Random thoughts from watching Stage 5

On 7 Jul 2005 13:37:21 -0700, "Veloise" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

--That Robbie aussie needs to work on his finish line shyness problem.
Dude has zero self-confidence, and really needs to come out of his
shell.

i'll say.

today the announcer's blamed the final crash on pavement
markings when it was clear that he was going down several
feet in front of the markings. he most likely just touched
the brakes and SKIDDDD!
....thehick

Veloise said:

--It's really fun to pedal home through downtown Grand Rapids in the
dark after watching a couple hours of technical fast racing. Phil
Ligget will *not* shut up. "She waits for the traffic light! She's got
a green! She stands up on the hill!!"

Yeah, it's great riding with Phil's voice echoing in your brain.

One of my fond memories of the 2003 Tour was stage 15 when Lance got
pulled down by a spectator's musette and then scrambled back to win the
stage. I had stayed home that morning specifically to tape the
mountain stage.

As I rode into work, the bike trail was pretty much empty, but I came
across another rider who also appeared to be on his way to work. As I
passed, he said, "amazing stage today, huh?" I thought for a second
and said, "'...like a grand prix motor car!'" He laughed and we went
our separate ways.

-JR

"Veloise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

--The chopper shots are pure poetry, especially when the peleton oozes
around both sides of a traffic circle.

Truth.

I'm not one to watch any sport excepting football - and then because it's
winter and there's little else to do.

Cycling for me is about doing - not watching. But having said that I do
enjoy the visual poetry of some of those aerial shots. It reminds me of
birds in flight or minnows in a school seemingly having group intelligence.

--
My website:

http://www.geocities.com/siklelogical/

:a work in progress.

'War spares not the brave but the cowardly'
-anacreon

"Veloise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

--That Robbie aussie needs to work on his finish line shyness problem.
Dude has zero self-confidence, and really needs to come out of his
shell.

Robbie?! How about Dave Zabriskie! (sp?) It's painful to watch him being
interviewed...

Quoted message said:

--Watching the motocam shots (held just above the pavement to catch the
spinning wheels! towards the sky to check the Aquarel number! down the
racers' throats!) makes me dizzy. Hope the camera operator is wearing
strap-down shoes on the foot pedals.

No kidding! I once stuck myself to the back of a snowmobile and video taped
a plane taking off (we kept up with it until it lifted off...)

I thought I was going to die - and snow doesn't hurt much when you hit it.

I can't imagine what they do to get those shots. They must have a special
rig so they can swivel around for the shot. If anyone has a link to more
info on that, I'd love to see it.

Quoted message said:

--I would like to see a commercial where A Certain Party flings open a
closet to reveal...nuthin' but yellow shirts.

LOL! Isn't there one like that?! Seriously - I heard they did one like that.

Quoted message said:

--The chopper shots are pure poetry, especially when the peleton oozes
around both sides of a traffic circle.

I know the shot you mean. VERY cool. Another one that gets repeated is a
wide, side shot following the peloton as they fly down a straight road with
occasional trees on both sides.

*They look like a bullet train* moving along as one huge, long string at
hyperspeed.
Absolutely *beautiful*.

Quoted message said:

--Worst Job in the Tour: wearing full crash kit and standing **in
front** of a haybale at the apex of a traffic island, rhythmically
waving a little flag at the riders. (That would be the perfect place
for the Devil.)

NEVER saw that! I'll look for it in tonight's repeat coverage.

Quoted message said:

--The guy who crashed near the end picked himself up, rethreaded his
chain, shoved off (in col de downhill high gear; no thanks to
spectators!), and got back to riding. Can't imagine any Nascar driver
knowing how to open the hood, let alone which wire-button-hose to
adjust. (It's not just a sport, it's a skill test!)

I saw the guy who rethreaded the chain. He seemed remarkably calm which says
something about their professionalism. I'd be inclined to be LIVID if any
*spectator* got in my way.

Quoted message said:

--The commercial with the snippet of the "I've been diagnosed with
cancer" press conference is beyond emotional. And they hope to sell $50
T-shirts with it??
--I miss the PowerBar Lance wannabees. Especially the trail-a-bike.
--And the "chemistry company is the reason I'm alive today" spot.
--USPS had better commercials. "Tomorrow??"

I haven't seen any of the commercial spots but would love to. Maybe they're
online somewhere.
(I'm a marketing guy so good marketing fascinates me)

Quoted message said:

--Is there anyone on the planet who wanted to watch "Survivor 1" who
has not yet done so? Why on earth does OLN think they can make a buck
off it? (Spoiler: the naked gay guy won.)

