Thoughts on the 2020 Tour de France

[Bicycle Bill]

Sitting here watching the coverage of the Tour de France going into the first rest day, where the riders are wearing masks when giving interviews, the occupants of the official caravan vehicles are also masked, and even the stage winners on the daily podiums are conspicuously wearing masks matching their respective jerseys — although, despite Le Tour's insistence on social distancing (see below, from their website)



a casual and non-scientific estimate based on my viewing shows that the roadside crowds at the tops of the climbs are, as usual, elbow-to-elbow and still right up in the riders' faces, and only about 1/3 of them, if even that many, are masked.  It was then that it struck me just how much of a big business sports are nowadays and how indispensable they have become to our lives.

During the 100-plus year history of the Tour de France, the race has been cancelled only twice:  the six years between 1941 and 1946, due to WWII and its effects on the European continent, and the four years from 1915 to 1918, because of WWI and the Spanish flu pandemic (emphasis mine).  It is now 2020 and we are in the midst of another global pandemic that has infected roughly 27 million people worldwide and claimed approximately 880,000 lives to date, with no signs that, despite our advances in controlling infectious diseases over the past 100 years and our best efforts (?) to prevent its spread, it is going to go away anytime soon.

But the Tour de France — and all other professional sports, such as baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball, motorsports, horse racing (they ran the Kentucky Derby yesterday) and even golf — are now all mega-million dollar industries that have extended their tendrils into just about every aspect of life ... through sponsorships and endorsements, the companies who pay those sponsorships and endorsements and must sell their produces to recoup those expenses, huge payrolls for the athletes and support staff, massive controlling and sanctioning organizations dedicated to whichever individual sport you wish to mention, huge and expensive facilities in which to contest these events, all the way down to the guy who would normally be working inside the stadium hawking cold beer; even the gambling industry would take a significant hit if people could not place bets on various events.  To borrow a phrase from the banking crisis a decade or so ago, sports today have also become "too big to fail".

And of course I can't help but think back to the latter days of the Roman Empire and their policy of 'panem et circenses' — bread and circuses — to help appease the masses and distract them from the more pressing issues and problems of the day.  And we all know how that turned out, right?

So damn the virus; the show must go on!!

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

Makes cricket look interesting

[ex-khobar Andy]

I've been watching it. Not sure how Ineos ended up dropping both Thomas and Froome; obv they are betting on Bernal and I hope it pays off for them. Unusually this year has just one time trial on the last racing day, uphill all the way. 36K; the last 6K are 8%. It could be that the winner is not settled until then.

I can't believe Alaphilippe's team were so dumb as to give him water in the last 20K on Stage 4. Don't they know the rules? Not unlike a similar fiasco today when at Monza Hamilton's team directed him into the pits while they were closed. He was penalized 30 or 40 seconds. Hamilton looked as if the was headed for a very easy victory, but he ended up 7th for that penalty. Hamilton - like Alaphilippe - should have known but that's what a team is for.

[BoSoxGal]

[Long Run]

a casual and non-scientific estimate based on my viewing shows that the roadside crowds at the tops of the climbs are, as usual, elbow-to-elbow and still right up in the riders' faces, and only about 1/3 of them, if even that many, are masked.  

While I agree there are too many spectators at the summit tops and they are too close together (even though they are well less than half of what we see in a typical year), I have no idea what feed you are getting because it looks to me like 90-95% have masks on (for all the good it does them).

Yes, sports are a big business and if they can be conducted in a reasonably safe manner, as the Tour, tennis, soccer, golf, etc. are, then why shouldn't they go on (the "lock down" is about reasonable safety, not some puritanical sacrifice of enjoyable things). These events are safer than restaurants, offices, stores, "mostly peaceful protests", schools, and many other businesses, all of which are deemed acceptable.

[Bicycle Bill]

a casual and non-scientific estimate based on my viewing shows that the roadside crowds at the tops of the climbs are, as usual, elbow-to-elbow and still right up in the riders' faces, and only about 1/3 of them, if even that many, are masked.  

While I agree there are too many spectators at the summit tops and they are too close together (even though they are well less than half of what we see in a typical year), I have no idea what feed you are getting because it looks to me like 90-95% have masks on (for all the good it does them).

