Duke Nukem Forever may have gone down as a total letdown, but it’s nice to know that the voice of Duke Nukem can still have fun.
Camel Toe “Bulge” on the Slack Day on the Tour!
Hallo once again meh hearties! Today is Stage 15 as the riders make their way from Samatan to Pau. This is a relatively flat stage with plenty of scenic farmland and some gentle hills.
The coverage today begins at the sprint at Maubourguet. No one was really sprinting here on the sprint straightaway, as the six leaders trundled along through the sprint.
Cool colorful mask sculpture in the center of a roundabout! A pack of six riders is about five minutes ahead here.
Now the six leaders have pulled ahead as the rest of the peloton is slacking off and just cruising along as they please. Nothing wrong with that!
OK, now the leaders are picking up the pace. As they approach the finish, two riders as Pierrick Redrigo and Christian Vande Velde battle it out for the finish! Redrigo has taken the lead with Vande Velde right on his tail. Can he keep his lead? Aaaannnddd……… it’s Redrigo! Nicely done!
Pau is a very charming large town, with a beautiful, well-maintained château in the middle of town, complete with formal, tree-lined gardens. Coolies!
Fredrick Kessiakoff is the lucky recipient of The Bulge of the Day for his impression of a camel toe while on the podium for the overall climber! Looks like he has a camel toe cup on – LOL!
Wiggo retains his Yellow Jersey yet again while Sagen retains his White Jersey for Youthful Rider. Nicely done!
Since we are still in the general area of the Limoux AOC, the Wine of the Day is Red Limoux! It can be made Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Malbec (under the name Cot), Syrah, and Carignan. The wine must be a blend containing a minimum of three varieties, with no two varieties together exceeding 90% of the blend. Furthermore, Merlot must make up a minium of 50%, Grenache, Malbec, Syrah and Carignan must together make up a minimum of 30%. However, from the 2010 harvest, Carignan may not exceed 10%. Got that? No worries, there won’t be a quiz on this! For now, just drink it tram!!! Wheeeees!!!
Red Limoux can be difficult to find in the States, but that may change since some large wineries are looking into expanding their operations into this region for the production of red wine, so it must be good in order for Chateau Mouton Rothschild to look into it.
Tomorrow is a rest day, so I will see you all back here on Wednesday as the Tour starts up again in Pau and travels towards the center of France in Bagneres-de-Luchon! Wheeees! Have fun and stay safe out there!
A hard days night Open Thread
Got some bonus time tonight. Work had 3 sick calls so I did the best I could. Didn’t bother me at all seeing as I have the next two days off. I haven’t done anything tonight, I just chilled. Ever been too tired to do anything but not tired enough to sleep? That’s me even after the Mountain Dew. The GOOD mountain dew, not the shitty kind with High Fuckingtoast Crap Syrup.
Think I’ll go get some sleep.
Nails in the Pyrennes!
Good Morgen meh hearties! Welcome to Sunday’s coverage of Stage 14! It should be an exciting day in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains as they journey from Limoux to Foix!
And since we are going through the foothills of the Pyronnes, the Wine of the Day is any Blanquette de Limoux or Cremant de Limoux you can find in stock! This is French sparkling wine and was invented in 1531!!!! The main grape is Mauzac, typically having an apple-peel flavor. Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are often used here as well. Sieur d’Arques is the largest winery in Limoux and is one of the brands most likely to be stocked in the States. So Party On meh hearties trams!!!!!! Wheeeees!
Today’s coverage begins at 68 miles out and the sound suddenly cut out. Oh there it goes! I wonder if the wind here is having some effect on Comcast. The peloton is over 12 minutes behind in Mercus-Garrabet. This is a beautiful, green, wooded area. I wonder if the steam train will show up here.
We are approaching the sprint at Tarasco-sur-Ariege with six riders in the lead. Peter Sagen was in the lead group, so of course he won, being the strong sprinter that he is!
Wow, epic stone bridges dating back to the Roman days!
They are starting their hill climb now in a relatively slow manner, outside of Port de Lers. LOL! Someone had a wooden sign that said “Vive le Tour” and a wooden guy on a wooden bicycle, and his wooden legs are actually pedaling the cycle! Very clever!
