Roches log from paper today

yop

I had a look to see if there was a thread already

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-imagine-driving-through-a-rainstorm-the-windscreen-fogging-and-the-wipers-off-2821195.html

manwithaplan

I'm really enjoying these articles. Maybe I'm a bit sad but I love hearing about litter zones, piss stops, bottles drunk, slices of apple tart eaten and all the other daily mundanity.

yop

manwithaplan wrote: »

I'm really enjoying these articles. Maybe I'm a bit sad but I love hearing about litter zones, piss stops, bottles drunk, slices of apple tart eaten and all the other daily mundanity.

I am turning into a real cyclist junkie myself now too! I just keeping scratching my head reading things like doing 80kmph on a flat!

7pm on ITV4 is my new match of the day!

Great to see him in 10th place today.

TheTubes

Today I ate two bananas, a cereal bar, two big jam biscuits and two slices of apple tart before the feed zone, so I wasn't that hungry for the energy gels and bars that we usually get in our musettes. I also drank four or five bottles. On a hot day, I could drink 10, or more.

Riveting stuff!

Joking aside, it is interesting

ednwireland

Yop - spoilers

toomuchdetail

Thanks YOP: love these series of columns from Nicholas Roche, think there might be something in the 2 slices of apple tart for fuel.

yop

toomuchdetail wrote: »

Thanks YOP: love these series of columns from Nicholas Roche, think there might be something in the 2 slices of apple tart for fuel.

I always knew "Mammys apple crumble" was going to suit me

Jawgap

How do you carry, then eat apple tart on the bike?

Anyway, from today's diary.....

"Going over the top of the Tourmalet, I was handed a newspaper by one of our Ag2r La Mondiale soigneurs."

Makes it sound like they're giving out Metros or the Herald AM at the top of the Pyrenees!!!

I think the diary is pretty damn good - the details (like the litter, the p1$$ stops, the tart, Uncle Peter, the hissy fits, puking, stitches, etc) add colour to the event.

ednwireland

Jawgap wrote: »

How do you carry, then eat apple tart on the bike?

Anyway, from today's diary.....

"Going over the top of the Tourmalet, I was handed a newspaper by one of our Ag2r La Mondiale soigneurs."

Makes it sound like they're giving out Metros or the Herald AM at the top of the Pyrenees!!!

I think the diary is pretty damn good - the details (like the litter, the p1$$ stops, the tart, Uncle Peter, the hissy fits, puking, stitches, etc) add colour to the event.

+1 brilliant today

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-when-i-tried-to-accelerate-at-the-end-i-really-went-into-the-hurt-box-2822447.html

Cape Clear

Going over the top of the Tourmalet, I was handed a newspaper by one of our Ag2r La Mondiale soigneurs. We were now above the cloud line and I shoved the paper up my jersey to stop my chest getting cold on the 95kph descent, which was almost as hard as the climb itself.

Newspaper-not just for wrapping the chips!

Vélo

Cape Clear wrote: »

Going over the top of the Tourmalet, I was handed a newspaper by one of our Ag2r La Mondiale soigneurs. We were now above the cloud line and I shoved the paper up my jersey to stop my chest getting cold on the 95kph descent, which was almost as hard as the climb itself.

Newspaper-not just for wrapping the chips!

I did that before when out on a spin on a frosty morning.

It works really well.

ThisRegard

What gets me is the amount of hassle the guys have to get back for a rest and a bit of grub, a 100k drive yesterday after a 25k cycle, granted all down hill, through the throngs of people. A world away from other professional sports where overpaid whingers are waited hand and foot immediately afterwards and whisked away to a luxury hotel with police escorts stopping all other traffic for them.

yop

ThisRegard wrote: »

What gets me is the amount of hassle the guys have to get back for a rest and a bit of grub, a 100k drive yesterday after a 25k cycle, granted all down hill, through the throngs of people. A world away from other professional sports where overpaid whingers are waited hand and foot immediately afterwards and whisked away to a luxury hotel with police escorts stopping all other traffic for them.

Very odd that. Been over to Old Trafford and they have "lads" there who walk out to the carpark and get the players cars and drive them to the dressing room door! Bunch of over paid divas!

ThisRegard

yop wrote: »

Very odd that. Been over to Old Trafford and they have "lads" there who walk out to the carpark and get the players cars and drive them to the dressing room door! Bunch of over paid divas!

The poor dears having to get into their luxury cars after some of them may have had a brief rest rolling around the ground after tripping on a blade of grass and drive a few k home

Seriously though, I doubt too many Manchester United players drive to and from Barcelona and other champions league venues. Same as I'm sure if Roche was to race in Ireland or somewhere close to where he lives in France he'd make his own way there. There's no comparison really.

Chips Lovell

Some of the top guys get choppers down from mountain top finishes. I know Armstrong used to.

Lumen

el tonto wrote: »

Some of the top guys get choppers down from mountain top finishes. I know Armstrong used to.

That can't be safe at speed.

ThisRegard

That's probably the exception to the rule, sure he has to do something with all the money from the livestrong wrist bands

Jawgap

@Lumen.....

I think these are the ones he meant.......

Slideshowbob

el tonto wrote: »

Some of the top guys get choppers down from mountain top finishes. I know Armstrong used to.

Aeronautical doping?

ednwireland

ag2r realistic or lacking in ambition

The team classification is also very important for us. We are currently third overall, two and a half minutes behind leaders Leopard-Trek. A good Tour for the team would include a stage win, a top-10 for Jean-Christophe, a top-15 for me and a top-three in the team classification.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-i-cant-say-im-going-to-be-in-the-break-but-im-going-to-give-it-a-shot-2824808.html

volcanicash

roche seemed to be contradicting himself a bit in the article. he was saying the overall team competition was important. but also, his own gc position was unimportant now, that he could let it slide. unless his team have decided that he doesn't need to contibute to the team competition and he can go for broke with a stage victory. seems unlikely. surely he's expected to do both.

but he came in 4th of his team today, a few mins behind their 3rd place man. and that was without the effort of making the successful breakaway today. he did work hard to get away early on. but i was suprised to see him so far down in the results

TheTubes

volcanicash - Please use spoiler tags.

Have a look at the sticky

kenmc

Love todays quote:

Nicolas Roche wrote:

"Petaachi can't climb out of bed, so I knew I was in trouble."