I've been watching the coverage on NBC/SN, and you are right, over the last few days I'm seeing more and more people who are masked, EXCEPT at those mountain-top stages where the crowds come right out onto the road so that the riders literally have to thread their way through the people waving flags and screaming encouragement into their faces.

I just wonder if, along with the requisite tests for PEDs and other verboten substances, the Amaury organization is doing COVID testing on the riders regularly to make sure everyone is safe to continue.  And God help them if one of the top GC contenders were to come up with a positive test.

-"BB"-

[Long Run]

I just wonder if, along with the requisite tests for PEDs and other verboten substances, the Amaury organization is doing COVID testing on the riders regularly to make sure everyone is safe to continue.  And God help them if one of the top GC contenders were to come up with a positive test.

I posted a link to the testing protocols on the day the event started. They were tested twice in the week leading up to the start. Each team is in a "bubble" throughout the event. They have to provide a health report to the team physician twice a day. And they are tested on the rest days. They used similar protocols at the few cycling events they've had this year and it seemed to work well. The athletes and team support personnel are at very low risk. As you noted, it is the spectators that have the greater risk, standing close together for a lengthy period of time while they wait for the riders to pass.

[ex-khobar Andy]

What was impressive yesterday was that all those who get right in the way going up the hill had to walk up. No-one was allowed to drive up. So although the numbers seemed to be down, they had at least shown some spunk getting up there.

[rubato]

This is a "who cares" year in sports with the sole exception of hoping Serena gets another grand slam win.

[ex-khobar Andy]

I don't think Serena will get past the third or fourth round in Paris. Having said that, my three favorite women's player of the last couple of years (Barty, Osaka and Andreescu) are all out due to the pandemic and/or injuries. Actually I am not sure about Andreescu - I don't think she has made an announcement yet but it would be her first event of the season, I think. Halep or Azarenka; or Konta if she can find a way to be good for seven matches in a row instead of her usual two or three.

[ex-khobar Andy]

And this is one of the most exciting TdFs in recent years. The all-conquering Sky/Ineos team has dropped the ball this year. The time trial has started which is the purest form of racing - no tactics, no team. There are about 3 minutes covering the top 4 riders and that's very possible to be made up in a one hour time trial.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Wonderful TT stage. Great to see Richie Porte on the podium after all those years as a domestique.

[Bicycle Bill]

And this is one of the most exciting TdFs in recent years. The all-conquering Sky/Ineos team has dropped the ball this year. The time trial has started which is the purest form of racing - no tactics, no team. There are about 3 minutes covering the top 4 riders and that's very possible to be made up in a one hour time trial.

There's a reason the individual time trial is called "The Race of Truth".

Although watching a well-disciplined, finely-meshed group in the team time trial can only be described as viewing poetry in motion.

-"BB"-

[Guinevere]

The coverage of this year’s Tour has been difficult to catch. NBCSports no longer does the 10 pm catch up, and I don’t have the time or availability in the morning for the live coverage. I miss it, it’s always one of my favorite events of the year, as much for the beauty shots of ma belle France as for the cycling.

In the French, I would love to see Azarenka break through, and here are a handful of women who could win it. But I will never count out Serena. That being said, it seems to me her focus is shifting to her family and her daughter, and her drive and focus are very different than they were even a year ago. Much like Roger.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Phil Liggett today called it "the finest arena in sports." Can't argue with that. I think he was quoting someone, can't remember who.

[Long Run]

Yes, shades of 1989 and Lemond's time trial to retake the yellow on the last day (and also on a very weak team). Let the DVR be your friend for the evening replays.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Quintana's team accused of doping? The French authorities have made a couple of arrests. Sad if true.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... ng-at-tour

[Long Run]

[rubato]

2020 sports are the whtfc olympics.

yrs,
rubato

Who The Fuck Cares.

[Burning Petard]

American culture continues to conquer the world.

Not enuff that the whole world now wears blue jeans. I just went over to the official TdF web page, then to the clothing for sale. Lots of caps, but they are ALL BASEBALL caps.

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