Tour de France Unchained (Netflix)

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120737341#Comment_120737341

For those of us who were cycling back in the 80"s, the idea of a show such as this being watched by the non cycling mainstream person would have been unthinkable

One could argue that, for Ireland & the UK at least, Channel 4's TdF coverage in the late 80's was even more mainstream. Terrestrial channel (not subscription), peak time ( 18:30 / 19:00 IIRC) and possibly the greatest theme tune of all time. The viewing figures wouldn't match Neflix by a long chalk but I believe they were reliably getting over 1 million viewers

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120737235#Comment_120737235

I think Vaughters tries too hard to be a poundshop Christian Horner or a Toto Wolff

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120737818#Comment_120737818

I would wonder how much of the pre-stage on the bus stuff is actual fly on the wall, or staged narrative (e.g., would Ineos really allow a camera crew be on hand while discussing Pidcocks possible tactics on the Galibier/Alpe?). As for the Wout/Jonas thing, my own take is that he'd have gotten a bollicking for dropping him into Calais, so when it came to the cobbles - another place you'd expect Wout to excel - he dropped back into the role of super domestique. Am I glad he took the flyer on on stage 4? Hell yes - it was spectacular, but then I'm not Herr Jumbo :-)

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120738172#Comment_120738172

I'd imagine most of the team tactics are done the night before or before they leave the hotel, not on the bus minutes before hand. Movistar is the only believable show I have seen like this as no one would paint themselves in such a light intentionally.

loyatemu

A lot was made in the doc of Jonas having Wout drag him up the last big climb and dropping Pog, but how much of a benefit is it having a teammate going up a climb like that and why is it a benefit? I get there's some psychological advantage in having a wheel to follow (not much aero advantage on a climb) but I'd have thought Pog could also follow the wheels of JV men if he'd been feeling strong enough.

lissard

That last episode omitted to mention than Pog had a fall just before the final climb - it was at least as important as WVAs very impressive dig in shaping the outcome of the stage. There was definitely a narrative angle being followed and they didn't let other details get in the way. The guy that edited the series was on the Cycling podcast last week and it was very interesting listen.

Mr. Cats

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120738903#Comment_120738903

“The study found that, on a slope of 7.5 per cent (the average gradient of Mont Ventoux and Col du Tourmalet) at a speed of 21.6 km/h cyclists that are drafting behind one other rider can save more than 7 per cent of power. For a paceline with eight cyclists the power savings jump up to 9.3 per cent.

Speed also increases uphill drafting benefits. At 28.8 km/h the power saving climbs to 12 per cent for a rider drafting behind one cyclist. At 36 km/h on the 7.5 per cent gradient a cyclist behind six other riders benefitted from a 22.4 per cent power savings.”

https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/training-guide/training/study-finds-that-even-at-steep-gradients-drafting-is-still-beneficial/

Even the lowest quoted 7% power saving is huge considering the tight margins between the top riders.

loyatemu

Right, more benefit than I thought, though generally I climb at single digit speeds, so probably not for me.

But I still think Pog could have stuck to JV's wheel and gained that benefit as well, he just wasn't strong enough on the day.

loyatemu

I've only just realised both rider and team are JV. Is that why they signed him 😃

breezy1985

Another thing it does is makes it harder to attack because the distance from start to breakaway point is longer.

Macy0161

We've watched the first two episodes as a family, and they've enjoyed it. I can see why WvA didn't like the episode though - I don't recall a big deal being made of that attack at the time. We've gone "French with subtitles" up to now, but may go for the overdubs the next episode! The non-cycling fans (i.e. everyone except me) are really enjoying it, which is the aim!

I finished the Wolfpack Amazon Prime documentary last night. It probably has changed my opinion of Remco tbh - becomes more likeable by the end. Unlike Patrick.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743298#Comment_120743298

How did I miss that on Prime?!?! Thanks for flagging it... weekend binging sorted!

Macy0161

Watched episode 3 of Unchained last night. We switched back to subtitles fairly rapid as the overdubs are horrendous!

Spoiler Warning

What a knob the DS of AG2R was - as if Jungle Bob winning somehow was better for O'Connor unnecessarily suffering through with an injury!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120744648#Comment_120744648

It doesn't show as an option - you have to search for the title. And then pick subtitles (as it doesn't subtitle the flemish unless you pick subtitles for all of it (so you get subtitles on the English language bits).

cheese sandwich

I’ve watched three episodes (with subtitles rather than dubbing). It’s enjoyable, even with the obviously fake commentary (same as Drive to Survive) and some odd subtitling choices - why is the English version called “Unchained” when the French one is “At the heart of the peloton”?

