Wow! Bradley Wiggins wins the Tour de France. I never thought I'd see the day when a Brit would actually win the Tour! Then there's the icing on the cake - second place on the podium for the brilliant Chris Froome - and Mark Cavendish winning the sprint on the Champ elysees for the fourth time! Of course, the man behind the brilliant Sky team, Dave Brailsford, deserves as much praise as anyone when you consider that he was also instrumental in Team GB's success in the Beijing Olympics. As Chris Boardman said: This is big - it will really boost the popularity of British cycling. Now bring on the Olympics!

Wow! Bradley Wiggins wins the Tour de France. I never thought I'd see the day when a Brit would actually win the Tour!
Then there's the icing on the cake - second place on the podium for the brilliant Chris Froome - and Mark Cavendish winning the sprint on the Champ elysees for the fourth time!
Of course, the man behind the brilliant Sky team, Dave Brailsford, deserves as much praise as anyone when you consider that he was also instrumental in Team GB's success in the Beijing Olympics. As Chris Boardman said: This is big - it will really boost the popularity of British cycling. Now bring on the Olympics!

And to think we sold our most famous bike manufacturer abroad. Might make all the school run mummies think Ahh push bike or Range Rover. no the next cool thing will be to have a rack of bikes on the back of the school buggy to look trendy.

And to think we sold our most famous bike manufacturer abroad.
Might make all the school run mummies think Ahh push bike or Range Rover.
no the next cool thing will be to have a rack of bikes on the back of the school buggy to look trendy.

Chris Boardman, one of our great British ex track and time trial specialists, was smiling a lot after the great British victory and of course his own cycle brand sales will be boosted and give him even more to smile about!

Chris Boardman, one of our great British ex track and time trial specialists, was smiling a lot after the great British victory and of course his own cycle brand sales will be boosted and give him even more to smile about!

Third best news all day:P

Third best news all day

If anyone is interested, the first was receiving an HC for my latest upload:P The second, was England's bowling attack (supposedly world beaters), for the inept bunch of over paid numpties they are, coupled with England's two S.A rejects being dismissed in the 2nd innings

If anyone is interested, the first was receiving an HC for my latest upload

The second, was England's bowling attack (supposedly world beaters), for the inept bunch of over paid numpties they are, coupled with England's two S.A rejects being dismissed in the 2nd innings

Seriously, the best news for British cycling ever:P I had a good friend who many years ago, had a good finish in the Milk race:) He will be cheering from above at the moment:D

Seriously, the best news for British cycling ever

I had a good friend who many years ago, had a good finish in the Milk race

He will be cheering from above at the moment

[quote]Chris Boardman ....of course his own cycle brand sales will be boosted and give him even more to smile about![/quote] And they aren't half bad either - I have had one for a couple of years and put in a good amount of miles on it (though not Tour distances!). Seriously well done to Wiggo and the rest of the Sky team. :D

Quote:Chris Boardman ....of course his own cycle brand sales will be boosted and give him even more to smile about!


And they aren't half bad either - I have had one for a couple of years and put in a good amount of miles on it (though not Tour distances!).

Seriously well done to Wiggo and the rest of the Sky team.

Aye, we'll maybe get a half sentence in the sports pages of the tabloids now. Reg Harris, Beryl Burton, Tommy Simpson, Barry Hoban? Cycling will never be anything more than a fruitcake fringe minority sport here.

Aye, we'll maybe get a half sentence in the sports pages of the tabloids now. Reg Harris, Beryl Burton, Tommy Simpson, Barry Hoban?
Cycling will never be anything more than a fruitcake fringe minority sport here.

Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on his excellent tour win, twenty five years after an Irishman last won it! I hope his win gives cycling the boost it deserves. Unfortunately, in a country where sport broadcasting is dominated by soccer, it is perhaps too much to hope that we can get more cycling on TV. The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy), and some of the classics like the hell of the north.

Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on his excellent tour win, twenty five years after an Irishman last won it!

I hope his win gives cycling the boost it deserves. Unfortunately, in a country where sport broadcasting is dominated by soccer, it is perhaps too much to hope that we can get more cycling on TV. The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy), and some of the classics like the hell of the north.

I've been looking for info on the winter 6 day track races, but I'm getting nowhere with that. Love to see some of it.

I've been looking for info on the winter 6 day track races, but I'm getting nowhere with that. Love to see some of it.

[quote]Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on his excellent tour win, twenty five years after an Irishman last won it![/quote] Let's hope it doesn't take as long for the 2nd British win. [quote]I hope his win gives cycling the boost it deserves. Unfortunately, in a country where sport broadcasting is dominated by soccer, it is perhaps too much to hope that we can get more cycling on TV. The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy), and some of the classics like the hell of the north.[/quote] For country dominated by 'football' ;) I think that there is quite a bit of cycling on TV, yes, there could be more, but that is what Sky and Eurosport are for, niche events that the subscription pays for. ITV4 have done a great job again in coverage of the Tour. Live stages every day, and a highlights program, that was 4-6 hours a day, you can't ask for much more than that. And with all the success of Track cycling, the BBC does pretty well in covering the main track events, though you sometimes have to track (no pun intended) them down through their various TV channels, including the Red Button channel. Thanks must always go out to Channel 4 for pioneering Tour coverage so long ago. It is only because of that that there is a audience for ITV4 to transmit to. :) There are ways and means of seeing sporting events via the internet without that much hard work. I should know, I'm on holiday and was able to see the end of the race. Oh, and a Liverpool friendly in Toronto. ;)

Quote:Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on his excellent tour win, twenty five years after an Irishman last won it!


