Improving the Tour

[User269]

Just copy whatever it is the Giro & La Vuelta do.........both have been more interesting than Le Tour for some years now. Then, we just need ITV4 to at least broadcast highlights. They missed an historic and spectacular Giro this year, but are showing La Vuelta apparently.

Other ways to improve Le Tour; stop the producer/camera operators dwelling endlessly on fullscreen shots of the ear, feet, cassette, number etc. of a meaningless breakaway rider, or indeed any shots showing any rider/s with no context of the road, scenery, other riders etc. Also upper body weight training for the camera operators so they don't have to keep pointing the camera down all the time.....................FFS pan out, point up, lets see what's going on and see the beauty of a group of racing cyclists in the context of their surroundings.

 

[mjr]

Just copy whatever it is the Giro & La Vuelta do.........both have been more interesting than Le Tour for some years now. Then, we just need ITV4 to at least broadcast highlights. They missed an historic and spectacular Giro this year, but are showing La Vuelta apparently.

Last I read, a few years back, the price for the Giro highlights was almost what they pay for live & highlights of the Tour, Dauphiné and associated one-day races. Not even silver-tongued Gary can talk ITV into that.

Besides, doesn't Quest reach about as many households as ITV4?

 

[User269]

Last I read, a few years back, the price for the Giro highlights was almost what they pay for live & highlights of the Tour, Dauphiné and associated one-day races. Not even silver-tongued Gary can talk ITV into that.

Besides, doesn't Quest reach about as many households as ITV4?

Yes I think you're right, but having Quest is little better than not having it all............the commentary on the Giro was amateurish, distracting, inaccurate, and irritating. At least we got to see the historic stage win by Froome.

 

[mjr]

Yes I think you're right, but having Quest is little better than not having it all............the commentary on the Giro was amateurish, distracting, inaccurate, and irritating. At least we got to see the historic stage win by Froome.

So really you don't just want Giro coverage on ITV4, you want the current Tour presenters doing it. I remember the year they had the Vuelta highlights with Matt Keenan's commentary: professional but distracting, inaccurate, and bordering on painful to listen to him struggle to find things to talk to himself about.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I would make all grand tours less grand and have them last 2 weeks, and increase the number from 3 to 5.

And I would have no rest days, and make it a rule that the final day had 2 stages: one of them either a short semi-classic style route or a mountain/steep hill finish, and the other a 10km TT.

 

[chuffyshunter]

All teams must uses 8 man rosalies, with the team principal on the kiddy seat at the front.