I skip to the end and watch the last ten minutes instead of the painful 2 to 3 hours. If things get any more interesting I might have to check out re-runs of Monk.

May the mountains bring us some intrigue!

By: mhywan

mhywan — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:03:32 +0000

FC, maybe you should start a campaign to eliminate all the flat stages altogether and bring back the TTT. I suspect that the breakaway folks don’t actually want to be breaking away about for 3-4 hours. The last 20-30km probably, but anything else is just manufactured for TV…

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:19:26 +0000

How much do you think Poundhomme and the Amaury Sports Organization paid Landis to drum up the fake story and x-rays and commit to having a perfectly good hip replaced?

I mean it’s obvious that they needed a hero, and also, there is that little known rule that if there is to be an American winner, he must be overcoming some major medical concern (like getting shot, getting cancer, or being one hip joint shy of a full load).

Botched

P.S. The moment I read your title, I knew this article wasn’t from a real news service. A professional writer would have used "due to lack of chocolatiestness."

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:05:13 +0000

Amazing. Y’all call to get rid of the dopers, then get upset when the dopers (some of them anyhow) are gone. The sport is bigger than them.

Seems to me you are looking at the Tour with maglia rosa colored glasses. If you remember the Tour from last year, or the year before, or the year before that, the first week and a half always sucks. It’s always flat, the sprinters always win, and there are few successful long breakaways. Jens Voigt has run all over people a couple times this past week and almost made a breakaway stick a few days ago. Stage three hitting classics climbs was interesting, as was the ride into Luxembourg. The amazing story about Floyd’s destroyed hip adds another interesting element to the race. There have been many interesting and sad crashes, and the stage winners have sometimes been unexpected (Honchar, Freire,Kessler, and a staggering and courageous breakaway win by Calzati). Yes, there have been long stretches of boredom, but that’s racing, and I think what’s going on here is there are more people paying closer attention to the early stages waiting to see who will rise up to take the yellow jersey. In two week’s time, it’s likely none of you will remember the boredom of the first days, and will instead be talking about some epic battle on Alpe d’Huez or Col d’Izoard.

Either that or watching some enraged French soccer player head butt an Italian is just so much more interesting by comparison.