La Vuelta a Espana

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Discussion

TackleburyUk

493 posts

189 months

Monday 24th August 2015
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Off to watch the last 6 days with the wife.

Shes recently got into her cycling and i'm going for the sun and rioja!

Anyone been before to a grand tour? Its our first time and don't know if we should just wing it or head to start finish etc...

Any advice?

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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go to the steepest bit if you want to see them for more than a few seconds.
Great day out tho, really enjoyed TdF in Yorkshire.

AyBee

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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Some Gump said:
go to the steepest bit if you want to see them for more than a few seconds.
yes If you head to a flat section, they'll be past you so quickly, you won't realise it happened tongue out

Rolls

1,502 posts

176 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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and if its anything like the tour, be prepared for a long day of waiting around by the side of the road doing nothing! Go prepared : food / drink etc

ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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Rolls said:
and if its anything like the tour, be prepared for a long day of waiting around by the side of the road doing nothing! Go prepared : food / drink etc
Or find a local cafe, enjoy a few beers in the festival atmosphere and then stagger back to your accommodation later (works well in LeTour anyway).

PorkRind

3,053 posts

204 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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Good to see a Sagan stage win, long time coming !!

Also, wish the ITV coverage was as good as le tour, doping dave doesnt have the same sort of enthusiasm phil et al has...

ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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PorkRind said:
Good to see a Sagan stage win, long time coming !!

Also, wish the ITV coverage was as good as le tour, doping dave doesnt have the same sort of enthusiasm phil et al has...
But he has better insights IMO and rarely struggles to identify a rider.

PorkRind

3,053 posts

204 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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ewenm said:
But he has better insights IMO and rarely struggles to identify a rider.
You're not wrong re the id'ing !

They still need the full team smile

SixPotBelly

1,922 posts

219 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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PorkRind said:
Also, wish the ITV coverage was as good as le tour, doping dave doesnt have the same sort of enthusiasm phil et al has...
Really? I very much appreciate the way Millar predicts who's going to do what, when, and explains why. As opposed to Liggett and Sherwin who just tell you what you can see with your own eyes, often getting the names wrong, but only when they're not rambling on about something completely unrelated like two octogenarians sadly suffering with dementia. It was enough to send me to Eurosport for Le Tour.

dogbucket

1,200 posts

200 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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I see they finally removed the peak from the helmet on the shelf behind David Millar in the studio last night biggrin

dave_s13

13,813 posts

268 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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AyBee said:
Some Gump said:
go to the steepest bit if you want to see them for more than a few seconds.
yes If you head to a flat section, they'll be past you so quickly, you won't realise it happened tongue out
They passed by the bottom of the residential estate we were staying at on Sunday. Excellent spectacle but over in seconds. Can't see how it's a very good spectator sport, more of a TV thing really. It was properly hot too, standing around waiting in that heat isn't much fun.

mcelliott

8,626 posts

180 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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Good finish today, too bad the best climbing non pure sprinter couldn't quite beat one of the sport's best climbers today. Love those finishes.

Don1

15,936 posts

207 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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SixPotBelly said:
Really? I very much appreciate the way Millar predicts who's going to do what, when, and explains why. As opposed to Liggett and Sherwin who just tell you what you can see with your own eyes, often getting the names wrong, but only when they're not rambling on about something completely unrelated like two octogenarians sadly suffering with dementia.
I could not agree.... more. Even more surprising for me, due to my dislike of Millar when he was racing - a full 180 change for me. Keep Millar!

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
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I take it all back.

When millar was put in the tdf team, i thought he was rubbish. Boring monotones clearly read from a script, no enthusiasm. Oh, and when not on script talked about himself more than the event.

However, as a commentator, he's been marvellous the last few days. Like ant davidson on a test day, or mcNish during an endurance event he is giving some real insight into the more subtle aspects of what each member of the team is doin, how they are doing it and why.

So, bad pundit, great back up / info / fil commentator. I hope he gets this job again.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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I agree about David Millar; at first I didn't like him as a commentator, but only very very briefly. His insights and the things he describes about the racing - more accurately, *why* teams are doing what they are, not just what they are doing, is brilliant.

A great example in last night's was when the 3 big GC teams came to the front just after the bridge, then backed off 10k later. He explained why, whereas I doubt Phil would have understood that.

It's given a very different understand of the intricacies of the racing, for me.

Leithen

10,799 posts

266 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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Millar is a genuinely decent bloke. As has been said above, hopefully he keeps the commentating gig for some time.

wal 45

654 posts

179 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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Another vote for David Millar's commentary, he really has been excellent in the Vuelta. Sort of a Martin Brundle coming in to F1 TV coverage moment for me, an expert who knows what he is talking about with up to date experience of the sport.

I've watched the Vuelta for a few years now and it always has been a very poor relation commentator wise when compared to the TDF apart from when Phil and Paul were drafted in halfway through last year (think it was last year).

I think him and Ned need to practice not overtalking each other but apart from that the reading of the race and conveying it to an audience has been outstanding.

Good race so far and I hope DM gets a more permanent gig with ITV4 for their cycling coverage.

mcelliott

8,626 posts

180 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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johnxjsc1985

15,948 posts

163 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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Its alreadt providing good racing. Looks like a cracking stage tomorrow

ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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Enjoying the coverage and racing so far. OGE having another great start and if Chavez can hold the front group tomorrow, they might get the red jersey back again.

I don't think I've seen an interview or comment from Froome yet - nicely anonymous!