They continue up their steady climb through the lush woods and past the many Norsk spectators as the peloton continues on towards the top of the hill climb.
Oh noes, it’s raining here! One of the Europecar riders hit a couple bumps on this narrow primitive road and his chain jumped off the gears. He was able to get a new bike quickly.
The descent looks really treacherous as the leaders continue on, down the single lane primative road, around the sharp mountain turns, with lots of rain on the camera lens.
Oh noes, one of the leaders has all ready made his way to the second hill climb as the peloton starts their descent. The road is made of the chip seal due to the large variations in temperature in the summer months, and other types of road surfaces don’t hold up as well in those conditions. This rough road surface makes riding more difficult.
Much of this area is pure mountains and woods with no towns or buildings. Oh, there went one small house and then an isolated barn a bit further down the road.
Oh noes, they have made their way to a very steep area with large trees and no visible towns here, a couple miles outside of Mur de Peguere. The peloton is 15 minutes behind the leaders, and I hope the leaders aren’t going out too fast!
LOL! The Clean Bottle character cracks me up and the way that, every year, there he is, bobbing along as he runs uphill and looking all top-heavy, as if he is ready to take a Clean Bottle faceplant!
One spectator has a fake tiger skin draped over him as he cheers on the riders. The guy next to him goes wild as he claps and runs uphill like crazy – LOL!
Team Lotto has taken over the lead in the peloton with the leaders 16 minutes ahead now. Looks foggy and misty here, further up in the Pyrenees.
Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is attacking up the hill on the peloton. 18% gradient here! Five leaders on the way down as the peloton stretches out ad splits up. The road towards the top of the hill is very narrow and will make it difficult to move ahead, so Cadel made his move early tram!
Sandy Casar is in the lead now as he flies downhill and the wind picks up. Yes indeed, the peloton is going over a section of road that is about the width of walking path at about 19 miles away from the finish in Mur de Peguire.
Peter Sagan was able to shave off a corner and overtake Casar! Peter Sagan and his protective cup tram! Wheeees!
Ohhhs, epic castle ruins on top of a huge plateau with a view of the farmland below! Beautiful!
Oh noes, 3 members of Team BMC needed new tires as they lost over a minute there! Oh noes, he had to stop AGAIN and get a new rear tire, this time, losing another 30 seconds or so.
Peter Sagan keeps flying ahead as the peloton tries to reorganize itself.
Did someone throw nails on the course with the many, many flat tires that happened all in the same short segment of pavement, taking out some of the top riders? I hope not!
Wiggo gets a new bike around Mouragues and gave up his lead. He had a flat rear tire, but getting a new bike is faster.
There are only a seven miles to go as Peter Sagen in the lead.
Cadel “Cuddle” Evans stopped for a third time with yet another tire. Someone else had a flat too at about the same time! What a nightmare on the Tour today!!!
Foix is an epic, ancient city with narrow streets and sharp corners, as the cyclists pick up the pace towards the finish.
One of the BMC riders nearly rode right into another rider in a roundabout. “That was a ‘tose one, Buckwheat!” “No doubt, Alfalfa!”
Someone tossed their water bottle like week-old garbage – LOL! He wants candy!
Cool diorama with farmers in traditional outfits and cows and some hay!
Just a couple miles to go now, and there goes another water bottle! The peloton is wayyyyy back there now!!!
Oh noes, over 30 nails were found on the road! Awful! Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is pedaling his ass off after three flat tires!!!
With one kilometer to go, Luis Sachez is in the lead! He’s cheering himself to the finish! The crowd goes wild! Huge smile as he crosses the line! He looks really relieved as he gets beyond the finish!
The real competition came in for second place and beyond at the finish, with Sagen and Sanchez rounding out the top three today.
Wiggo retains his Yellow Jersey and is Bulge of the Day Winner! Yays! Nice show to our left tram!!!
Oh mys, Luis Sanchez has some serious varicose veins as he takes his turn on the podium!!!
Today’s stage was a bit too exciting for me! Whews! Best of luck to all the riders on tomorrow’s stage as they continue through the Pyrenees towards Spain! Should be beautiful!
