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Surprise! A Tour de France That Doesn’t Feel Like a Fait Accompli
WSJ ^ | 3 July 2019 | J. Gay

Posted on 07/05/2019 10:35:59 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT

Yes! Le Tour is here. The 106th edition of the race begins Saturday, in next-door Brussels, a nod to the stern-faced Belgian cycling titan Eddy Merckx, who won five overall Tours and 34 stages beginning in 1969... It’s got a case as the craziest and most beautiful event in sports, but it’s clearly an acquired taste.

I’m really super-duper into it. You know this.

...the four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, was badly hurt in a crash, suffering a broken leg and other injuries. Froome would have been a favorite for this year.

One of the more intriguing newbies is Mike “Rusty” Woods, a Canadian who rides for the U.S. team EF Education First. The 32-year-old Woods is a late bloomer who came to the sport after a career as an elite runner—he may be the only rider in this year’s Tour who’s also run a sub-four minute mile.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Sports
KEYWORDS: aluminum; bicycle; bicycles; bicycling; bike; biker; bikes; campagnolo; carbonfiber; cycling; cyclist; cyclists; shimano; spandex; sram; steel; steelisreal; tdf; titanium; titillidie; tourdefrance
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Looking to be my first year not to put a wheel on the road, since ever.

My wife says the spinbike is good.

Our son says to be careful and stay mostly on the closed courses. Yes, I was on an (almost)closed course when that evil car gave me twenty days hospital...

But being occasionally able to stay with some of the slower young ones always feels good!

1 posted on 07/05/2019 10:35:59 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
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To: DUMBGRUNT
Surprise! A Tour de France That Doesn’t Feel Like a Fait Accompli

Oh, this is important.

2 posted on 07/05/2019 10:38:28 AM PDT by Steely Tom ([Seth Rich] == [the Democrat's John Dean])
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I agree with your wife. Lots of texting and drunk Mexicans on the road...


3 posted on 07/05/2019 10:41:41 AM PDT by EEGator
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To: DUMBGRUNT

Sorry to hear of your accident and hope you’re recovery is going ok. It’s impossible to reduce risk to zero but consider dedicated bike trails or group tours. Cars behave better around groups of cyclists because they know there will be witnesses :-)

As long as they ride clean I don’t care who wins the Tour.


4 posted on 07/05/2019 10:43:51 AM PDT by bigbob (Trust Trump. Trust the Plan.)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

Not many Americans in the race this year.

https://www.letour.fr/en/riders


5 posted on 07/05/2019 10:49:37 AM PDT by Cecily
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To: Steely Tom

Oh, this is important.


To some it is.

Remember not every thing is about you Steely Tom.

FreeRepublic is made up of a diverse group. While we all share a similar conservative view of things, we also all have our own interest.

If not interested, do what I do when I see a thread about something that does not interest me, I skip over it.

Have a good day.


6 posted on 07/05/2019 10:50:00 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: DUMBGRUNT
Disclaimer: Lance Armstrong deserved to get busted.....

With that being said, I lost all interest in the TDF after the USADA went after him with the same intensity Robert Mueller went after Trump.

Virtually ever other European rider was exempt from any US investigation and they got off scott free........

If Armstrong was able to test negative on all the tests given to all the riders on the European cycling circuit , you know damn well all the other top riders had figured out the same system.

7 posted on 07/05/2019 10:58:57 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (I'm in the cleaning business.......I launder money)
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To: bigbob

consider dedicated bike trails

I was riding on a bike trail, Busse Woods 7.2 miles, but it used to cross a four-lane with a light.
Not long after my accident, a woman rider was KIA the same location. They have since built a bicycle bridge over the four-lane.


8 posted on 07/05/2019 11:10:10 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT ("The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!"Dien Bien Phu last message.)
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To: Steely Tom

Indeed it is a wonderful experience, being there is one of my wifes favorite childhood memories, for me the overhead shots of the villages, countryside and chateaux are very nice. A good sharing experience that goes hours a day and weeks with drama.


9 posted on 07/05/2019 11:14:16 AM PDT by Jolla
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To: DUMBGRUNT

Sponsored by Amgen.


10 posted on 07/05/2019 11:18:07 AM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I worry about getting hit all the time. Also worried about crashing in the peloton. Dangerous business bike racing.

Only trained on open roads with the team.

Otherwise, we have a great policed metro park where cars take a back seat to training cyclists. 10 mile course without cross roads. Great place to train.

Every spring we traveled to Indiana just east of Bloomington for training camp. There is a State Park we left from for 60+ mile runs.

I raced road and criterium during my amateur career.

I got a late start. 4th in the state at my peak as a Cat 5. Made Cat 4, but those bastard 20 somethings ate my lunch. Race masters, but it’s been a few years now.

Ride a 14.5 lb Wilier. Campy Record 10spd compact all carbon. 12/25 for Crits or flat road. 13/27 for hill racing.


11 posted on 07/05/2019 11:20:14 AM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Eddie01

Nice! Ride man. I just spin anymore.


12 posted on 07/05/2019 11:22:51 AM PDT by crosdaddy
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To: ifinnegan

>>Sponsored by Amgen.<<

I see what you did there! (do people still say that?)


13 posted on 07/05/2019 11:46:52 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (As always IMHO)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I got rid of my road bike as well. Now I just ride on trails.


14 posted on 07/05/2019 11:47:00 AM PDT by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (Go Egypt on 0bama)
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To: freedumb2003

I think people still say it.

I wondered if anyone would “see it”.


15 posted on 07/05/2019 11:54:08 AM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

My wife got me to first watch it twenty two years ago. It grows on you.

Last few years I see about 75% of it and really enjoy it.

Oldest son and his wife are riders and I worry about them despite their very safety minded attitudes.


16 posted on 07/05/2019 11:57:25 AM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: Cecily
Not many Americans

Let me guess ...

Taylor Phinney
Lawson Craddock
TeeJay van Garderen

Uh ...

17 posted on 07/05/2019 11:59:02 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: Eddie01
I've got three: a Colnago CX-Zero race/tourer with Dura-Ace 9000; a Diamondback Podium Equipe full racer (former Rally pro-team bike from the Amgen Tour) with SRAM Red and HED Jet6 front/Jet 9 rear; and a Willier Blade TT with Dura-Ace 9000 except Ultegra 10-speed cassette.

Can't really race anymore, but that doesn't stop me from trying. Still want to knock 17 seconds off my TT time on the Tuesday Ten course ...

18 posted on 07/05/2019 12:04:53 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: DUMBGRUNT
I just bought a slightly used/like-new Trek Madone so I am ready for the Tour.

For the last few years, I have ridden my MTB on the local trail and a spin bike at my local gym in front the TV playing rides through France/Germany/Italy/Spain (youtube plays "Bike The World" vids--no sound--and the boom box blasts out a loud thumping bass).

Haven't actually watched the Tour since Lance got bounced (pretty discouraging that) but I am ready again for the climbs, cobbles, and flats.

Woohoo.

As for my "new" road bike, I am going to stick with the roads in the local state park until my bike handling skills return.

19 posted on 07/05/2019 12:09:38 PM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I don’t know very much about Road Cycling, but can someone tell me why there are always a small number of cyclists who get way ahead of everyone at the start? They never factor in the final results as they get chased down by the peloton. Is it to force the peloton to go faster?


20 posted on 07/05/2019 12:10:49 PM PDT by wrcase
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