You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I've just watched the latest TdF Unchained, and mostly enjoyed it. I thought there were some differences from the first series, not sure how much they were real and how much they were concocted for the camera. Aside for the actual racing thing, after the first series I thought what a jolly decent bunch of chaps the cyclists were - Pinot feeding his goats etc. After this one it seemed like they are mostly a bunch of assholes. Some exceptions of course - Kasper Asgren seemed like a decent guy, and Ben O'Connor seemed like a very young kid.
But the Deceuninck (sp?) outfit seemed like just a bunch of unpleasant people, happy to bend - or break - the rules any way they could - veering into others lines, riding into others and causing crashes, laughing about how they didn't pay the fines. I get that it's a competition, but all the same, as Fabio Jacobsen said, there's a right way to win and a wrong way to win. Nobody's going to be shedding a tear when Philipsen or MVDP retire.
I did have to laugh about Madiot being upset that Plugge accused the FDJ riders of drinking beer, right after he accused Jonas V of doping.
Anyway - I'm sure nobody agrees with me, so looking forward to the pile on 🙂
The dubbed voices sound a bit daft at times.
You can see how much it means to the managers etc in the car when they get the win though. Proper excitement.
Was the breakaway by Pinot a throw back to the old days, where they would let riders go up the road a bit so their local crowds could see them when it was their last year of racing ?
The dubbed voices sound a bit daft at times.
Agreed, I found it much better in the first series to switch to subtitles, at least you get the original audio, you just have to pay attention and try not to do stuff on your phone at the same time.
Agreed, I found it much better in the first series to switch to subtitles, at least you get the original audio
Can't you just change it to original French language with english subtitles? That's what I did, much better
Agree with the OP. That jasper guy comes across as a total knob. And Jonas comes across as a dead eyed weirdo.
Still love the pog however. And alaphilippe/pinot seem a decent sort also
It’s best in French with subs.
I like Pog.
Jasper Philipsen is a ****. “I’m the greatest sprinter in the world”. No mate, they’ve all gone home. And they could ride in a straight line.
Vingegaard is a real life Simpsons character. He’s also like Verstappen in F1, a supreme sportsman but utterly unlikable
I prefer the French attitude to the sport, than the German.
Fabio Jakobsen needs some luck.
Yeah, we watch it with the original soundtrack and British sub-titles. A fair bit is in English anyway, but you're spared the dubious dubbing.
Haven't watched it all, but it's always hard to know how 'real' some of the 'stories' are: Jasper Philipsen comes across as not being remotely bothered about the well-being of his fellow riders for example, which may or may not be the case in reality, and Ben O'Connor is portrayed as a mildly gormless, tempestuous adolescent who doesn't appear to give any thought at all to why his performances are sub-par and how he might address that.
However... you just know that Netflix has selected footage that runs with the dramatic narrative they want.
Listened to the latest Cycling Podcast this morning and they quoted a conversation with Steve Peters, where he said there are basically four types of riders in the peloton in dog terms: Rottweilers, who are focussed, top dog, race winners, Pog, Vinyawotnot, Froome I guess etc, Alsatians, who are super loyal, dependable, high-performing domestiques, Labradors - sturdy, dependable etc - and finally, Poodles, who are fickle prima donnas. His advice, apparently, is that if you have a 'Poodle' on your team, get rid.
The proviso though, is that a rider who is a Poodle on one team, may metamorphose into a Rotty on another team, with different treatment, psychology etc and start winning races. Ben O'Connor seems like a 'Poodle' in this model.
Anyway, a good watch, some of the race sequences are dramatic, though not as visceral as the ones in the arty David Millar film, whose name escapes me, but I'm always conscious that it is, at least in part, a work of, if not fiction, then some heavy sculpting of reality to fit inside a TV-shaped box.
Enjoyed it more than the first. I think Alpecin's evil bond villain storyline was probably amped up for dramatic effect, but I do get the impression that at least Jasper the Disaster is a k**b. I forgot about that nasty blocking move on the Intermarche rider. I hope he gets soundly beaten every sprint stage this year.
The sections with Ben O' Connor didn't do him many favours, he was coming across really bratty and volatile - I wonder if he will go better on Jayco now that's a near certainty. Kinda funny comparing him to Hindley who seems much more chill and Aussie about the whole deal.
I was getting emotional watching Madiot tearing up when Pinot went through his corner, really affecting watch.
Smaller observations:
I like Pogacar, he seems to have a much more relaxed attitude than Jonas. Jonas seems like a nice bloke but also a bit weird to be honest, like he is a robot. I wouldn't say he is unlikeable though.
