Twit du Jour
by Jen See on Jul 9, 2010 3:34 PM EDT
in Tour de France
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PrintHotel rooms are always a subject of much comment from pro bike racers. Jens Voigt famously told us that he always checks the television first. If the teevee works, it's going to be a good night. Sometimes, it's shabby chic, others, it's summer camp spartan.
Here, a rather disgruntled Andreas Klöden of RadioShack shows us his bed for the night:
Can you believe it?? This is now our hotel bed! As you can see, we are not football players. http://yfrog.com/hqewszj about 3 hours ago
Being of the relatively tall persuasion, Klöden will be quite a tight fit in that particular set-up. Also, who gets to the top bunk? With a climbing stage tomorrow, the bottom is probably the preferred option. A rider has to save his legs and all. Maybe an arm wrestling match? Apparently, the room also lacks air conditioning. Comfy.
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He later tweeted:
@andykloedi
some of you think the picture was a joke! Unfortunately there is for us the truth, I wish it were a joke, good Night.
Vlaanderens Mooiste
I have a feeling Lance's room is nicer(may be wrong but hard to believe)
btw I do the same Jens!, good man.
Los Geht's Deutschland!!!!
I'm proud of you boys, get them in 2014 when you really hit your prime!
Quitter's People United member # 42
for me
in Euro hotels ….. especially in smaller villages …. the bathroom is the first check. Especially to see if there is a shower. Often just bath …. or bath with a corded shower thingy but no curtain or place to hang the shower, etc.
Bathrooms can be very confusing.
moo
Ha!
Yes, very. I never quite understand the no shower curtain thing. Like, for reals? It always ends up this disastrous mess.
On my first ever Euro trip, I was confounded at the lack of shower curtains and the absolute mess I made after every shower
"My clients dont care shit about romandie or mello johnny" - singhstax
after my cycosportive last week
as grimy, sweaty, sticky, gross as I have ever been, in a pretty nice hotel, I had to take a bath!
bah
moo
Bathrooms can be SO baffling.
Often I can’t work out how to turn the shower on/change the temperature at all, and end up darting in and out of the cold stream while yelping. My especial favourite was in Montecatini Terme…shower just in the corner of the room with no kind of barrier round it, no functional drainage system, flooded floor, toilet which wouldn’t flush, toilet seat which fell off every time you touched it, sink with a blocked plug hole, which became further blocked when my contact lens solution bottle top got wedged fast down it. And the bedroom door wouldn’t lock. Marvellous.
Nice marmotte
there's gotta be a leg-shaving story in there somewhere ;)
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Jul 9, 2010 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Waxing story
"Do you think we are a bunch a girls?...Go and ride some cobbles and you’ll definately know that we don’t discuss perfume and shaving cream." - Dom
in Berlin the other week
the showerhead just had one big hole in it, so it was more like standing under a giant tap :-|
"I was just trying to keep warm" - Ian Stannard on finishing third in KBK
OMG
please don’t let any Schlecks near the top bunk. OK, too late for Frank.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 9, 2010 3:42 PM EDT reply actions
I can actually picture Andy climbing into the upper bunk
in little cowboy pajamas and carrying a teddy bear.
Here's the answer from Kloden:
so now you know who is sleeping on top and below who http://yfrog.com/mv5pmvj I’m lighter than Gregy :-)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I understood from Rabo
That this year they not only haul matrasses around but also portable airco’s. Good thinking I’d say!
Money is the best doping. - Gerrie Kneteman
makes sense
As I said elsewhere, I was shocked Shack doesn’t appear to do this (as they are complaining about lack of AC)
moo
Ha! Hilarious! Well-played, Sir.
"He looked pretty good until he went over the side of that cliff." - thevaro
They should do a package holiday!
Dude, I can see my house from here
Apparently ASO chooses the hotels for the teams
Which seems very surprising to me.
Remember the USA skier Bode Miller? He used to (maybe still does) travel to Euro ski events in very comfy/nice camper.
moo
Why is it surprising
As soon as it is clear what cities will be visited by the Tour a scramble for hotelrooms begins. Remember, the TdF is a travelling circus of 4500-5000 persons. ASO has an information advantage and wisely uses it to book rooms for the teams asap.