Thank you for joining me here on yet another day of the Tour de France as we have made our way from Belgium to Spain! Have fun and join me for the remainder of the Tour!
Happy Bastille Day with Rose Wines! Party On Tram!
Welcome to the Bastille Day Coverage of the Tour de Underpants, here in the Drunken Gaming Corner! So Party Hearty today to commemorate the 1790 storming of the Bastille, regarded as the turning point in uniting France as a country.
Today is also a special day since one of my friends has a birthday, but I won’t mention who it is since he prolly doesn’t want it announced all over the place! So think of it as yet another great reason to Party On! Yays!!!
And, since were on the topic, it must be time for the Wine of the Day! I love rose wines, particularly when the weather is warmer or hot and the wine is well-chilled! Very delicious and refreshing! The only drawback is that these roses are often difficult to find in stock in the States. So my recommendation is try anything you can find from the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence or the Coteaux Varois en Provence. These are great food wines with nice acidity, and fun and festive by themselves! Perfect for cheering on the riders with!! Yays!!
OK, back to the Tour! The coverage begins at the feeding station at Quissac with the peloton about 5 minutes behind in this flat area, and Michael Morkov in the lead. Awws, he wants to win today because his dad passed away five years ago today to cancer. Go Morkov Go!
Nice caravans in the hills now as the peloton pedals towards the Mediterranean.
Only 12 French riders have claimed victory on Bastille Day, so they are extra motivated today! The French riders were seen drinking a second cup of cappuccino to get a good start. And the French spectators and media have turned out in droves. Wheees!
Oh, grape vines here! Nice chalky cliffs toos! This area must have been under the ocean millions of years ago, like in the Champagne area, giving Champagne a certain chalky characteristic to it.
Wow! That was an epic picture from the helicopter with the peloton weaving it’s way through several switchbacks outside of Sauteyrargues!
Down the road a bit, the sprint started in flat Mas-de-Londres with some beige colored buildings here. Oh noes!!! 100 meters into the sprint Peter Vellas crashed into the barrier on the left side! He seems OK and was able to pedal off, but he held up much of the peloton in the process.
Yays! Nice 8 second wheel change! Nicely done, Peter Sagan mechanic! He weaved his way back through the peloton and past the team cars to catch back up.
Ohhhs, cool castle as part of the wine estate!
The peloton has been disrupted as they fly through some hills now outside of Murviel-les-Montpellier and have caught up a bit to the leaders, about 2.5 minutes behind. And Morkov is in the lead! Nicely done for Dad!
Very old Church of the Montpellier, so epic and beautiful!
That is cool!!!! A couple is getting married in a different, very old church as the Tour goes pedaling by! Many of the guests were waving at the helicopter and the photographer came out and took a picture of the helicopter! Congratulations, newlyweds!!!
Yes, I could use Six Days in Copenhagen, baby!!!! Oh wait, that’s a bike race and not some sort of drunken adventure! LOL!
Ohhhs, the helicopter has a view of the Mediterranean now outside of Mireval. Cool high-speed train going by too! The wind has really picked up here, increasing the difficulty level of the race with Morkov still leading.
Morkov is racing all alone in front, down a long straightaway over a causeway. Go Morkov Go! You Rock!
Hmmms, not sure why the one cyclist keeps grabbing another cyclist’s bike seat – LOL! They are conversing about something but not sure what.
The cyclists are getting closer to Sete now with more people along the road and on some overpasses, cheering on the riders. There are some electrified rail lines and some industry here, perhaps a concrete factory.
There are some modern apartment buildings that look as they have a cage going around the outside of the porches – LOL!
Crash, several riders down! Fredrik Kassiakoff hit his brakes so hard he flew over the handlebars! I hope everyone will be OK! One of the bikes has a very bent rim!
Now they weave their way through narrow streets in the very charming fishing town of Sete. Beautiful snaking peloton through the town streets and around the waterways.
A bit further on down the road is some very interesting modern architecture in the hotel there! I wouldn’t mind staying there!