I was thinking about this in the morning. I wondered if the guy doing those
little Survivor plugs would eventually say "I'm not bloody reading this" in
that wonderful British accent... 😉

Quoted message said:

--It's really fun to pedal home through downtown Grand Rapids in the
dark after watching a couple hours of technical fast racing. Phil
Ligget will *not* shut up. "She waits for the traffic light! She's got
a green! She stands up on the hill!!"

Onwards and upwards!

--Karen M.

Go Karen! Post footage of your sprint finish... 😄

"Veloise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

-->
--The guy who crashed near the end picked himself up, rethreaded his
chain, shoved off (in col de downhill high gear; no thanks to
spectators!), and got back to riding. Can't imagine any Nascar driver
knowing how to open the hood, let alone which wire-button-hose to
adjust. (It's not just a sport, it's a skill test!)

NASCAR drivers aren't allowed to leave the driver's seat to work on the car
once the race starts. Mark Martin (?) did it and was docked points in a
race. But, race car drivers, especially those who've worked up from
low-level racing( like NASCAR) tend to be great mechanics, because they've
had to do a lot of their own wrenching.

Gooserider said:

NASCAR drivers aren't allowed to leave the driver's seat to work on the car
once the race starts. Mark Martin (?) did it and was docked points in a
race. But, race car drivers, especially those who've worked up from
low-level racing( like NASCAR) tend to be great mechanics, because they've
had to do a lot of their own wrenching.

A good example of this, was the late, great Alan Kulwicki. He had a
hand in everything. He started on the short tracks of Wisconsin, and
did his own wrenching.

Life is Good!
Jeff

frank-in-toronto said:

i'll say.

today the announcer's blamed the final crash on pavement
markings when it was clear that he was going down several
feet in front of the markings. he most likely just touched
the brakes and SKIDDDD!

Watch again, from the slo-mo chopper cam. He hit the first PED XING
(the one that would cross his line of direction) and by the time he got
to the other set, he was sliding home safe.

Crosswalk thermoplastic is very slippery, said the year-round commuter.

--Karen M.
the pile-up looked like a hockey game

C.J.Patten wrote:
....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

--Worst Job in the Tour: wearing full crash kit and standing **in
front** of a haybale at the apex of a traffic island, rhythmically
waving a little flag at the riders. (That would be the perfect place
for the Devil.)

NEVER saw that! I'll look for it in tonight's repeat coverage.

It was in Stage 5, the one that Robbie won (gee, are you sure he
won???).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

--The guy who crashed near the end picked himself up, rethreaded his
chain, shoved off (in col de downhill high gear; no thanks to
spectators!), and got back to riding. ...

Quoted message said:

I saw the guy who rethreaded the chain. He seemed remarkably calm which says
something about their professionalism. I'd be inclined to be LIVID if any
*spectator* got in my way.

I was thinking about The Musette Bag Incident and recalling that a
spectator got LA back rolling uphill. (Great bit for your Side Door to
Fame resume. "I gave LA a shove-off, on international TV!"😉

The spectators in this year's stage just stood there clutching their
stuff. Ooh, greasy sweaty bike racer, with dirty hands yet. I ain't
touching him.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

--The commercial with the snippet of the "I've been diagnosed with
cancer" press conference is beyond emotional. And they hope to sell $50
T-shirts with it??

This year. Saw it once, which was enough.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

--I miss the PowerBar Lance wannabees. Especially the trail-a-bike.
--And the "chemistry company is the reason I'm alive today" spot.
--USPS had better commercials. "Tomorrow??"

I haven't seen any of the commercial spots but would love to. Maybe they're
online somewhere.
(I'm a marketing guy so good marketing fascinates me)

Those are from last year. (I contacted PB to thank them, and their
marketing gal wrote back to say that they'd gotten rave reviews on
their ads. So where are they this year???)

--Karen M.

Veloise said:

The spectators in this year's stage just stood there clutching their
stuff. Ooh, greasy sweaty bike racer, with dirty hands yet. I ain't
touching him.

Hmm. Not this guy then?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/tour05/?id=tour056/cycling-tdf2005-mengin-48

Quoted message said:

I was thinking about The Musette Bag Incident and recalling that a
spectator got LA back rolling uphill. (Great bit for your Side Door to
Fame resume. "I gave LA a shove-off, on international TV!"😉

The spectators in this year's stage just stood there clutching their
stuff. Ooh, greasy sweaty bike racer, with dirty hands yet. I ain't
touching him.

Key difference: the spectators in Stage 5 were behind a barricade.

No barricades present at the Lance incident.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

lowkey said:

"Veloise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

--The chopper shots are pure poetry, especially when the peleton oozes
around both sides of a traffic circle.

Truth.

I'm not one to watch any sport excepting football - and then because it's
winter and there's little else to do.

