Phil (ascentale)Next is a question from @MartyCormack :
Q2. Do you follow as a fan the sport of cycling (e.g. Tour de France etc. al.). If so explain your passion. If not, why not?
A2. I don't really follow the tour, though I do appreciate trying to ride for exercise. If it's on TV, I'll watch though. It just doesn't interest me enough to go out of my way to do so. My partner watched a documentary about food prep for the tour (I think? Others probably know of it) and she was into that aspect of it. I have watched a few races live (official cyclocross and unofficial cyclocross) and those were fun.
I did watch a bit of the Tour of California some years ago because it was kind of cool to see professionals speed through routes that I was familiar with (at 3x the speed)
ArtemesiaA2: I love the TdF, and watch it every year, usually via the youtube 20-40 minute summary which gets posted about 8 hours after the day's segment completes. Spectacular riding and scenery, and occasionally some beautiful people. I'm usually texting with a buddy who's watching the same stream. Funny, he doesn't bike but he's a huge fan.
Occasionally you see something special in TdF, such as this moment of great sportsmanship in 2022. #bikenite
Tour de France 2022: Tadej Pogacar skids off road down gravely descent in Stage 18 | NBC Sports
lopta
Rodbotic@ascentale @MartyCormack #BikeNite A2) No. I just enjoy cycling. it's almost Zenlike.
Watching Sports is the same as watching people Yoga. it's not for me.
Watching Sports is the same as watching people Yoga. it's not for me.
Joan Liu@ascentale @MartyCormack A2: nope. Not into sports in general, so never really occurred to me to watch, and it's not like other sports when it's in your face about _how_ to watch it either. #BikeNite
Peter Saathoff-Harshfield@ascentale @MartyCormack #BikeNite A2
I watched a little of the Tour de France when I was in middle school to see what it was like, but it's as uninteresting to me as any other sports. I competed in many bike races around California when I was in high school, but ultimately decided I'd rather ride fast without the stressful situation, formality, and macho culture of organized competition.
I watched a little of the Tour de France when I was in middle school to see what it was like, but it's as uninteresting to me as any other sports. I competed in many bike races around California when I was in high school, but ultimately decided I'd rather ride fast without the stressful situation, formality, and macho culture of organized competition.
dr2chase@ascentale @MartyCormack A2
I used to pay more attention, a combo of "they're all doping" and "too much influence on the US bicycle market, we need more cargo and utility and commuter bikes" made me care a lot less.
#BikeNite
I used to pay more attention, a combo of "they're all doping" and "too much influence on the US bicycle market, we need more cargo and utility and commuter bikes" made me care a lot less.
#BikeNite
๐๐ท๐ญ๐๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฎ ๐ค@ascentale @MartyCormack Not really interested in sports, I'd rather dance๐ฅ
Kinetix@ascentale
A2: Nada, mostly because I don't really follow any pro sports any longer. I kind of feel like there's too much money wasted in pro sports and it's easy enough to have nothing to do with it any longer. #BikeNite
@MartyCormack
A2: Nada, mostly because I don't really follow any pro sports any longer. I kind of feel like there's too much money wasted in pro sports and it's easy enough to have nothing to do with it any longer. #BikeNite
@MartyCormack
Max ๐๐ณ๏ธโ๐
โต๏ธ@ascentale @MartyCormack A2: I'm a solid nope. Most sports don't interest me (hockey in college surpasses most), and bike races fall toward the nascar category.
In a parallel, I'm not interested in running races, and I don't like seeing the extremes people sometimes push themselves into. I do like to see people enjoy crossing their finish lines, and I have enjoyed volunteering, but unless I'm out there with a radio I'm not likely watching. Same for bikes and rowing.
@ascentale @MartyCormack A2 continued: I would actually watch sailing sometimes, the Americas Cup has been enrapturing before.
edd@ascentale @MartyCormack A2. I don't really follow beyond some occasional articles after the fact. Similar reason to most sports, I'd rather do than watch, with the added bonus of coverage being One More Subscription โข๏ธ to pay for for something I'm only tangentially interested in.
cmgrowell@ascentale @MartyCormack A2. I loosely follow professional XC MTB racing. My two kids raced in the USA nationals event last summer. The pro category had some top riders racing. It was pretty exciting to watch Savilia Blunk and Kate Courtney battling it out in the Pennsylvania heat and humidity. The pro men's race was a bit of a blow-out with Blevins winning by a lot, but still fun to watch. My kids raced ok. It was more about the experience for them.
