2012 Tour de France

Ah yes, liberal politicians and Washington...the twin Great Satans. I used the internet, publicly funded beginning in the 1960s, to find this explanation for where our fees go:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr10.htm

Registration and title fees explained by state:

http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/transport/registration-and-title-fees-by-state.aspx

That your car registration is high compared to other states has little to nothing to do with either Sacramento or Washington. They are high by comparison because the DMV acts as a clearing house by collecting local and county fees as determined by local agencies and the local politicians who craft policy. The DMV returns much of that money to the local agencies, counties, and some cases cities. Some of the money that is not returned is used to support the California Highway Patrol, a service I personally would like to have around.

I suppose if one has anti-tax, anti-guvmint local politicians then one's roads might reflect that.

 

Please take the political debate somewhere else. I'm in a race addiction fog, which is heaven, and you guys are ruining it by bringing me back to reality. Have some compassion, please.

 

Sorry. Now for your regularly scheduled 2012 TdF.

Allez! Allez! (sound of cowbell in the background)

 

Decided to watch this years tour through my Euro connections and the announcers are good.

Wow Sagan again.

 

What are your Euro Connections? I watched by reading the Cyclingnews live report while washing dishes. I just propped up the phone in the window above the sink. At least I got a chore done. But the news is only the most basic. Anything on the crash?

 

Try this, or search for other sites that stream live sports. My Kaspersky blocks something that tries to come up, just fyi. http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/128935/6/watch-aso/uci-cycling---le-tour-de-france-2012-[stage-2].html

 

Tuesday is sharing day http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/#live

 

I don't think I've ever seen a new kid win TdF stages while having so much fun.
What pressure?

 

I think the announcers called it The Funky Chicken and The Running Man.......
.

 

Someone's got to publish an interpretation manual for all these finish-line shenanigans.

 

A STAR IS BORN, wow for those new to the sport, Sagan is emerging as a new star unlike any we have seen in many, many years, with his performances this year in the Tour of California and Tour de France; WOW, JUST WOW; we are being treated to a real strong competitor who at his young age is only gong to get better, and seemingly really nice guy unlike Cavendish (sorry, not a big fan of his, he has done some very punky moves before); anyway my only hope is that all this great racing by Sagan is clean, at least relatively clean and we won't in a few months hear about positive drug tests, but the joy he shows when coming across the finish lines in first is great to watch, not scripted and arrogant like the others but like a kid discovering new joys!!!; and to think I raced with him at OTH last year, I would say against him but that would not be a true description, I was just on the course with him at the same time, GO SAGAN GO!!!!!

 

As exciting as this is, and it is, very, I hate that there's a little voice in the back of my mind already dreading the day we find out he was doping.

 

Really? I guess we all see things differently. Personally I do like him and probably never will now. But, like Rivet pointed out, I know absolutely nothing about bike racing.:lol: Can't wait to see a Cav v. Sagan sprint finish.

Great Tour so far, I hope it stays this exciting.

 

We have seen Sagan try to stay with Cav, he was left in the dust. Sagan is fast , a better overall rider then Cav but in pure speed I don't see it as any real competition.

 

Agreed. Everyone disliked Cav a few years ago for his finishes and his arrogance, now he's "mature" and people like him... People have complained about Contador and pistolero...

Gotta have something to complain about!

I love Sagan. Kid is awesome. Can't wait to see him continue to develop and dominate! Don't think he's got the aggression and skill/help yet to navigate the bunch sprints at a race like Le Tour, but he may snag one. Just not sure he will with Cav in the race. Meantime, he's finishing 1st on stages that suit his racing style and it's awesome.

Let him celebrate!

 

Yea, the intermediate sprint today was cool stuff. Cavendish comes up to contest the 10 pts. still out there, quickly gaps Sagan and a couple other guys then turns around to see who wanted to have a go - nobody bit. Funny stuff. At 40-45 MPH, with people hanging all over him, he is still pretty much the best.

It'll be interesting to see how this goes. If Cav drops out early for London then Sagan's gonna find out what it's like to defend a green jersey all the way to Paris. The kid's great but the TdF is big jump up for a young guy.

Hushovd and Cavendish battling all the way to the Champs-Elysees a few years back was some good stuff. Same qualities as Sagan v. Cav - Hushovd the better climber and Cav the pure sprinter.

 

Dude has been killing it for the last few years, it's just that now he's doing it in races that M'ericans care about so he's getting noticed over here. Barring burnout or a doping positive he'll be the most dominant rider since Merckx, winning everything from one day classics to the Tour De France.
Oh and before the Tour is up he'll beat Cav in a head to head drag race for a win, just watch.

 

I despise Mark Cavendish, but that ain't gonna happen.

 

Carl, meet Peter

 

It wasn't my intent to start a political discussion, merely just an observation on how nice those roads looked.