Versus hosted its media call for the 2010 Tour de France today, with Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Tyler Farrar, Christian VandeVelde and Levi Leipheimer all on the line at one point or another.
Highlights for me were Tyler saying the exposure to Dutch roads at the Giro will probably make things worse for the Tour, Phil saying the Schlecks “don’t have the brains” of Greg LeMond or Stephen Roche, and VandeVelde telling Phil not to drink too much while watching the race.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
The whole call runs 41:15. Here’s an mp3 version; notes on where to find what are below.
Introduction
0:00 Katie Bradshaw
1:40 Phil’s Thoughts
2:57 Paul’s Thoughts
Q/A w/ Phil and Paul
04:00 Is the 2010 Tour more about riders or more about the course?
07:08 Which three Americans can make the podium?
08:00 Green Jersey competition designed for intrigue?
09:55 What’s it going to take for someone to beat Contador?
12:17 Thoughts on Vino’ and Basso coming back to the Tour?
14:10 What’s a day-in-the-life at the Tour like for you?
17:10 Podium picks?
20:15 Will SaxoBank be able to hold together as a team?
22:30 Can the Schleck Brothers ride alone?
Q/A with Farrar, CVV, and Levi
23:00 Farrar and VandeVelde arrival/introduction
24:05 Farrar and CVV Explain location, lead-up to Tour
24:37 To Tyler: What are your chances without Boonen and Haussler?
25:36 To CVV: How’s the form after your fall?
26:45 Levi arrival/introduction
27:10 To Tyler: Why are there so many Americans this time around?
28:27 To Tyler: Targeting stage wins or green jersey?
29:40 To Anyone: Will nerves be reduced due to Dutch roads in Giro?
30:40 To CVV: Compare form this year to last year?
32:00 To Levi: What is it like this year w/RadioShack vs. Last Year with Astana?
33:55 To Levi, CVV: You seem to do well in the Pyrenees. Do they favor you?
34:54 To Levi: Is there pressure because RadioShack is running out of Tours to win?
37:55 To Tyler: How to you mentally and physically get over big crashes in sprints?
39:27 To Tyler: How are the changes in the lead-out train coming along?
40:30 Thanks/Conclusion
41:00 CVV tells Phil not to drink too much
Hey Cosmo; long time follower, first time poster. Many thanks for this; it’s interesting to hear Phil in an interview; the one with Lance seemed much more rehearsed, and his antics in the commentary box seem to reveal he has as much adrenaline as the riders. On the topic of radio oppurtunities, I, as many would proabably agree, that we’d rather have you to audialy “curate” the race, as opposed to listening to the european language most feeds, which find thier way to us, have to offer. While the stages take hours, why not utilize the Cyclocosm GVoice number for call-in conversational peicies? You cover the race play-by-play with the zest of your HTRWW seires, and people can pop in and ask what they’d like, be it possible situations for the stage, debating the probability the break will stay away, which part of Hincapie’s bike fails without warning, etc. While tweet updates are sweet, they dpn’t pack the sarcastic punch we expect from Cosmo. And now you’re conveniantly not working, this could be an oppurtnity to be really interactive. The setup could be pretty easy too. Phone you answer GVoic calls on (Skype, perhaps? A Jabra A380 is a solution if you use your cell) plus your mic in for your audio…but yeah.
I really hope you’ve already thought of this, what you were referencing with the whole “hacking together for Cyclocosm” tweet.
Regardless, nice showing at the Keith B crit (and thanks for mentioning GLV) and take care.
i second that! Was thinking the same last week; i’d love listen to you and pharmaFloyd discussing the race as it plays on. I hear he’s been talkative lately….
Hey. Could You (or somebody else) put the mp3 on Rapidshare or something similar, please? Because I don’t want to register at Google. Thanks in advance.
It really has some potential; especially colorful if you can get calls from people you’re constantly a-twitter with. With the downtime between moves in cycling, you have a real chance for cool interviews.
How awesome would it be to get Ted King’s impressions on the race, as a member of the pro peleton, and get to ask him some questions interveiw-style?
How about Aki Sato, aka SprinterDellaCasa? He writes in a great, fluid, (sometimes cheeky) storytelling prose and has impeccable race reports; based on his commentary of his Cat 3 helmet Cam races in New England (and since he’s been on a bike for 25-odd-years) he’s got the knowhow and stories galore (for those uninitiated, you can read/watch them @ https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com)
Possibilities are endless (just make sure you figure out 10 second delay!). Maybe not for the Tour, with the english commentary abound, but for other races of such stature (reference the Periodic table of Cycling here) that people either follow on pirate feeds or with tickers.
I’d love to see this; I’d chip in whatever help you’d need just to get it rolling. CyclocosmColorCast? Has a nice ring to it…
@cthulhu: Sorry, I thought the link would work for anyone who had it. Here’s a non-Google hosted version.
@mperrone: definitely a fan of Sprinter Della Casa, all the more so because I get to watch him in action during races now (we’re both CT-based Cat 3’s); though I’m no sprinter, it is nice to catch his wheel on a backstretch and move up a few spots on prime laps before watching him battle to the line.
Not sure about the live call-in just yet (still some kinks to work out; I’m in Berkeley for another day so I can’t effectively test) and Ted King is currently busy with the Tour of Austria. But I definitely have things in the works.
I got to see part of the tour in person this year. It was really cool. Much better than watching on TV. I really enjoyed the segment about “day in the life” of the tour. Keep posting!
Riding around the globe has got to be a nice life for those guys. Of course, they must “hit a wall” when they get to the Tour de France. That looks insane!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWaNzveCJfw
Phil Liggett is a legend. He’s helped cycling reatin some style and dignity in the face of harsh critics.
Hamilton was right:-)