Cadel “Cuddle” Evans is making some serious progress here as he passes up a whole bunch of people in the peloton. He is only 23 seconds behind the leader, Markov now! People are cheeering him on like crazy here on these narrow ancient streets in Mont Saint-Clair! Go Everyone Go!
The hill is very steep here as they climb up and up with a view of the Mediterranean behind him. Cheer cheer cheer! Pedal pedal pedal! The crowd is going wild!!!! Can Markov keep his lead?
The peloton is all straggled out over the summit and Cadel leads the peloton now as he hauls ass down the backside of the hill. This is a tricky descent through narrow twisting, ancient roads with palm trees and Mediterranean architecture with white walls, red roofs, arching doorways, and colorful swimming pools.
Modern architecture here outside of Mont Saint-Clair as the cyclist whiz by. LOL – the vineyard parallels the rail tracks! And now some of the spectators are in swimsuits with deep tans as they cheer the cyclists on! Wheeees! They wish they all were Mediterranean Girls!
They are riding along the beaches of the Mediterranean now. They have since turned off with vineyards on both sides, and an industrial train with some interesting tanker cars with a frame around them. The peloton is 20 seconds behind here.
The crowd has really gathered here in this flat breezy area and are cheering like crazy! The two leaders are just ahead of the peloton with just a couple miles to go. The cars are being called off the course. The riders are digging deep as they start sprinting. The peloton is catching up fast as they turn around a corner. Sanchez starts sprinting like crazy with just a mile to go. Who will pull off a victory here? It could go to several peeps at this point!
Hagen is there and so is Wiggo! Oh Wiggo is ahead! Oh wait, Griepel sprinted ahead! There goes Sagen! A bunch of cyclists were right behind them! They are all pedaling their asses off as they battle it out for the win! Who can dig the deepest? Aaaannnndddd, it’s Greipel!!!! Nicely done! Many riders all earned the same time since they all came across the finish so closely together. What a thrilling finish today!!!
Markov said that he is happy with his ride today and that his Dad would be proud! Awwws!
I like the Ferris Wheel in the ancient town of Cap-d’Agde! Epic! The ancient red roofs give the town a scenic look.
Greipel is just beaming with that victory! Awwws!
Oh noes, none of the winners were showing any junk – LOL! I will have look for a Bulge of the Day Winner again tomorrow.
I look forward to covering tomorrow’s stage from Limoux to Foix! Looks long, challenging, and scenic! Have fun out there meh hearties! Yays!
It was a peaceful Friday The 13th.
I had a nice peaceful Friday the 13th. I went for a walk and did some Japanese cooking. Was very sunny out today, felt really nice!
Also decided to install my kinect to my PC and play with some open source mocap software. I haven’t recorded anything. I’ll have to setup on one of the other computers (where I’ll have more walking room). But it recognized a skeleton, progress!
Meanwhile in SFM. I haven’t produced anything yet (can’t be arsed atm), but I have some pose pictures I put together for fun.
Hats. It’s all about the hats.
This Millar is for you, for all that you do! Beer Tram!
Welcome bork to the Drunken Gaming Corner and to the Tour de France! Yes indeed, the riders have a challenging day of racing ahead of them as they head out for the longest stage of the year! The riders will be leaving the beautiful Alps as they start off from Saint-Jean-de -Maurienne and head over to Annoy-Davezieux. Today’s race should be interesting tram!
Here they go through a tunnel towards the beginning of the stage. Wheeees!
The coverage picked up at the second climb at Col du Granier with a pack of five riders taking a nice lead here through the scenic Alps. A bit further down the road are some epic wooded cliffs as they head to Entremont-le-Vieux. Looks like a nice area to camp at perhaps!
Oh noes, we had a bad crash down the descent by David Moncoutie of the Cofidis team. Looks like he needs a new front tire now and his leg is bleeding badly and was taken to the hospital! I hope he will be OK!!!!
Now they are making their way through the food station in Saint-Joseph-de-Riviere as Bradley Wiggins cycles and munches. nomnomnom!
Frank Schleck is grabbing the bag with the food and water in it, while Cadel Evans is having a nice chat with TJ Van Gardener as they pedal through a scenic valley with tall wooded cliffs on both sides! Epic!
