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Let's Play a U.S. Game Again - "Find The TDF" ... :(

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What’s the GCN coverage like? What are they showing?
I Totally miss the GCN+ coverage. They seem to get the mix of party atmosphere and Fun... Orla & crew along w/ the more serious side via Sean Kelly. He's the best for technical assessment right now. I will say Chris and Christian are doing a GREAT job. Love those guys. Bob & Phil are trying to "Click" but just keep missing either the beat or their timing is off. They need more practice working together or just to spend some time becoming better friends so they jibe more easily. Watching "Chill Bob" is just weird! Bob's at his best when he's over the top w/ his lingo. It's just weird hearing him talk in that serious tone about museums and castles. He needs to go at it w/ more of a point of view like, "Damn guys, I can't believe I'm getting PAID mad money to do this shiznit!" ... That would be more authentic! Go Bob! Let's see some FU attitude back in the mix!

Then again, NOBODY breaks it down like Johan Bryuneel (spelling) on The Move - JB2 podcast. He takes off the gloves, takes absolutely NO prisoners and lays the info out there ... even down to the effects of the numerous cultural aspects of the TDF from the perspectives of the different countries involved. He knows and shares so much about what's truly going on behind the scenes through his numerous insider sources. There is no hiding from Johan!
 
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cantunamunch

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I will use the bottom of this thread to point out that the PMG Sport Youtube channel has the Giro Donne - both live and on replay.

#ItaliancommentaryisevensillierandmorerepetitivethanNBC
#noscriprequired
 
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I will use the bottom of this thread to point out that the PMG Sport Youtube channel has the Giro Donne - both live and on replay.

#ItaliancommentaryisevensillierandmorerepetitivethanNBC
#noscriprequired
I saw the Giro Donne stages advertised on GCN+ before I cancelled it. I have yet to follow that race. I am interested in this years TDF Femmes as it ends on July 31st w/ the race going up the Super Planche Des Belles Filles. Such a sad story behind that name and somewhat ironic that their tour finishes at the top of it......... interesting choice for a Femmes finish. It promises to be exciting till the very end. :beercheer:
 

cantunamunch

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I saw the Giro Donne stages advertised on GCN+ before I cancelled it. I have yet to follow that race.

One of the things you immediately realise is that Italy doesn't really have top-level teams anymore - and since one of the priorities of the Giro and Giro Donne is to invite local teams, they're all young. Watching the team presentation is like watching a junior high bicycle play.

But, hey, the Sardinian stages were awesome - with an *almost* Spanish riding feel.
 
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So...open question to you and forumites - what are the odds van der Poel will get his legs back after recovery day?
I think MVP will bail and rightfully so. Live to die another day. Lance, Hincapie and Johan are all saying w/ a bit of encouragement, he'll leave. One of them said, "What's the point of him staying if he's not on form?" W/ his record, he's got nothing to prove a this point. The part we don't know is the degree to which his contractual obligations are dictating his continued presence at the TDF. :huh:

The other question I was wondering about and that is being discussed on both podcasts is the number of matches UAE is burning up and will that team have anything left in the tanks for the last week to help Pogacar? I think Jumbo and Inneos might want to consider forcing their hand, working together and attacking from further out during the stages to place some kind, ANY kind of pressure on Pogacar... Problem is, I don't think anybody has any legs left!!! OMG this tour has been crazy FAST!!!!!!
 
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cantunamunch

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I think Jumbo and Inneos might want to consider forcing their hand, working together and attacking from further out during the stages to place some kind, ANY kind of pressure on Pogacar... Problem is, I don't think anybody has any legs left!!! OMG this tour has been crazy FAST!!!!!!

I think the opposite tactic is shaping up - force UAE to keep yellow by not chasing big breaks. Load up on that chasing fatigue, baby. If UAE survive the Col du Galibier and Serre Chevalier, if they survive the Alpe d'Huez, crack them in the Pyrenees.

I'm still waiting for a big wind split. Maybe on the day into Carcassone?
 
