Tour de France: Drafting? Helecopters?

Was watching USA network coverage of stage 8 at the behest of my
neighbor and had to wonder...

- Around 31:14, a couple of guys in brown shorts (72 and 79) are
obviously drafting a white station wagon. They're passing
a line of RVs on the side of the road.

Then, regardless of the fact that they're stepping over the
center line and have their left signal flashing, another team
wagon (black, blue center strip) comes barrelling past them,
as if passing a slow-moving vehicle.

That made it seem likely that the white wagon was
limiting it's speed to allow the two riders to stay with it.

Is this SOP and it all evens out among teams?

And/or is the advantage gained so small that it is lost in
the grander scheme of things?


- What's with all the helicopters? In one aerial shot, there
were four of them parked along a
not-particularly-densely-populated stretch of road.

The Rich And The Famous?

Camera crews?
--
Pete Cresswell

On Jul 9, 1:43*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Was watching USA network coverage of stage 8 at the behest of my
neighbor and had to wonder...

- Around 31:14, a couple of guys in brown shorts (72 and 79) are
* obviously drafting a white station wagon. * They're passing
* a line of RVs on the side of the road.

* Then, regardless of the fact that they're stepping over the
* center line and have their left signal flashing, another team
* wagon (black, blue center strip) comes barrelling past them,
* as if passing a slow-moving vehicle.

* That made it seem likely that the white wagon was
* limiting it's speed to allow the two riders to stay with it.

* Is this SOP and it all evens out among teams?

* And/or is the advantage gained so small that it is lost in
* the grander scheme of things?

- What's with all the helicopters? * In one aerial shot, there
* were four of them parked along a
* not-particularly-densely-populated stretch of road.

* The Rich And The Famous?

* Camera crews?
--
Pete Cresswell

Since "sticky bottles", where riders hold on to bottles offered to
them out of car windows, have been outlawed, riders have to stay
behind cars to keep the wind from cooling them down too fast. It is a
health question.

Really.

Andre Jute

On Jul 9, 1:43*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Was watching USA network coverage of stage 8 at the behest of my
neighbor and had to wonder...

- Around 31:14, a couple of guys in brown shorts (72 and 79) are
* obviously drafting a white station wagon. * They're passing
* a line of RVs on the side of the road.

so you couldm't see the 4lb fishing line, oh good.


* Then, regardless of the fact that they're stepping over the
* center line and have their left signal flashing, another team
* wagon (black, blue center strip) comes barrelling past them,
* as if passing a slow-moving vehicle.

* That made it seem likely that the white wagon was
* limiting it's speed to allow the two riders to stay with it.

* Is this SOP and it all evens out among teams?

* And/or is the advantage gained so small that it is lost in
* the grander scheme of things?

- What's with all the helicopters? * In one aerial shot, there
* were four of them parked along a
* not-particularly-densely-populated stretch of road.

* The Rich And The Famous?

* Camera crews?
--
Pete Cresswell

On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:33:39 +0100
Phil W Lee wrote:

The parked up ones would most likely be rich and famous gaining access
to a part of the route that is closed to motor vehicles for most of
the day,

I've watched on a stage for which part was closed to traffic the previous
evening.


without having to spend the whole day doing it (plebs have to
walk - sometimes for miles

Yup, that's what we had to do. But a mountain stage with a French
rider out in front on Bastille Day is pretty special! That was the
Voeckler in yellow year too, so every stage was buzzing.



Those authorised to fly within the protected zone would be medical,
police(?), camera (with a relay helicopter flying much higher, above
the congested/protected zone) and race officials.

I think there were normally about 5 helicopters, but from the ground
it's not possible to decide their function, apart from the TV channel
logos on some.



Mike

The Tour has terrific TV moments....lead frenchman crashing on the last turn on his countrymen's vegtable oil....Vikournov getting crushed into a concrete bridge abutment by a police motorcycle...

coupla minutes towed by the team car is prob like eternal life for the anerobic cyclist on DAY 8.

Spectating as an artform takes intelligence and stamnina. We scope the course picking a cinematic area covered with wild flowers, scenic views, cold beer, nubile young women from the local convent, and the probalitiy a car willlllllllllllleave the course at 175 mph taking out a small forest, a group of canadians, and explode into flames with the driver escaping on fire into the hands of a course worker with an extinguisher

empty, of course.

At 6'4" I carry a small stepladder

people hate me.

the main deal is YOU GOTTA SHOW UP

watching on TV without GOING TO is a zero.

On 7/9/2012 11:33 AM, Phil W Lee wrote:
"(PeteCresswell)" considered Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:43:03
-0400 the perfect time to write:

Was watching USA network coverage of stage 8 at the behest of my
neighbor and had to wonder...

- Around 31:14, a couple of guys in brown shorts (72 and 79) are
obviously drafting a white station wagon. They're passing
a line of RVs on the side of the road.

Then, regardless of the fact that they're stepping over the
center line and have their left signal flashing, another team
wagon (black, blue center strip) comes barrelling past them,
as if passing a slow-moving vehicle.

That made it seem likely that the white wagon was
limiting it's speed to allow the two riders to stay with it.

Is this SOP and it all evens out among teams?

And/or is the advantage gained so small that it is lost in
the grander scheme of things?

Although slipstreaming motor vehicles is not strictly speaking
allowed, a blind eye seems to be turned when riders are being paced
back in to the peloton after a mechanical or crash.


- What's with all the helicopters? In one aerial shot, there
were four of them parked along a
not-particularly-densely-populated stretch of road.

The Rich And The Famous?

Camera crews?

Both, plus medical, race officials, and maybe policing.

The parked up ones would most likely be rich and famous gaining access
to a part of the route that is closed to motor vehicles for most of
the day, without having to spend the whole day doing it (plebs have to
walk - sometimes for miles - to get to good viewing locations).
Flying restrictions are enforced over the immediate surroundings of
the entire race and it's entourage, so even the R&F would need to be
there for a couple of hours.
Those authorised to fly within the protected zone would be medical,
police(?), camera (with a relay helicopter flying much higher, above
the congested/protected zone) and race officials.

It's the same sort of protection zone as is used for airshows or royal
flights.

Enforced with Stinger missiles?

Too bad Tim Ossman died on December 15, 2001 or so, or he could sell the
leftover supply of Stingers.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731°N, 83.985007°W
Post Free or Die!