Money is the best doping. - Gerrie Kneteman
But you got to weigh hotel room discomfort vs. traveling discomfort & being away from the team
I mean, if you have a chance for a nice hotel a couple minutes away, that’s one thing. But do you really want to stay an hour away from your team to be a little more comfortable at night?
by lieutenantmudd on Jul 9, 2010 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions
to your point
I think it’s one of the main reasons stage locations leak out. Hotels start being reserved in block
moo
ASO also pays for the hotel though right?
And meals. So picking the hotel seems natural.
by lieutenantmudd on Jul 9, 2010 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
only some do,
some eat crap hotel food. ha! Hotel usually sucks anyway, then from the sound of some of these hotels, well ….
I remember touring with a group and we stopped in one hotel for 3 nights
by 2nd night we bought pasta and other food begged them to cook it, what they offered was uneatable and spartan
moo
BBox have also had one for a couple of years now
They love it so much it has it’s own write up on the website and a video tour.
http://www.equipebouyguestelecom.fr/cyclisme/vehicules.shtml
Asked if there are any special diets among the nine riders he smiles: "Yes - nine. If they weren't special, they wouldn't be riding the Tour de France". Soren Kristensen, Chef, Team Sky
Rabo & Lotto too, they both use a mobile kitchen from company "Kookeiland" = cooking island
http://www.kookeiland.be/kookeiland.asp?filename=chefsontour_fotos_Tourdefrance2010.htm
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Sky and Saxo travel with chefs (Sky poached Saxo's)
Riis cycling just annouced a new order for a new state of the art mobile kitchen
(I seem to remember last year there were light hearted stories of the chefs of teams sharing hotels “arguing” over who got kitchen access first).
And Sky are travelling with bedding as well as mattresses and washing it on the bus each day.
Makes Shack look a bit behind the loop. Two portable camp beds would have been better what’s pictured.
Asked if there are any special diets among the nine riders he smiles: "Yes - nine. If they weren't special, they wouldn't be riding the Tour de France". Soren Kristensen, Chef, Team Sky
Here is some Saxo breakfast philosophy
The one detail that should have people here weeping with joy: Homemade organic Nutella.
I gather the system is teams all get the same number of "stars" over the tour...
I would not be surprised if whoever doled them out got a kick out of making sure Radioshack got at least one 1 star hotel.
Dude, I can see my house from here
That was hilarious
At least there was one building that had wifi there.
by Chief Commissaire on Jul 9, 2010 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Seattle has fabulous hotels
Not to mention some serious climbing. Just sayin.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 9, 2010 5:12 PM EDT reply actions
The Giro is starting there in 2013
Forgot to tell you
"Do you think we are a bunch a girls?...Go and ride some cobbles and you’ll definately know that we don’t discuss perfume and shaving cream." - Dom
Maybe the Tour groupies bribed the hotel.
“Oh, Klodi? I have a king-sized bed in my room.”
You understand smack talk? It's kind of, like, fun.--Mark Cavendish
Ha... response of the day for me :)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
tweets from Robbie Hunter last night
Window is open for air but that opens right on the parking area & some ppl keep coming & going.all I need now are some mosquitoes! about 23 hours ago via UberTwitter
Why am I awake so late..o well the A/C in this hotel room is broken,I forgot there isn’t one.so I’m lying in a pool of my own sweat! about 23 hours ago via UberTwitter
Are these ppl on crack in this hotel.? Its 1am and they using the vacuum in front of my door..what the hell.. about 23 hours ago via UberTwitter
the vacuuming thing? sweet moses… I’d have snapped.
I am again amazed the team management isn't doing more.
there should be a guy in the hallway keeping things quiet. Isn’t this a professional sport?
moo
hunter is an avid angry twitterer huh
(even though this time its understandable)
"You know if there's any contact at all Cristiano Ronaldo's gonna go down...maybe even just a puff of wind"
by agl on Jul 9, 2010 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Vaughters said
he hired Hunter for Farrar’s leadout because he was the angriest man alive. Or something like that.
"I was just trying to keep warm" - Ian Stannard on finishing third in KBK
BMC Racing Team Hotel
From the looks of this photo, the BMC Racing Team had a nice dinner outdoors tonight. (courtesy @johnlelangue)
by Chief Commissaire on Jul 9, 2010 6:02 PM EDT reply actions
Zabriskie
rearranging bedrooms daily
Do any of the team busses have room to sleep?