Let's hope it doesn't take as long for the 2nd British win.


Quote:I hope his win gives cycling the boost it deserves. Unfortunately, in a country where sport broadcasting is dominated by soccer, it is perhaps too much to hope that we can get more cycling on TV. The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy), and some of the classics like the hell of the north.


For country dominated by 'football' I think that there is quite a bit of cycling on TV, yes, there could be more, but that is what Sky and Eurosport are for, niche events that the subscription pays for. ITV4 have done a great job again in coverage of the Tour. Live stages every day, and a highlights program, that was 4-6 hours a day, you can't ask for much more than that. And with all the success of Track cycling, the BBC does pretty well in covering the main track events, though you sometimes have to track (no pun intended) them down through their various TV channels, including the Red Button channel.

Thanks must always go out to Channel 4 for pioneering Tour coverage so long ago. It is only because of that that there is a audience for ITV4 to transmit to.




There are ways and means of seeing sporting events via the internet without that much hard work. I should know, I'm on holiday and was able to see the end of the race. Oh, and a Liverpool friendly in Toronto.

[quote]The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy), [/quote] ITV4 covered Tour of Spain last year (the first time Wiggo and Froome ended up next to one another in a grand tour finish - allbeit only 2nd and 3rd to a Spaniard) and will hopefully do it this year as Froome has said he wants to ride it again. Can't wait to see Froome and Contador attacking each other through the Pyrennes...

Quote:The other two grand tours (Spain and Italy),


ITV4 covered Tour of Spain last year (the first time Wiggo and Froome ended up next to one another in a grand tour finish - allbeit only 2nd and 3rd to a Spaniard) and will hopefully do it this year as Froome has said he wants to ride it again. Can't wait to see Froome and Contador attacking each other through the Pyrennes...

[quote] Let's hope it doesn't take as long for the 2nd British win. [/quote] As soon as somebody proves that something IS possible, like Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile, other athletes realise that they can do it as well. Before long, a 4 minute mile was commonplace and sometimes it even happens at a school sports day! It's always taken a lot of guts and determination to be the first to do something! Well done Bradley.

Quote: Let's hope it doesn't take as long for the 2nd British win.


As soon as somebody proves that something IS possible, like Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile, other athletes realise that they can do it as well. Before long, a 4 minute mile was commonplace and sometimes it even happens at a school sports day!

It's always taken a lot of guts and determination to be the first to do something! Well done Bradley.

[quote] ITV4 covered Tour of Spain last year (the first time Wiggo and Froome ended up next to one another in a grand tour finish - allbeit only 2nd and 3rd to a Spaniard) and will hopefully do it this year as Froome has said he wants to ride it again. Can't wait to see Froome and Contador attacking each other through the Pyrennes...[/quote]Yes. Hopefully, the cycle sport authorities will have tightened up even more on catching drugs takers. Some have said the likes of Wiggins and Froome only got 1st and 2nd place on the podium because the greatest riders were out of the tour. Well, all I can say is: Some of those were taking drugs and so surely Wiggins and Froome (whom I'm sure are clean) might well have still beaten these supposedly great names if drugs were absent from the scene and it had therefore been a level playing field. I hate the associations I make with Murdoch when I think of the Sky team but of course I'm sure the team themselves don't feel that close to Rupert or James! However, the Sky team appear to have operated with great sportsmanship and Dave Brailsford seems to have run a "tight ship" were it's hard to imagine he would accept or wouldn't know if drugs were taken under his watch. British cycling, I think, now produces some of the finest role models in all sport. :)

Quote:
ITV4 covered Tour of Spain last year (the first time Wiggo and Froome ended up next to one another in a grand tour finish - allbeit only 2nd and 3rd to a Spaniard) and will hopefully do it this year as Froome has said he wants to ride it again. Can't wait to see Froome and Contador attacking each other through the Pyrennes...
Yes. Hopefully, the cycle sport authorities will have tightened up even more on catching drugs takers. Some have said the likes of Wiggins and Froome only got 1st and 2nd place on the podium because the greatest riders were out of the tour. Well, all I can say is: Some of those were taking drugs and so surely Wiggins and Froome (whom I'm sure are clean) might well have still beaten these supposedly great names if drugs were absent from the scene and it had therefore been a level playing field.
I hate the associations I make with Murdoch when I think of the Sky team but of course I'm sure the team themselves don't feel that close to Rupert or James! However, the Sky team appear to have operated with great sportsmanship and Dave Brailsford seems to have run a "tight ship" were it's hard to imagine he would accept or wouldn't know if drugs were taken under his watch.
British cycling, I think, now produces some of the finest role models in all sport.

[quote]Some have said the likes of Wiggins and Froome only got 1st and 2nd place on the podium because the greatest riders were out of the tour.[/quote] Andy Schleck would certainly have livened up the racing a bit but, given his generally woeful performance against the clock, Wiggins would still have beaten him, imo. As for Contador, well, that one's harder to call as he could distance Wiggins in the climbs [i]and[/i] come close in the TTs. Now Froome vs. Contador would be an altogether different matter - providing AC has learnt his lesson, of course.

Quote:Some have said the likes of Wiggins and Froome only got 1st and 2nd place on the podium because the greatest riders were out of the tour.


Andy Schleck would certainly have livened up the racing a bit but, given his generally woeful performance against the clock, Wiggins would still have beaten him, imo. As for Contador, well, that one's harder to call as he could distance Wiggins in the climbs and come close in the TTs. Now Froome vs. Contador would be an altogether different matter - providing AC has learnt his lesson, of course.