wOw that Kwak Versys looks fantastic....!
mac
A photo you took, today
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Re: A photo you took, today
Just got back from watching the Tour De France go by, quite near our house.
If you haven't seen it before, it's a bizarre experience. First you find your spot on the route (I chose a corner near Oradour St Genest where they cross the Brame river, north of Le Dorat). You soon get to know your fellow spectators, who bring deckchairs and crack open picnic containers stuffed with bread, cheese and charcuterie. The road is closed, empty and quiet for now, with no access to it allowed from any side-turnings. Eventually about 15 BMW-mounted gendarmes rip through as fast as they can, one managing to touch down a foot peg, which I like...
The next 15 minutes consists of about 150 support vehicles passing by, until 'Le Caravan' arrives. This is a crazy mix of promotional vehicles and huge floats, advertising supermarkets, tyre manufacturers, insurance companies and TV channels etc. One moment you're looking at three 30 foot tall giant chickens travelling at 40kmh, then an enormous watermelon, a giant prawn and the whole cast of Asterix. A huge plastic head wearing a Covid mask whizzes by. It takes about 20minutes for these mad trucks to go past throwing promotional sweets, key-rings and t-shirts at the crowd. Then about 10 ghetto-blaster stereo vans go through, another 20 gendarmes and several claxon-blasting VW T5s - followed by a helicopter.
Next it's the team support vehicles. Maybe 150 estate cars, many packed with spare bikes and wheels on top.
Then 4 (yes 4 !) more helicopters fly overhead.
And now a deathly hush settles as the race itself approaches about 5 minutes in the distance. Everyone goes quiet.
The TV helicopter suddenly appears, hovering low overhead and the breakaway group of 3 riders hack through the corner surrounded by camera-pillion motorbikes. And then the entire peloton arrives, at about 50kmh. Whoosh, and they're gone. Another 50 cars, trucks and motorbikes follow closely.
And that's it! Time to go home and watch it properly on the telly.
Not going to put up pics of the pedal bikes, because you know what they look like, but here's a couple from this morning:
Lots of Yamaha Nikens being used this year - perhaps the perfect camera bike:
If you haven't seen it before, it's a bizarre experience. First you find your spot on the route (I chose a corner near Oradour St Genest where they cross the Brame river, north of Le Dorat). You soon get to know your fellow spectators, who bring deckchairs and crack open picnic containers stuffed with bread, cheese and charcuterie. The road is closed, empty and quiet for now, with no access to it allowed from any side-turnings. Eventually about 15 BMW-mounted gendarmes rip through as fast as they can, one managing to touch down a foot peg, which I like...
The next 15 minutes consists of about 150 support vehicles passing by, until 'Le Caravan' arrives. This is a crazy mix of promotional vehicles and huge floats, advertising supermarkets, tyre manufacturers, insurance companies and TV channels etc. One moment you're looking at three 30 foot tall giant chickens travelling at 40kmh, then an enormous watermelon, a giant prawn and the whole cast of Asterix. A huge plastic head wearing a Covid mask whizzes by. It takes about 20minutes for these mad trucks to go past throwing promotional sweets, key-rings and t-shirts at the crowd. Then about 10 ghetto-blaster stereo vans go through, another 20 gendarmes and several claxon-blasting VW T5s - followed by a helicopter.
Next it's the team support vehicles. Maybe 150 estate cars, many packed with spare bikes and wheels on top.
Then 4 (yes 4 !) more helicopters fly overhead.
And now a deathly hush settles as the race itself approaches about 5 minutes in the distance. Everyone goes quiet.
The TV helicopter suddenly appears, hovering low overhead and the breakaway group of 3 riders hack through the corner surrounded by camera-pillion motorbikes. And then the entire peloton arrives, at about 50kmh. Whoosh, and they're gone. Another 50 cars, trucks and motorbikes follow closely.
And that's it! Time to go home and watch it properly on the telly.
Not going to put up pics of the pedal bikes, because you know what they look like, but here's a couple from this morning:
Lots of Yamaha Nikens being used this year - perhaps the perfect camera bike:
- chunky butt
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Re: A photo you took, today
Nice photos Dave, unfortunately had to work so couldn't make it....c'est la vie
- boboneleg
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Re: A photo you took, today
Brilliant Dave, I love 'Le Tour' and I'm following it everyday . Next year I intend to the 'Paris-Roubaix' route in reverse so I can ride the cobbles on my trail bike.
I presume you're now wearing a polka-dot jersey as the promotional caravan seems to be chucking thousands of them at spectators this year
I presume you're now wearing a polka-dot jersey as the promotional caravan seems to be chucking thousands of them at spectators this year
one-legged adventurer
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Re: A photo you took, today
I didn't get one Bob. It's the Carrefour supermarket floats that throw them around, and some other scrote got there before me. Putain Merde.boboneleg wrote: ↑Fri Sep 11, 2020 12:03 pm Brilliant Dave, I love 'Le Tour' and I'm following it everyday . Next year I intend to the 'Paris-Roubaix' route in reverse so I can ride the cobbles on my trail bike.
I presume you're now wearing a polka-dot jersey as the promotional caravan seems to be chucking thousands of them at spectators this year
I got a poxy Michelin key ring and a 5 euro discount voucher for Park Asterix !
Really enjoying the Tour this year. Still all to be won, and they're up in the Massif right now. Loving ITV4 coverage - very good.
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Re: A photo you took, today
Hung up in my garage in a sealed clear bag is a 'Milky Way' chocolate bar that Geraint Thomas chucked aside right next to me on the Tour of Britain a couple of years ago in Somersetdaveuprite wrote: ↑Fri Sep 11, 2020 1:19 pm
I got a poxy Michelin key ring and a 5 euro discount voucher for Park Asterix !
one-legged adventurer
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Re: A photo you took, today
the old spots is the best
20200909_164614 (2) by gary boy, on Flickr
taken Wednesday last
a while back
60356805_10218894078211532_5103051799170908160_n by gary boy, on Flickr
20200909_164614 (2) by gary boy, on Flickr
taken Wednesday last
a while back
60356805_10218894078211532_5103051799170908160_n by gary boy, on Flickr