Kloden’s picture reminds me of buses that have bunks in them (although worse). If it was bad enough, staying on a team bus would seem a good alternative (if they had the room) and you could blast the AC…course it’s running and spewing diesel fumes all night…
Another question – do the teams get assigned hotels via some lottery? Or does it pay to be on a French team for the tour?
now sock-less and carefree.
Tour de France Hotel Story
I went to the 2007 Tour with my son, brother and sister and her boyfriend. We stayed in a small hotel one town away from the start town of Issoire (Parentignat). Got into hotel after 9 pm. After eating a late fast food meal, my son and I fell asleep. Apparently, after we fell asleep, a Tour de France caravan of Skoda types showed up. Skoda Girls and their entourage of cars etc. Around midnight to 2 am they started a water fight in the hallway with little or no clothing on. According to my sister version of the story. My sister tried to tell them to be quiet. Keep in mind this is an American who doesn’t speak french. They wouldn’t stop no matter how many times she asked and complained. She even lurked outside their hotel rooms trying to catch them. The Skoda crew kept it up for a while. The next morning, my sister looked exhausted at breakfast. She kept saying how badly she slept. We all asked why? She replied you didn’t who guys hear the waterfight and running up and down the hallway? Our reply: What are you talking about? I slept like a baby. All the males at the breakfast table, except her boyfriend, said at the end of her rant….Why didn’t you wake us up? We couldn’t get past the water and little or no clothing part…….Just thought it might be fun to share.
Alpe Du Huez is my favorite place on earth!!!!!!
hehe great story
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Jul 9, 2010 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Can someone explain to me why these teams with their budgets in the millions can’t pay for luxury accommodation? I mean on the one hand the TdF would lose something without the horrible hotel stories. On the other hand…well you have to sleep.
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
It's one of the race rules
Competitors and sports managers must obey the discipline and rules required by the notion of fair and equal treatment on one hand and the image and reputation of the Tour de France on the other and safety.
In particular: …….
• sleeping and taking their meals in the premises designated for this purpose by the organisation, to the exclusion of any other;
(Article 9 – pg 28) If nothing else it means they know where everyong is for dope testing
Asked if there are any special diets among the nine riders he smiles: "Yes - nine. If they weren't special, they wouldn't be riding the Tour de France". Soren Kristensen, Chef, Team Sky
thing is also,
most hotel rooms in europe are very small and most hotels – most buildings period – do not have air conditioning. I think it would be hard to put all the teams in air conditioned modern hotels. And if you did i think they’d be kind of spread out all over the place. On the other hand, i’ve stayed in some cheap hotels and i’ve never seen one with bunk beds like on a ship like in that klodi photo – that looks like something from a gite or something.
Certainly my experience of cheap hotels in France
is mostly positive. Cheap and cheerful most of them.
Went wandering around Limoges last year on the rest day. Teams mostly billeted in Campanile or something of roughly similar standard.
Another consideration I think is adequate car parking space at each hotel as come 8 – 9am the next morning the car park turns into a busy workplace.
Asked if there are any special diets among the nine riders he smiles: "Yes - nine. If they weren't special, they wouldn't be riding the Tour de France". Soren Kristensen, Chef, Team Sky
Not a problem for continental riders
I seem to remember reading lots of stories by non-euro riders new to the continent getting yelled at when they turned on hotel AC. apparently they are incubators of infections and veteran riders keep them turned off.
Vlaanderens Mooiste
Maybe they do get some nice rooms, and give them to their cash cows.
I would believe the ASO gets the pick of the litter as no one else knows the route until they do.
Woof
They have hundreds of people to put up, and some of the towns aren't very big--not necessarily a lot of choice.
My understanding is that they try to spread the misery around, giving each team some time in the best and worst of the hotels.
You understand smack talk? It's kind of, like, fun.--Mark Cavendish
Not all the teams have budgets "in the millions".
Those teams that have budgets to pay for chefs and better digs do so. Shack bunked up in shacks? Hmmm.
iamTedKing this am...
Not only do we have bunk beds, a la TdF accommodations, but here is the accompanying bedside artwork. #I’m6Ye http://tweetphoto.com/31864811/blockquote>
Anyone who has every thought a working Photojournalist had a glam job needs to rethink...
by Christopher See on Jul 10, 2010 10:31 AM EDT reply actions
briljant!
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Jul 10, 2010 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
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