Cycling for me is about doing - not watching. But having said that I do
enjoy the visual poetry of some of those aerial shots. It reminds me of
birds in flight or minnows in a school seemingly having group
intelligence.

I would rather do than watch but then the TdF is the one thing I do watch
the edited versions of. 5 in the morning is too early to watch the whole
stage. You 'watch' football? Man, that says "couch potato" like nothing
else. If there is nothing on but football I will get cold weather gear on
and go out. Same with baseball, I love to play it, passive about watching
it anymore, but I can't find enough fit guys with equipment to get a game
going. The guys in my area are in their 30's, married, average 2 kids, and
would rather sit with a beer and television after work than actually play
ball. I want to go out and get dirty from diving after a catch or sliding
into base and these guys just want to sit. Something is wrong because I am
56 and can't get a bunch of 30 somethings out to do anything. Did something
bad happen to sports and actually playing your own game when I wasn't
looking?
Bill Baka

On 7 Jul 2005 13:37:21 -0700, "Veloise" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

--That Robbie aussie needs to work on his finish line shyness problem.
Dude has zero self-confidence, and really needs to come out of his
shell.

--Watching the motocam shots (held just above the pavement to catch the
spinning wheels! towards the sky to check the Aquarel number! down the
racers' throats!) makes me dizzy. Hope the camera operator is wearing
strap-down shoes on the foot pedals.

--I would like to see a commercial where A Certain Party flings open a
closet to reveal...nuthin' but yellow shirts.

--Why couldn't they just slap the pertinent sponsors on a Disco shirt?
It's not like they don't have fabric technical support at each stage.

--The chopper shots are pure poetry, especially when the peleton oozes
around both sides of a traffic circle.

--Worst Job in the Tour: wearing full crash kit and standing **in
front** of a haybale at the apex of a traffic island, rhythmically
waving a little flag at the riders. (That would be the perfect place
for the Devil.)

--The guy who crashed near the end picked himself up, rethreaded his
chain, shoved off (in col de downhill high gear; no thanks to
spectators!), and got back to riding. Can't imagine any Nascar driver
knowing how to open the hood, let alone which wire-button-hose to
adjust. (It's not just a sport, it's a skill test!)

--The commercial with the snippet of the "I've been diagnosed with
cancer" press conference is beyond emotional. And they hope to sell $50
T-shirts with it??

--I miss the PowerBar Lance wannabees. Especially the trail-a-bike.

--And the "chemistry company is the reason I'm alive today" spot.

--USPS had better commercials. "Tomorrow??"

--Is there anyone on the planet who wanted to watch "Survivor 1" who
has not yet done so? Why on earth does OLN think they can make a buck
off it? (Spoiler: the naked gay guy won.)

--It's really fun to pedal home through downtown Grand Rapids in the
dark after watching a couple hours of technical fast racing. Phil
Ligget will *not* shut up. "She waits for the traffic light! She's got
a green! She stands up on the hill!!"

Onwards and upwards!

--Karen M.

Hahah....I get the phil and paul voice in my head too."Oh, phil, that
was a nawstee pothole...." "Mount pleasant is just a BEAST of a
climb...."

"Bill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

lowkey said:

"Veloise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

--The chopper shots are pure poetry, especially when the peleton oozes
around both sides of a traffic circle.

Truth.

I'm not one to watch any sport excepting football - and then because
it's
winter and there's little else to do.

Cycling for me is about doing - not watching. But having said that I do
enjoy the visual poetry of some of those aerial shots. It reminds me of
birds in flight or minnows in a school seemingly having group
intelligence.

I would rather do than watch but then the TdF is the one thing I do watch
the edited versions of. 5 in the morning is too early to watch the whole
stage. You 'watch' football? Man, that says "couch potato" like nothing
else.

Truth.

Although I've always cycle-commuted year round, once the snow is here to
stay my biking isn't nearly so frequent. I never was much of football viewer
but thanks to a couple workplace pools, with money riding on it, it isn't a
bad way to pass a winter Sunday. I never played football - never had any
interest to. Maybe that is why I can watch it.

--
'Swinging on the branch
of a broken family tree'
-edie brickell

Veloise said:

[...snip...]

--It's really fun to pedal home through downtown Grand Rapids in the
dark after watching a couple hours of technical fast racing. Phil
Ligget will *not* shut up. "She waits for the traffic light! She's got
a green! She stands up on the hill!!"

"And she's disappeared into a monstrous pothole! I don't think I've
ever seen anything like it! My goodness, I hope she's alright!"

Quoted message said:

Onwards and upwards!

Crawling on up out of that pothole!

The roads in Grand Rapids are almost as bad as the ones in Pittsburgh!

Having Phil Liggett's voice in your head is good. Switching it back and
forth with Bond's "Explosive" works pretty well. :-)

Chris

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