12/22/24
July 06, 2007
Hidden: It's only the greatest sporting event on the planet!: The Tour de France starts tomorrow and will be mercifully free of American drug cheats. No Brit can win, but this year has to be the most interesting for years; we Brits have genuine contenders for the odd stage win and the overall winner? Anyones guess.
posted by Fat Buddha to extreme at 04:55 PM - 14 comments
It's only the greatest sporting event on the planet! By whose definition? The Tour de France starts tomorrow and will be mercifully free of American drug cheats. Does this mean there will still be European drug cheats?
posted by tommybiden at 05:37 PM on July 06, 2007
By whose definition? The 15 million people who will stand at the side of the road to watch it, and the 450 million people who watch it on TV. Does this mean there will still be European drug cheats? No, because they all had to sign a piece of paper saying they weren't taking drugs. And none of them even had their fingers crossed when they signed it. (Yes, that really is the UCI's grand plan to tackle doping. "Sign this please and promise not to be a naughty boy".)
posted by afx237vi at 05:42 PM on July 06, 2007
Being an American cyclist I personally agree that it is the great sporting event; at least in non World Cup years.However,the comment about the lack of American drug cheats was a cheap shot and demonstrates a lack of British sportsmanship.By the way,Fats,when was the last time a Brit won the tour? Oh,I'm sorry. It hasn't happened yet.
posted by sickleguy at 06:05 PM on July 06, 2007
...will be mercifully free of American drug cheats. Giving the European drug cheats a chance, right? Great way to focus the discussion on the event.
posted by dusted at 06:09 PM on July 06, 2007
The 15 million people who will stand at the side of the road to watch it, and the 450 million people who watch it on TV. Wow! That's just over 60% of the 715 million who watched the France - Italy final in the 2006 World Cup. Of course I assume you mean 450 million watched the various stage here and there. I don't know how many people all told tuned into the World Cup last year.
posted by Ricardo at 06:29 PM on July 06, 2007
The 15 million people who will stand at the side of the road to watch it, and the 450 million people who watch it on TV. I'm sorry, but those numbers cannot be right, can they? 15 million roadside fans is half a million every day of the race. 450 million people is one out of every 15 people. In the world. The whole world. That's like... a lot. Seriously, where did you get those numbers from? If they're right, I am overwhelmingly impressed. On edit: That's just over 60% of the 715 million who watched the France - Italy final in the 2006 World Cup. There is no way that number is right. 715 million people were all watching the same 2-hour event at the same time. Better than one in 10 people. In the world. That includes infants, I think.
posted by The Crafty Sousepaw at 06:48 PM on July 06, 2007
I would have loved to discuss this year's Tour de France, but the link is poor, and the post's wording is just looking for trouble. I'm not sure this will work.
posted by qbert72 at 06:48 PM on July 06, 2007
Me too, qbert.
posted by dusted at 07:00 PM on July 06, 2007
"It's only the greatest sporting event on the planet!" Horseshit. And those numbers are garbage. Viewershipwise, the World Cup is number one, the Olympics are number two, and Formula One is number 3. I have never met one person in the real world who gives a flying fuck about the Tour De France, and I spent the first 25 years of my life in England. It just doesn't register. The majority of people I know associate the race with steroids and cheating. Crafty Sousepaw: 715 million doesn't sound too much of an overestimate. I know a good few people who watched the final last year who don't usually, myself included. It was the highest rated cup in the history of the tournament I think. I think you are underestimating the appeal of football. People I know who LOATHE the sport, still watch the World Cup. Edit: In the interests of full disclosure, I asked my wife what the first thing she thought of was, and it was "mountains".
posted by Drood at 07:04 PM on July 06, 2007
qbert72 and dusted, you are both right, the linkage is poor, the post is shit, but it is the greatest sporting event on the planet and it starts tomorrow, and until my piss poor post, Spofi hadn't mentioned it. Come on !!!!! Get with the programme! afx237vi thanks for knowing something about the damn thing!
posted by Fat Buddha at 07:23 PM on July 06, 2007
How does this sound? Over 26 billion cumulative viewers. It also mentions the 715 million watching the final. straight from FIFAs website
posted by Ricardo at 07:26 PM on July 06, 2007
What's the point of this post, it's a link to promote an event that americans care even less about than soccer. There is no interesting commentary only a public relations site for bicycling. The only reason I have ever paid attention to the TDF or world cup was to see if an american or american team could win to piss off the rest of the world by beating them at there own game/contest/sport?/flopfest. IMHO, Floyd and especially Lance won fair and square, and if they didn't, who cares? It is a bicycle race we're talking about. My jingoist ass will be watching blase baseball and offseason NFL transactions until something interesting transpires in the wide world of sports.
posted by tnip23 at 07:34 PM on July 06, 2007
This isn't going well.
posted by justgary at 07:42 PM on July 06, 2007
Can I please plug the Spofi fantasy Tour de France? You only have until tomorrow to sign up! As for the Brits - one born in Belgium (Wiggins), one born in Malta (Millar), one born in Finland (Wegelius) and one born in the technically-not-part-of-the-UK Isle of Man (Cavendish). The other one's a Welshman (Thomas). We claim Backstedt too. Personally, I don't think we'll win much. Cancellara will deny Wiggins in the prologue, Cavendish will be overawed by the experience and Millar has lost his zip since giving up the dope. Cav is our best chance, but winning sprints in the Tour of Catalonia is a lot different to winning sprints in the Tour de France. For the overall, I'd plump for Valverde, providing he doesn't crash, and providing that mysterious bag of blood marked "Valv. Piti" doesn't come back to haunt him. Vino is the man he has to beat, but again, he has some serious doubts over his clean-ness. First with the Ferrarri links, then after what Jorg Jaksche said about the un-named Liberty Seguros rider demanding better "medical support". The rest are much of a muchness. Leipheimer, Menchov, Rogers, Evans... they're all the same basically. Top ten fodder without the winning instinct. Anyone ever seen any of those guys take control of a race? No, me neither.