Felix Gall is a likeable rider, and looks like he should be in Stranger Things with that 80s lid. I hope he goes well this year, his Loze win was really cool to watch.
To be fair to O'Connor and other young cyclists from Australia and the States, being thrown into elite level European cycling, when you're really just a kid, must be quite hard if you don't have the right mindset and being part of a French team, with all the communication issues there seem to be, can't help either.
It makes sense that Aussies like him and Luke Plapp seem to have gravitated to Jayco where they're likely to be a better cultural fit.
Yeah they do seem to be filming with an eye to goodies and baddies this year. Certainly agree with the comments about Ben O'Connor not coming out of it well, likewise Tom Pidcock.
But, yeah, always keep in mind they're filming it like that. The sections where they get two people together, mike them up,and then say "act normal, but talk about this" are a bit cringe.
Jonas has that odd serial killer vibe that a lot of elite sportspeople have.
Ben O'Connor is a bit of a basket case, could really do with some quality time with a sports psychologist.
Pinot made ME cry...
Jasper and the rest of the Alpecin lot seem unpleasant.
Wout and Alaphillipe continue to be the coolest cats in the Peleton.
A fair bit is in English anyway, but you’re spared the dubious dubbing
I thought that's just how it comes? Either way it means you get the benefit of O'Connor in ep 2 saying a few fully incomprehensible words about "le win" or something before going "It'll be easier if i say it in English". A damn sight easier for sure than if you say it in whatever that was. Fraussie? Franstrine??
And Dave Brailsford was the biggest pottymouth of the lot!
I think it does a good job of showing the pressure that some riders feel to perform. Particularly those that are yet to realise their full anticipated potential The expectation on people like O’Connor is huge. I’m not surprised some of them behave and react like they do. It’s a high stress and pressure environment I’m sure.
I really enjoyed the whole series.
They are telling a story rather than reporting sports results, so there's quite a few liberties and omissions. Also, I just realised the commentary they add over the footage probably isn't contemporaneous, but added by an actor later to maximise drama and tell the viewer what's happening.
It's great, I love it. My non-cycling family love it too, it's a great way to get the most terrific sporting event in the world across to people who would never look at it otherwise.
I'm really enjoying it...like Drive to Survive, I find it really interesting to see what goes on in the background.
But Tom Pidcock....clearly such a talented bike rider, but such an ego. He must be a nightmare to manage. I know f all about it, but can he ever win a grand tour if he doesn't recognise that it's a team sport (unlike cyclocross or cross country mtb)?
Big fan of it here. I'm always saying that the results of a race are rarely the most interesting thing about it so getting to see more of the other stories is great. Obviously it all nees taking with a pinch of salt (Vaughters saying his team will all be shot by the sponsors if Carapaz doesn't win, Phillipsen being made out to be a whirling dervish, etc) but it's great fun to watch and often really affecting.
“Wout and Alaphillipe continue to be the coolest cats in the Peleton.”
Agree, very classy.
I’m really enjoying it and such a great insight into how elite sportspeople deal with disappointment. Some very large egos but that is common in many sports at the highest level.
I’m assuming this series will run and run. Hope so.
Some very large egos but that is common in many sports at the highest level.
I suspect if Netflix did something similar with Premier League football and had the access they have in cycling, there'd be a LOT more prima donna's and fragile egos on display...
If anyone is really interested, Escape Collective is doing a deep-dive podcast on each episode of Unchained...
Didn't Ben O'Connor join that team without being able to speak french? I'm sure I read that somewhere. Seems like he's happier when there's a little less pressure on him.
We love it in our house hold, but they should have called it Ride to Survive.
I know f all about it, but can he ever win a grand tour if he doesn’t recognise that it’s a team sport (unlike cyclocross or cross country mtb)?
Yes because road and in particular GTs aren’t a team sport like football where Man City win, it its a team sport where the team works to ensure one guy wins and that’s probably the guy with the big ego.
But Tom Pidcock….clearly such a talented bike rider, but such an ego. He must be a nightmare to manage.
Sure, same as the riders like Ben O'Connor, but they're also the ones that on the day are capable o stealing the win, and maybe even stealing the yellow jersey maybe even for a couple of days, and for some teams that's the whole season's goal.
If anyone is really interested, Escape Collective is doing a deep-dive podcast on each episode of Unchained…
That's getting quite meta, isn't it? A podcast, about a documentary, about the behind the scenes coverage of a race. Maybe we could have a light-hearted little film about riders listening to the podcast and making jokes about it, maybe called Pog-glebox?
Yes because road and in particular GTs aren’t a team sport like football where Man City win, it its a team sport where the team works to ensure one guy wins and that’s probably the guy with the big ego.
But his teammates have to want to support him....