Am I the only cycling afficionado here? Will any of you be watching the start of the Tour de France in London?

Who do you think will win this year's TdF?
Basso
Vinokourov
Valverde
Kloden
Sastre
Menchov
Evans
Leipheimer
Pereiro
Mayo

My money would probably be on Basso, but Vinokourov and Leipheimer are good possibilities as well.

Kingfisher

I have to say I'm not a big fan of the Tour dr France, but I think its great that it's starting in london. It would be quite a spectacle to see them all start off.

I could not name anyone in thye TDF, but I was once caught up in it. We turned round the corner in St John De Monts & got caught up in
the diversion. The french are mad on it... I have spent quite a few hols & years in France I love it.

I think it's an enormous boost to their tourism industry. People try riding the route all through the year (well, except for the mountain passes in winter).

Kingfisher

Has anyone here ever tried riding the route? I don't think for one second that I could make it.

I would love to attempt the mountain passes. I live on a fairly steep hill, and I am quite used to riding my bicycle up some stiff grades. But, first I have to get to France with my bicycle .

Kingfisher

I think that it's fantastic that the Tour is starting in London this year - let's just hope that the weather lets up for a bit, especially for the initial time trial which won't be an even contest if some riders have to contend the intermittent storms that we've been sujected to of late.

Unfortunately, since C4 stopped covering the Tour I've gotten out of touch with the riders and the teams. I also don't think that it's been particularly well advertised over here and would be surprised if many people that aren't particularly interested in cycling even know that it's taking place. I was travelling along the route for day two and apart from a few small signs warning motorists that the roads will be closed there was very little hype to get people interested. How different from the rest of Europe where cycling is really big. Hopefully, a well-staged event will be a big boost to the sport over here.

Reading this has just brought back a recollection of the Commonwealth Games a few years ago when it ws hosted by Manchester.
Although not the TDF the bike racing was held in an area not that far from me at Horwich & Rivington. We watched it & the scenery looked fantastic on TV & the race was interesting as it was local. Not only that it showed that the North West isn't just 'Dark Satanic MIlls'.
It was a huge success & going off that I might just change my mind & just have a look into the TDF.

I do think that the races are very exciting when you can watch them locally. It's not quite so entertaining watching on the television, because it doesn't seem as if the riders are moving all that quickly. When you see them in person, though, you realise that they are travelling much faster than one would think.

Kingfisher

I agree with Timberwolf, there has bee little top no publicity over here. I'm sure a lot of people won't even realise it is starting in London this year.

How is the Tour going? Is it nearing the end?

I heard there was a positive drug test but I'm not sure who it was.

The Tour still has a number of days to go. Rasmussen had had sanctions, but not actually for drug testing. He's had sanctions against him because he's been hard to find when the drug labs want to test him (not quite the same thing ).

It's been an exciting Tour, with a lot of action.

Kingfisher

I did watch a bit yesterday & noticed it had been raining as the roads were wet. I did manage to hear the name Valverde but I fell asleep , unheard of for me in the afternoons. The worst thing was that I still had to go to work......

Despite being limited to just 1hr of highlights a day (or maybe because of it ), I've really enjoyed this years tour. Not following any particular rider or team, so have been able to appreciate the fantastic effort of all the riders. However, the reaction of the German TV stations may yet have a major impact upon sponsorship of future tours.