Tour De Lance
Wednesday, July 7th, 2004 - 7:58am
Anyone keeping up with the Tour this year? I definitely watch all I can on the OLN station. Yesterday was a huge day as Armstrong's biggest challenger (Mayo) wrecked on a rough cobblestone street section. Mayo is now over 4 minutes behind Lance but Mayo is also the best hill climber in the world and could gain ground each mountain stage. Should be interesting the next week or so.
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If anyone is taping the tour, do you think I could get copies? I''m actually somewhat serious about that.
Last summer was the first time that I actually watched the tour. Now I''m hopelessly addicted, and without cable.
Also, has anyone found a good site for all the news about the tour?
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Hey its Lance - so of course I am following - this guy has heart and resolve and impresses me every time I see him. I just have Google news for my updates, but I am still trcking
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Ooooh, found live audio coverage at this site.
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sportsline.com has a cycling homepage that links to a live text update while the race is in progress.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
The OLN coverage is great. I am at home this week, off of work, so I just turn it on for background. It loops all day, seems like.
"Sometimes I go around saying, 'Kommisar Paulson has seized the commanding heights of the economy!'" - Paul Krugman, asked if recent changes to banking are socialistic.
I have been really happy with their coverage as well. So, you have a week off eh? Must be nice!
Xbox Live: Kooter06
I used to be a big Tour De France fan. I watched religiously during the Indurain years, was a big fan. It''s not covered so much on TV over here anymore on the terrestrial channels. You have to have satellite or cable to really keep up, and see actual footage. I always check in on the BBC site or the official site to see how the stage is going though.
Currently torrential rain is causing trouble for the big teams in the team time trial. Lance might not snag that Yellow Jersey as easily as he hoped.
Can''t wait for the mountains...
Well fortunately, rain doesn''t play favorites.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
It does when it starts partway through the race on a team time trial day with a staggered start.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
So, that is what happened exactly?
Xbox Live: Kooter06
Yes. The teams start out in order of worst to best, staggered by five minutes. The rain kicked off after about five or six teams had already started, giving them a slight advantage over the later starters who would have to deal with a wet course.
Edit: Just checked and it made no difference at all. US Postal finished well clear of the rest of the field and pretty much gives Lance his majaulle jaune (sp?)
Sportsline has an update. Big win for U.S. Postal. Didn''t see anything about rain causing problems.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
I know how they start but was curious if it actually shook out like he said.
No bother, just got an update...Lance is in yellow and will probably stay that way until the end. Another of his biggest competitors lost another minute.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
Yes, but the rule changes to the team time trial, Postal did not get the full measure of time advantage to which it would have been entitled under the rules from previous years. Hamilton only lost 20 seconds instead of a minute or so. And so on down the line. A little bit of a bummer for Lance. The rule change was designed to make the later stages more competitive and therefore more compelling. With the last week scheduled the way it is, it is going to be tough for Lance (at age 33) to prevail. But nobody ever said that becoming a legend is an easy task.
Also, so where are the all the video games attempting to capitalize on the Tour de France? Can you just see it -- a 3-D view from behind the handle bars? Climbing the mountains from your comfy computer chair?
Ahhh, the beauty of computer gaming.
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Hamilton and Ulrich are the major theats for him over the next couple of weeks. Mayo is as good as out of the top ten. I would also keep a close eye on Cancellara. he may be young, but I think he might surprise everyone.
Oh yeah, wasn''t it amazing in the last tour when Tyler broke his collar bone on stage 3 and still finished the tour as well as he did. If Tyler won, it wouldn''t be a bad thing.
I''ve got to say, I don''t think that would be fun at all. It might be pretty, but how do you simulate the exertion and agony? Track and Field''s buttom mashing never did it for me.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
Me neither. Most of the comment was meant to be sarcastic, but I seem to have lost my touch recently. It was meant to be a slight commentary on how tie-ins to sporting events -- like the old Olympics games -- are so ridiculous.
My bad.
Gamer Tag -- Edgar Newt
Not necessarily. I''m kind of a dumbsh*t.
"All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases." - Quintin_Stone
Actually, there''s such a game over here, the translated title would be ""Bicycle Sports Manager 2004-2005"". It''s more of a strategy/management game though, not a button masher and indeed received some solid reviews over here. It features all teams and Tour de France tracks. (And maybe more, but I''m not sure.) It''s being published by DTP, no clue if there''s an English version though.
Wow, now you mention it, bicycling seems ideal for the strategy/management genre.
Edit: When I first tried picturing a bicycling game, all I could think of was a sweet perephial that would be much like an exercise bike, but would reacte to the terrain. Going up a hill? You''d have to stand up, and start pumping harder due to more resistance in the peddles. If they could make it so that it is cheaper than a quality road bike, I might find it worthwhile. I hate riding on roads in the summer. The motorhomes and their mirrors scare me.
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I think there once was such a device for the SNES. And I''ve seen such training devices at a sports/fitness booth that was part of some expo. It was only a very small screen though and the graphics looked as if this was made for a mid-late 80s arcade - kind of like Hang-On and the like. It was all about keeping you pushing the pedals somehow, no particular challenges such as hills or mountains featured.
Btw., this is the gallery on the homepage of the management game I was referring to in the other post.
Congrats to the US Postal team
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Update:Tom Boonen of Belgium won the stage. A massive 30 rider crash collected Lance early in the race. Another pileup collected Tyler Hamilton. Lance is fine, Tyler's status is unknown.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
I can''t muster any interest in the tour, partly because because most of the athletes jam enough syringes in their veins to make junkies look clean, but mostly because I find endurance sports immensely boring.
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