Oh mys, I was just reading that a sports writer for Cycle Magazine likes to call Cadel Evans “Cuddle”! I love that name for Cadel!
Ooops, the TV screen rezzed out to a solid green – LOL!
Now they are pedaling through a farming valley outside of Marcilloles as they head towards the sprint area in a flat valley. Not all the riders are participating in the sprint. A pack of five leaders are hanging together through the sprint and they don’t seem to be sprinting.
Wow, they have a cool Castle of the Postman. He built a huge stone sculpture in the back yard for his mausoleum. I wonder if he was a bit nuts by the looks of it – LOL!
More fields of sunflowers! Yays! Awws, a couple of riders in the back are cruising along and having some fun as they smile and wave at the cameras!
Peter Millar won the sprint even though they weren’t really sprinting for it – LOL!
The five leaders are ahead by over 11 minutes with Millar leading the way at about 40 miles out at Drome.
Epic ancient castle at Anneyron where they used to make silk to support the Benedictine Monks. I imagine that they made beer her toos!!!!! Benedictine beer is some of the best on the planet, so drink up meh hearties!!!! And the beer of the Day is Chimay!!! I love Chimay! omnomnomnom!
The cyclists have been riding for over four hours so far! That is a heck of a lot of riding!
Anneyron is a beautiful ancient town with narrow winding roads as the peloton squeezes through.
I wonder if the winner of the stage gets a free baguette? LOL!
Someone has a bright yellow car with racing decals all over and a bicycle rack on top with two bikes mounted up there a couple of guys dressed in yellow jerseys pretending to ride along! They are parked next to a big field of maize.
The peloton is over 12 minutes behind the leaders around Saint-Sorlin-en-Valloire.
Anneyron is the home of the hot air balloon. Wheees! The road is quite narrow here but is no problem for the five leaders.
This guy is having the best time, sitting in his window!
There are many ancient castles in this area. So epic tram! One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world is along the route over the Rhone River.
As the peloton approaches Silon, the leaders are still about 12 minutes ahead. There is a hill coming up towards the finish, so whoever wants to win should be ready to make their move! David Millar is still in the lead with a pack of the same five.
No one attacked as they headed over the last hill, so the pack of five continues over the narrow and winding roads.
Bernard Isel needed a new tire. Seems like a bad time to need to stop – LOL!
Still a pack of five leaders through Silon with a lead over 11 minutes with just a few miles left in the race.
Now they are zooming through Annonoy, and around the round-about as they pick up the pace. Cool ancient house that is built into the side of the hill!
Now Millar has busted a move and taken the lead! The leaders are pedaling like crazy as they cruise through a mix of old and new buildings with just a couple miles to go!
Now it’s down to Millar and Jean-Christophe Peraud to the finish! And after much frantic pedaling, David Millar barely wins! Whew! That was exciting! Usually, the peloton catches the leaders, but not this time! Nicely done Millar! This Chimay’s for you! For all that you do!!!
BREAKING NEWS! Matt Goss has been relegated by race commissaires following his sprint that almost took out Peter Sagan and will lose points from finishing sixth in today’s stage! Bad Matt Goss, Bad!!!
Tomorrow we head towards the Mediterranean in another long stage. Wheeees!
One of the toughest days yet on the Tour! Have a Savoy Wine!
Hello once again meh hearties! Today is Day 11 of the Tour de Underpants, and a difficult race day is shaping up in the Alps! Although the route from Albertville to La Toussuire – Les Sybelles is shorter stage than most, today’s course has several challenging hills and promises to separate the winners from the mere finishers!
Since we are in the Savoy Region of France, the Wine of the Day is any Savoy wine you can find in a store near you! Many are affordable and delicious, but can be difficult to find in the States. Your best bet is seeing what your local wine shop or grocery store with a large selection has in stock since not much of it exported.
The riders have split off into two distinct groups as they ride through a nice wooded area close to the start outside of Albertville. The group that is leading is trying to get a head start on the large hills that are coming, and the group that is following is just going at their normal pace.
