ans Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I've seen evidence of it raising the profile of cycling generally, the group I ride with has swelled a lot recently, I'm sure part of that is due to the profile of the likes of the TDF and Cav's achievements being noticed by the locals. I'd probably go with it being more to do with it being the summertime, light nights and better weather usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La_Dolce_Vita Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I'd rather you didn't try to second guess where I'm going to take the conversation, and just answer the question. Would that be possible do you think? Sorry, but I'd rather cut to the chase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sausages Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Tiger Woods doesn't wear lycra... So? Cycling is missing someone like him + the lycra bunch hasn't done itself any favours with the whole doping affair. I guess the fact that the only really mainstream event is the tdf also doesn't help. Golf + Tennis have more than one well known big event in their calendar and are pretty much global. I can tell you that from a betting point of view, positively no-one cares about cycling - none, nada, niente. Golf, Tennis, NBA, etc, however, are huge. As ans said - most people watch for a few minutes and then switch off because it's dull. Most golfers, Tiger included, wear lycra base layers these days. Not that it matters. People involved in athletics and cycling wear lycra, people racing cars wear stupid looking helmets, golfers wear one glove, footballers wear long socks. So what? Cycling is missing someone like him? All sports need personalities to maintain interest. I give you Lance Armstrong. World famous, an inspiration to millions, and a household name in the USA where cycling really is a minor sport. Cycling in mainland Europe is big. Very big. It's on par with football as the national sport in some regions of France, Italy, Belgium, Spain (especially Catalan), & Netherlands. It's nowhere near as big in the UK or USA, however. I'll bet viewing figures for this year's tour were significantly higher in the US and probably UK because of Armstrong's presence. Doping has severely damaged the reputation, that's true. There'll always be questions asked, but it's always been the way, from day one cyclists were using alcohol to numb the pain on the big climbs in the tour, or amphetamines to give them energy. It's part of the culture, unfortanate as that may be. With regard to it being dull, I find NBA, NFL, NHL, rugby, and horse racing especially dull. All sports appeal to a minority, even football. I personally find the tactics and politics involved in cycling absolutely fascinating. I cycle lots (non competitively) and am in awe of the fitness levels involved. However, I wouldn't want to watch 5 hours of live coverage - the highlights are sufficient, because, like with most sports, the good bits come at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Sorry, but I'd rather cut to the chase. This is pointless, you've failed to guess where I'm going with the conversation. Can't you just give me an answer? Last try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieK Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 This is pointless, you've failed to guess where I'm going with the conversation. Can't you just give me an answer? Last try. Is this really worth it? I mean, LDV's just going to say some academic persuit (in fact, he already has), and then everyone's going to say "ahhh, but lots of people think that's pointless" as if it actually means something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyboarder Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 the group I ride with has swelled a lot recently You're obviously not cycling far enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Take Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Think Wiggins may have had a bit too much to drink last night (but don't blame him one bit), judging by his twitter posts:- bradwiggins: Hey Cav, your a star, remember what we said, fuck Bob, life goes on, dont let sponser politics affect freindships. about 14 hours ago from mobile web bradwiggins: Hung over and tired today, The Jack Daniels was a bad idea 35 minutes ago from mobile web Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyboarder Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hey, we can still be the Isle of SAM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemonday Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Chief minister Tony Brown pays tribute Could this not be done in a historical sense, like Danegeld? Will Cav arrive home to be given gold, strong cattle, fine horses, a new suit of armour, two swords and a tract of land from the river to the sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Is this really worth it? I mean, LDV's just going to say some academic persuit (in fact, he already has), and then everyone's going to say "ahhh, but lots of people think that's pointless" as if it actually means something. I was targeting the 'nationalism is pointless' rather than all sports being pointless, but looks like I'm wasting my time. Article here about cyclings popularity with some stats from the guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jul...in-dave-cameron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Will Cav arrive home to be given gold, strong cattle, fine horses, a new suit of armour, two swords and a tract of land from the river to the sea. That's up to the Italians eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La_Dolce_Vita Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Is this really worth it? I mean, LDV's just going to say some academic persuit (in fact, he already has), and then everyone's going to say "ahhh, but lots of people think that's pointless" as if it actually means something. I was targeting the 'nationalism is pointless' rather than all sports being pointless, but looks like I'm wasting my time. Nothing particularly noxious about supporting your national team. Doesn't bother me, don't think it is pointless for the sake of harmless competition. But I wasn't under the impression that Cavendish was representing the Isle of Man in this race. He is just himself. That his nationality was misquoted is only important if you take nationalism too seriously or if he was actually representing his nation in the sense of being referred to a England or Isle of Man (such as in the Commonwealth Games). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieK Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Article here about cyclings popularity with some stats from the guardian:http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jul...in-dave-cameron Fair enough, although that article doesn't actually seem to say a great deal relating to your argument. More people riding bikes for recreation and short journeys doesn't translate into a boom in the sport of competitive riding. Sure, the article states that it's the second fastest growing sport after athletics, but it's worth noting that both are starting from a relatively small base of support making short term rises in numbers account for the high rate of 'growth'. For instance, consider the example set by Rapha in the article: there's plenty of talk about 80% rises and business being booming in the trade for garish lycra slug costumes, but in absolute terms this translates into "more than a dozen orders", or "piss all" by anyone's measure. The article also makes a bit much about towns with a strong or rising cycling culture, citing Cambridge, York, and Bristol. The common theme between these cities? University towns. Cambridge has the collegiate structure, Bristol a civic university with a dispersed precinct and halls of residence, and York a small city with a campus situated just a cycle ride out of town. In each case there's a good reason for students to adopt cycling as a means of transport (and they've been doing so in Oxford and Cambridge for decades), especially in Bristol and York where the bus companies are particularly rubbish, but that's no guarrantee that this will carry over into later life when they actually have a regular commute and the money for a car or at least a bus ticket (or that the same people will be spending their weekends at the local bike club rather than studying or getting mashed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whimsy Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 1. This explains all you need to know about how the TdF works: http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-...e-200907271935/ 2. That LDV is not very bright is he? Stop taunting him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freggyragh Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 As national anthems go, I think the tune of 'Land of Our Birth' is pretty good, but not half as good as 'Mylecharaine' on which it is based . As for the second verse, the line 'when Orry the Dane in Mannin did reign' is dodgy - His name was Gorry (Manx spelling Gorree) - not kinG Orry! He was a Norse-Gael, probably from Islay, but had no connections to Denmark. He was known in Irish as Gofraid mac meic Aralt, - he spoke Gaelic, and perhaps Norse, but not Danish. and whilst he did reign in Mannin, he was subject to the king of Dublin - Murchad Mac Diarmaid (Murry Kermode). Anyway, I too was annoyed that the BBC said Cav was 'English' - but not surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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