Alberto Contador wins Vuelta for third time, Chris Froome runner-up

DrJDog wrote:

In 3 weeks I didn't hear the word 'doping' used once on ITV4. Considering the field that was quite an achievement. Do they have an agreement with the rights holders to keep their mouths shut?

Nobody dopes anymore, silly

It was mentioned ... in the episode BEFORE the one where they got Bobby Jullich in the hot seat, but only to explain why they weren't going to mention it when he WAS!

But to be fair I actually enjoyed it and the studio discussions were quite intelligent. And they weren't made to try and look like a pair of trendy news-readers standing around a laptop placed on a coffee-counter.

I think the point is about sponsorship, look at the TV coverage the sponsors got out of it. The Vuelta is also looking for an identity so that it isn't the poor relation of the Grand Tours which it has been for so many years. I think a 30k TT would have been superb for the final stage but, as you say, 6 miles is not likely to do much for the overall standings.

Yorkiechan wrote:

Is it just me? but what is the the point of a 6 mile TT for super trained athletes?

Finally someone else who thinks this.

For years I watched the Olympics in amazement as the riders competed in TT's over 4km and even worse only a kilometer! This was supposed to be the pinnacle of sport and they were only doing a distance any kid can do the first day they learn to ride a bike. So it came as no surprise to me when they announced those two events were be dropped from the games. I duly expected them to announce a 100 mile TT, a compromise distance short enough to make compelling TV viewing but long enough to attract the world's best cyclist who all focus on 12hr TTs.

Then I got the shock of my life they announced the team 4km as a replacement. It took me 10 days to wake from that coma, my psychiatrist explains to me that the idea riding 4km alone was considered so hard that even the worlds best now required a team of 4 to make it round was so shocking to me that I had to re-evaluate everything I'd ever thought in life.

For my own sanity I can now only express my views on cycling by sitting out front in my rocking chair shouting at kids that "they don't make them how they used to", "250m race!?!" and "in my day we used to race non stop for a week, 6 day races we called em". Finally realizing that kids today are weak willed and lazy compared to the golden era when I were a lad is the crucial piece of logic keeping my world together.

Our new letter of the week is:

cub wrote:

Yorkiechan wrote:

Is it just me? but what is the the point of a 6 mile TT for super trained athletes?

Finally someone else who thinks this.

For years I watched the Olympics in amazement as the riders competed in TT's over 4km and even worse only a kilometer! This was supposed to be the pinnacle of sport and they were only doing a distance any kid can do the first day they learn to ride a bike. So it came as no surprise to me when they announced those two events were be dropped from the games. I duly expected them to announce a 100 mile TT, a compromise distance short enough to make compelling TV viewing but long enough to attract the world's best cyclist who all focus on 12hr TTs.

Then I got the shock of my life they announced the team 4km as a replacement. It took me 10 days to wake from that coma, my psychiatrist explains to me that the idea riding 4km alone was considered so hard that even the worlds best now required a team of 4 to make it round was so shocking to me that I had to re-evaluate everything I'd ever thought in life.

For my own sanity I can now only express my views on cycling by sitting out front in my rocking chair shouting at kids that "they don't make them how they used to", "250m race!?!" and "in my day we used to race non stop for a week, 6 day races we called em". Finally realizing that kids today are weak willed and lazy compared to the golden era when I were a lad is the crucial piece of logic keeping my world together.

cub wrote:

For my own sanity I can now only express my views on cycling by sitting out front in my rocking chair shouting at kids that "they don't make them how they used to", "250m race!?!" and "in my day we used to race non stop for a week, 6 day races we called em". Finally realizing that kids today are weak willed and lazy compared to the golden era when I were a lad is the crucial piece of logic keeping my world together.

But the UCI in their madness banned amphetamines and pot belge. Making such events inhumane. Admittedly they are allowed free reign with tramadol, but probably not the best choice if you need to stay awake for days.