Now they are going through some switchbacks as they appear to cling to the side of the mountain. The hillsides on the Col de la Madeleine are a beautiful lush green due to plenty of rain this spring. So beautiful as they snake their way up the mountain. Some people were camping out along side the road here. Looks like epic funz!!!!
LOL! Some guy is running along side the leaders and almost blocked their path. Stay out of the way, crazy dude tram!!!!
Peter Velits just barely beat out Kessiakoff on the hill climb by a tire length or so, with the peloton about 2.5 minutes behind. Now the two leaders are flying down the backside of the hill. The road surface isn’t that great here as they fly around some very sharp corners!
Epic jagged mountaintops at Saint-Colomban-des-Villards! Now they are climbing again through the wooded area at La Chal, with over 6 miles to the top of hill at Col de la Croix de Fer. Cause it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll!!!
The roads are very narrow here as they wind up the mountainside towards Col de la Croix de Fer. Roland managed to win this hill climb, while the peloton is still struggling up the hill. One of the mechanics had his entire upper body leaning out the car window to oil some gears as they were cruising down the road.
Watch out for the corners as you fly downhill, peeps!
Looks like the ruins of a bunker from one of the world wars there, close to some cool chalets. Rolland also won the Col du Mollard hill climb. Nicely done!
Down the other side, someone lost their water bottle as the lid went flying one way and the container portion went flying the other – LOL! Now some other guy is running along with the cyclists. Wheeees!
Oh noes, Rolland took the corner a bit too fast and crashed! He quickly got back on his cycle and continued on downhill.
The cyclists are starting to pick up the intensity a bit in Le Suel.
Le Villard is a very old town, based on the architecture, as they continue uphill towards the finish.
Cadel Evans is struggling up the final hill as Bradley Wiggins pulls ahead. TJ Van Gardener came back to encourage Cadel along.
Rolland is holding onto his lead with just a couple miles to go. Can he hold onto his lead as the road gets even steeper as the town of La Toussuire comes into view! Bradley Wiggins is grimacing up the hill. Oh my, that spectator was really excited as he ran along uphill waving a big flag and yelling at the top of his lungs – LOL!
Rolland is smiling all the way towards the finish since he is in the lead. As the finish line is in sight, he is smiling so much that his face might break – LOL!
Someone is blowing bubbles over the course a few hundred feet from the finish – LOL!
Well, it looks as though Cadel Evans has fallen back and stands no chance of winning the Tour, and it’s written all over his face. Awwws, sorry Cadel!!! I’ll always love ya!!!!! Yays!!!!
What an exciting and scenic day of racing! Thank you for once again joining meh here in the Drunken Gaming Corner, and see you tomorrow for more racing funz!!!
Early Morning Open Thread
Got a full day of work in (and did surprisingly well considering I woke up 15 minutes before having to actually be there). Aside from that I played around a bit in SFM with human models. Now I understand how to animate their limbs and faces (if they have them). Speaking of SFM, I talked with a person via PM at SPUF. We were both puzzled as to why certain models were transparent. It actually has something to do with any phong string in the vmt data. So I got out VTF Edit and went to town getting rid of the phong strings (while keeping backups of course).
So now I can use a smaller core (in case anything human sized needs to pick my character up in anything) for my videos if need be. I’m also going to look into finding some way to get Blender to do motion capture with my Kinect.
Of course compared to Yutram’s character, mine looks almost microscopic!
Macon Bacon and Rhone Wines on the Tour de Underpants, Stage 10!
Welcome back to the Tour de Underpants! I hope that the riders involved in accidents in the first week had a good rest day so they can perform well in the Alps!
Today’s segment, Stage 10, starts in Macon (I like to call it bacon!!) and finishes in Bellegard-sur-Valserine. Since today’s stage begins in the northern Rhone Valley, The Wine of the Day is Chateau de Beaucastel from the Chateanuneuf-du-Pape region of the Rhone Valley. Chateau Beaucastel is the go-to wine as far as Rhones go because they are always well-made and have more flavor than the other Rhones wines. Also, Chateau de Beaucastel has an epic history with Pope John XXII moving the Roman Catholic Church to Chateau de Beaucastel in 1321 (yes indeed, I said 1321 A.D.!)