Sometimes I watch free highlights of the UCI XC world cup races. I would probably watch more if the coverage was wider or more available. Tour de France is similar. We'll watch it if it is on, but I wouldn't pay extra to see it. #BikeNite
AI6YR Ben@ascentale @MartyCormack #BikeNite Q2. Funny enough, I've never been interested in cycling as a sport... my recent interest has been more utilitarian, and THAT is more interesting to me (ie how to make a bicycle useful to people around town and not for recreation, but as a useful tool). Not a big sports person in general. Now, if you have videos on bicycle maintenance... that is interesting.
Daigoro Toyama@ascentale @MartyCormack A2: I watch the three big ones (TdF, Giro and La Vuelta), or at least some of their stages, but in general, I'm not super enthusiastic about bicycle racing. I'm a "fair-weather fan," so to speak. #BikeNite
Pete@ascentale @MartyCormack
A2. I sort of do watch pro cycling sometimes, and I even know some of the teams and riders and strategies now. But initially I was mostly attracted to the scenery and road design/city planning, which was so different from the ugly American suburbia I live in.
A2. I sort of do watch pro cycling sometimes, and I even know some of the teams and riders and strategies now. But initially I was mostly attracted to the scenery and road design/city planning, which was so different from the ugly American suburbia I live in.
brooklyn11211@ascentale @MartyCormack A2 love the TdF, have followed it since the mid 80s LeMond era, when coverage was a paragraph in the NYT. Or watching after lunch at a restaurant in Spain. Through the doping era, when live blogs would update every 30 seconds (and then recaps on cable at night).
Demian@ascentale @MartyCormack A2 While I agree with most all of the criticisms of cycle racing and can see why some may prefer to watch paint dry, I remain a pretty avid fan. I got intrigued when a family friend visited from Europe when I was around 11-12 and told me all about the Tour. I raced locally a few years in the early 90s while working in bike shops and then again in the early aughts. I suppose itโs my guilty pleasure like the Bachelor is to some.
#bikenite
#bikenite
Axel ๐ด๐ท๐ง๐ชโจ | #WeAreNatenom@ascentale @MartyCormack #BikeNite A2: Generally not. I don't support the UCI who regularly makes great advancements in bicycle technology go into a niche because they forbid it in bicycle racing, like recumbents or generally different riding positions โ #GraemeObree. Goes that far that I hate common road bikes, at least a bit.
I though occasionally follow locally organised fun bicycle races (those with weird rules on clothing or cycle type) or endurance races usually not abiding to UCI rules.
@xtaran @ascentale @MartyCormack IIRC, the UCI have recently banned certain riding styles because they deemed them dangerous if done by amateur riders. IMO that's a weak argument.
Eat This PodcastA2. I occasionally see bits of the Tour de France but I don't follow cycling or any other sport.
This past summer, I happened to be in Tuscany when the Eroica swept through. That's something I would like to do.
Mark Connolly moved to @Q2. I donโt follow any bike sports, though Iโll very occasionally watch something.
Edit to add: but I very much enjoyed this NFB documentary on a 1964 bike race in Quรฉbec. Itโs free to watch in a several places โ I used the NFB app on Apple TV.
Weldon Bradstreet@ascentale @MartyCormack A2. I'll watch TdF occasionally, but I don't really follow racers or teams. I confess to watching TdF as much for the scenic locations as the racing. I'm far more interested in riding bikes than watching professionals ride bikes. I do enjoy seeing races in person quite a bit, though. Is that weird?
#BikeNite
#BikeNite
@Heyweldon @MartyCormack not weird to me, way more exciting for me, in person!
Ioan@ascentale @MartyCormack A2: Watch the #Tdf the #GirodItalia the momuments some XC, some cyclocross.
I've always watched the tdf, but now more passionately as my son races bikes (circuit, mtb, cyclocross) and we have family working in cycling. I also manage a cycling track and racing school because my son started racing.