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I'm still waiting for a big wind split. Maybe on the day into Carcassone?
Ha ha ha.... Okay my sophomoric mind automatically defaults to the "wind" in the peloton :ogbiggrin: being caused by all the cassoulet eaten in Carcassone! Sorry... couldn't resist!!! :huh: :beercheer:
 
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... crack them in the Pyrenees.
Your summary is exactly the breakdown we're getting from Lance, George and crew. This promises to be an interesting final week if this keeps up. Johan B said he just doesn't understand the current UAE tactical approach. They are burning up their team inefficiently and not showing real gains for their efforts. Many of the top contenders remain w/in striking distance. Fun Tour! I've yet to see a dull stage. Today's stage has sleeper potential. I'll be watching it later tonight. Can't wait! :popcorn:
 

Tony S

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It was flawless watching the Giro on GCN w/ Orla, Adam, Dan and Robbie. Wifey and I LOVED their pre show dance warmups on the Insty (Instagram) ! HILARIOUS outtakes! They covered cycling angles and drama that Phil, Bob, Chris and Christian are careful not to touch, or just don't have time to cover. Sean Kelly brings it every time w/ the announcing along w/ his partner whose name escapes me.

Looking for the elusive NBC full TDF broadcast (not the Peacock Streaming version) No detailed schedule announcements on USA or CNBC outside of NBC guiding the viewer to their Streaming service. It's crickets on that. For pple in most areas I'm guessing that a VPN is an option for Euro coverage. For those of us living outside mainstream highspeed internet service, it's not really an option.

My plan: I'm going to wait until the last possible minute to check the schedules of USA and CNBC coverage before possibly defaulting to the Peacock network. I know, I'm whining over $5 but, w/ my DIsh Network I can DVR the TDF and watch fast motion until I get to interesting moments. W/ Streaming, there is no fast motion option, only skipping fwd which means possibly missing moments and scenes of interest like the street art, town performances, agri art and other stuff... yes and crashes!

I kept GCN for this month bec they are scheduled post daily race, to do their excellent " extended highlights" version of the TDF even here in the U.S. They expertly edit the race for you and show anything and everything of interest along w/ commentary. I've yet to verify this so we'll see. Our most successful process for the Giro 2022 was; watch the live show w/ Orla and crew, then watch the extended highlights, then go back to the Orla crew for the end of race summary. That ends up taking up about 2 hrs per night, rather than the requisite 6 -7 hrs per day needed to watch everything. In the morning during yoga before work, I listen to "The Move" podcast (or youtube) w/ Lance, Johan Bruyneel, Hincapie and crew, then "JB2" w/ Johan and JB, then also "La Movida" in Spanish w/ Johan, Victor Hugo Pena and crew for cycling from a Latino perspective. Regardless of how anyone feels about Lance, their shows and honest commentary is groundbreaking and transformative for the sport of cycling.

Only a week or so to go so Have fun!
Finally this year I seem to have managed to get the Eurosport/GCN coverage onto my TV screen (not just my phone). I suspect more than one variable has changed to allow this. But the one I know about for sure is that the damn USB-C to HDMI cable I bought a couple years ago to enable this setup turns out to have been a complete POS. Again this year I flailed around with it for ninety minutes trying to get it to work consistently and failed. (It worked sometimes, which is why I didn't suspect the cable itself.) Went to Staples, bought another, sturdier-looking one, plugged it in and bingo: It all just worked without a hitch.

Yay!

I'm using my Windows tablet with a mouse to feed the TV. Because of the cable, the tablet needs to stay near the TV, but the wireless mouse has enough range that I can control it from the couch.

Before you tell me I should go wireless, that's a proven no-go in my house due to dueling Apple (her) and non-Apple (me) ecosystems.

Anyway, phew!
 
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Finally this year I seem to have managed to get the Eurosport/GCN coverage onto my TV screen (not just my phone). I suspect more than one variable has changed to allow this. But the one I know about for sure is that the damn USB-C to HDMI cable I bought a couple years ago to enable this setup turns out to have been a complete POS. Again this year I flailed around with it for ninety minutes trying to get it to work consistently and failed. (It worked sometimes, which is why I didn't suspect the cable itself.) Went to Staples, bought another, sturdier-looking one, plugged it in and bingo: It all just worked without a hitch.