I thought Pinaud came across well and it was good to see a bit of his home life. I thought that was something Drive to Survive always did well but was missing from the first two episodes of this. Looking forward to finishing the rest of it.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120747873#Comment_120747873

Cheers for that... I find Prime really really bad in terms of user friendliness. Night and day compared to Netflix.

Sounded from the Cycling Podcast episode that they should be back for a second season of Unchained this year (although surprising that its not confirmed at this stage) and hoped to have access to Pog.

Mefistofelino

Not Netflix or Prime, but the recent GCN+ documentary on Andy Schleck vs Alberto Contador is interesting, if a little lightweight. Both riders are interviewed about the 2010 TdF. Contador manages to make himself look like a petulant bellend in the last few minutes of the program.

I though the interview with Andy was interesting - I don't think I've seen him being interviewed in a non-race environment before. Back around 2010, the media did a lot of painting him as the dim-witted / Dougal-esque / idiot brother to Franck, whereas in the program he comes across as very articulate and measured.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120748620#Comment_120748620

Andy was a pretty smart guy and if anything I thought he was one of those guys too smart to be a top athlete. Dumoulin and Pinot seem the same in the sense that they have other things in their life.

The other thing is Frank was a cycling obsessive who's local club roped in his brother once they realized Frank was a prodigy. It was never really Andy's dream.

retalivity

Still find it crazy that Andy Schleck is younger than Chris Froome, considering he has been out of cycling for so long!

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120738088#Comment_120738088

Just to say, ITV still have the highlights FTA in UK and Ireland, in peak time. But speaking for my own children, they don't watch TV anyway really, bar live football/ GAA. And now F1, thanks to Drive to Survive.

hawkwing

Sam not in the Tour :-(

cletus

I wouldn't consider myself a race fan. I've never raced on a bike in my life. I watch the TdF, because it's such a spectacle (although I watched Paris Roubaix, and followed the Giro a bit this year). I watch the same way I watch lots of different sports, just because it's sport and competition.

Apart from the big names that everyone knows, I couldn't name most of the peloton. Having said that, I've picked up on some of the basics around racing (Dunning-Kruger is springing to mind here 😀)

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, but I find myself reading some of the comments about the teams and their directors on here, and I realise there's loads of back story to this that I don't know

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120748620#Comment_120748620

GCN did a video on Andy Schleck ...

https://app.globalcyclingnetwork.com/YCV7AF92MH5K8czd8

Wishbone Ash

In the dubbing/subtitles, frequent reference is made to 'miles'. Presumably tweaked to suit US/UK viewers. I seriously doubt that Madiot would have roared "Come on, only half a mile to go" from the team car.

MPFGLB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120748977#Comment_120748977

So has Chris Froome :-)

I thought the Tour series was entertaining and that was its main objective

I have 2 different work mates who don't know cycling, watched it and love it

I even know some women who watched and liked it

Paddigol

Just finished the series. I'm going to give it another spin to see what it's like on second viewing.

From reading comments on it, there seems to be a broad consensus;

1. It's good fun and very slickly presented.
2. People who aren't into cycling enjoy it.
3. The poetic licence/ small contrivances that Netflix use to package the footage grate a bit with cycling fans.

It's definitely an easy watch and a welcome direction for the sport anyway.

BUT... am really enjoying Wolfpack on Prime (thanks again @Macy0161). Very well put together. Similar to The Least Expected day, just without the slapstick and melodrama. My guess is that it would appeal more to cycling fans, but conversely, a bit less to non-fans. The only issue I have is that my other half thinks Patrick seems like a great fella.

CramCycle

Yep, @Paddigol , Pat comes across as reasonable in the Netflix one as well. he knows an opportunity for sponsorship and wouldn't let the mask slip to the wider non cycling audience, although how he still has a job with his newspaper articles. This said, some people like that kind of behaviour, no accounting for taste.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120767319#Comment_120767319

He writes for a tabloid so he probably isn't even the biggest scumbag on the payroll.

cletus

I only know this guy from the Netflix series. Would someone care to give an overview, for the non fan, of him (considering he seems very reasonable in the show)

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120767371#Comment_120767371

Has a history of publicly berating riders when they’re not performing like he’s done with Alaphilippe lately, but he’s also taken it to extremes like he did with Sam Bennett and his comments about Sam returning to Bora being “like a woman returning to a domestic abuser”.

Also come out with some daft shíte about women’s cycling etc, he’s just one of these dinosaurs who hide their ignorance and arsehole behaviours behind “saying it like it is”

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120767500#Comment_120767500

Ya he thinks being "old school" is an excuse for being a prck.

Was delighted that soon after his comments on Belgian women's cycling being shte Kopecky went and won the Ronde.