Quality Rhone wines have the coat of arms as part of the bottle as seen below, so if Beaucastle is not available or is too expensive (which it is in today’s world!), look for a Rhone with the coat of arms on it.
Red and rose Rhone wines are made primarily from the Syrah grapes and usually are blended with other grapes such as Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier (white grapes). White Rhone wines are made from the same grapes, only with no Syrah.
One of the latest fads in winemaking here in the States are wineries specializing in producing Rhone varietials, and they call themselves Rhone Rangers. Domestic wines made from Rhone grapes are very different in flavor and character than wines from the Rhone Valley, just as domestic wines made from Bordeaux grapes are very different than Bordeaux wines. If you are looking for something different, give the Rhone Rangers a try. Often pairs well with beef and other full-bodied dishes.
And here they go through the beautiful French Alps! The TV coverage begins at the sprint and Michael Goss wins it in Beon by a spoke or two! Nicely done tram!
And they ride on to Cozon along the Rhone River, past the big rail yards with cars and containers. This is an industrial town with the air conditioning company CIAT located here.
And up the big big hill towards the small town of La Seppette. This is a challenging section, the Grand Colomier, as the peloton stretches out up the hill.
Oh wow, the switchbacks on top of the large hill are sooooo epic with views down to the Rhone River. I would love to take pictures there! France is such a beautiful country!
Oh mys, the picture is rezzing out so it looks as though one of the riders doesn’t have any skin – LOL!
The peloton is about 6 minutes behind with 30 miles to go. The riders are really working here with their shirts open and such. Pedal pedal pedal!
Oh mys, a spectator was waving a huge flag on a long stick and was draping it over the peloton so that the riders in the back of the group couldn’t see where they were going! Don’t impede their progress, please!!!
Nice Norsk flags as they approach the top. What a great crowd here!
Awesome Huge French flag over a field. Acres and acres of French flag!
The peloton is about 5 minutes behind the leader as they fly down the backside of the hill.
Nice sculpture of a pig by the fine food producers with some people waving flags in the middle!
Now they are in valley in the scenic town of Sothonod with the peloton behind by a couple of minutes. They are approaching the final hill with 4 riders in the lead. Oh mys, more Norsk flags!
Nice stretch! One of the riders bent his leg back and gave his hamstrings a nice stretch as he was pedaling down the road.
And now Thomas Voeckler is taking off towards the finish! He’s busting a move as the other four leaders struggle to keep up with him in the agricultural town of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine.
Zoom Zoom Zoom as Voeckler zips underneath the rail bridge and on toward the finish! And he digs deep as he huffs and puffs to the finish. Three riders are desperately chasing him as they all grimace to the finish! They are all looking back at each other as Voeckler holds them off for the finish in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine. All of riders were so exhausted by the finish that they had one of the slowest finishes seen in many years. Nice job at digging deep!!!!
Cadel Evans is leading up the peloton as he also digs deeps and holds off the peloton except for Thibot Pinot. Great job everyone!
The Bulge of the Day Award once again goes to Peter Sagan for the way his protective cup was bulging as he was sitting on his bicycle seat as he pedaled over the finish line. I can’t help but wonder sort of protective cover he keeps wearing through the Tour – LOL!
Awwws, Thomas Voeckler is so happy to be on the podium! He jumped up and down from excitement and is beaming more than even the sun! The French peeps really dig him!
Bradley Wiggins retains the Yellow Jersey, with Cadel Evans almost 2 minutes behind, and Chris Froome a few seconds behind Cadel. Paul Sage is leading in Points for the Green Jersey, while Thomas Voeckler also leads in the hills for the red polka dot shirt. Thomas Van Garderen leads the youth for the White Jersey, and the Radioshack-Nissan Team is ahead of the pack.
Tomorrow’s stage features some serious mountaineering in the Alps, including two of the most difficult climbs of the entire tour! Tomorrow’s stage promises to truly separate the men from the boys. Good luck to all the riders tomorrow tram!!!!
Thank you meh hearties for following the Drunken Gaming Corner on my epic journey through France’s Underpants! Take care and have fun!