Yay!

I'm using my Windows tablet with a mouse to feed the TV. Because of the cable, the tablet needs to stay near the TV, but the wireless mouse has enough range that I can control it from the couch.

Before you tell me I should go wireless, that's a proven no-go in my house due to dueling Apple (her) and non-Apple (me) ecosystems.

Anyway, phew!
Awesome!:beercheer:

I'm using a VPN to get Euro/GCN+.... Sorry but Bobky, Phil, Christian V (who is a REALLY good commentator) can't compete w/ Oorla, Sean Kelly, Adam Blythe, Robbie and of course Dan (Who I've read is the actual Boss at GCN... Is that true??? Love Dan!) For the Giro the crew always does Instagram pre-show dance videos that they release as a warm up! FUN STUFF! Dan & Robbie dancing is HILARIOUS!

Wifey will watch every race w/ Oorla at the helm....... w/ Bobky and crew, I'm watching solo.... she bails on them almost immediately. We do the Oorla drinking game and try to see who can figure out her outfit...... You get it wrong... You drink!!!!!! LOL Keeps Wifey engaged and having fun!

Anyway my setup is PC/HDMI Out to Home Theater Receiver HDMI In ( Front HDMI port for ease of access). The crew comes in full home theater mode via 10 speakers (Triple Sub setup - Amazing for movies, not really designed for sports) I recently picked up a QLED TV and the detail is almost disturbingly realistic....It took a min to get used to seeing every freckle, but lovin' the new setup.

I watch like this for time mgmt;

1- Start w/ The Breakaway after Oorla and crew are done at the start
2- Watch the Extended Highlights down to ~ 40K
3- Back to the Full show @40k watch end and Breakaway.
4- Mtn Stages I may watch the entire stage or extended parts depending on time frames and what peaks are being done.

Have Fun and Enjoy the show!
 
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Thread Starter
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Looks like USA are only promising one week of everyday TV coverage. :nono::nono:



What and miss ALL the background rioting fun?
Yes...... France going through a LOT right now! I think we're in need of a Girmay stage win to calm things down! Would that be considered "Affirmative Bike Action"? :popcorn:
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Awesome!:beercheer:

I'm using a VPN to get Euro/GCN+.... Sorry but Bobky, Phil, Christian V (who is a REALLY good commentator) can't compete w/ Oorla, Sean Kelly, Adam Blythe, Robbie and of course Dan (Who I've read is the actual Boss at GCN... Is that true??? Love Dan!) For the Giro the crew always does Instagram pre-show dance videos that they release as a warm up! FUN STUFF! Dan & Robbie dancing is HILARIOUS!

Wifey will watch every race w/ Oorla at the helm....... w/ Bobky and crew, I'm watching solo.... she bails on them almost immediately. We do the Oorla drinking game and try to see who can figure out her outfit...... You get it wrong... You drink!!!!!! LOL Keeps Wifey engaged and having fun!

Anyway my setup is PC/HDMI Out to Home Theater Receiver HDMI In ( Front HDMI port for ease of access). The crew comes in full home theater mode via 10 speakers (Triple Sub setup - Amazing for movies, not really designed for sports) I recently picked up a QLED TV and the detail is almost disturbingly realistic....It took a min to get used to seeing every freckle, but lovin' the new setup.

I watch like this for time mgmt;

1- Start w/ The Breakaway after Oorla and crew are done at the start
2- Watch the Extended Highlights down to ~ 40K
3- Back to the Full show @40k watch end and Breakaway.
4- Mtn Stages I may watch the entire stage or extended parts depending on time frames and what peaks are being done.

Have Fun and Enjoy the show!
Sean Kelley's speech. Entrancing.
 
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First night ride on the LVRT!
 

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Thread Starter
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We have to assess his self-abuse limit is...
After 100 + miles on the ebike this weekend, I'd say LOW!!!!!! Ha ha ha ha Then again, I can barely walk and Wifey and I in desperate need of a yoga session after two long rides yesterday and this morning's ride!
 
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