Pro Cycling’s Got A New Problem | GCN Show Ep. 599

Pro cycling’s got a new problem: the curse of the extra boring stage! After watching the Tour de France on Monday, we started wondering whether Grand Tour sprint stages need a shakeup, why they have become so boring, what can be done about it, and if anything even needs to be done about it at all!
Dan & Si also discuss how you can get paid $1,000 to ride a bike, the return of the "Wattage Bazooka", and share a quickfire interview with Visma-Lease A Bike’s Matteo Jorgensen from his Tour de France training camp!
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00:00 Welcome to the GCN Show!
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04:20 Do Grand Tour sprint stages need a shakeup?
07:40 What, if anything, needs to change?
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Do you think sprint stages need to change? 🚴‍♂️💨 If not, why not? If so, what do you think is the solution? 💬
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[@daniellloyd100]

If you're wondering why we made no mention of Biniam Girmay's win on yesterday's stage, it's because we were recording the show before the finish. We weren't expecting such an historical win! Congrats to Biniam, what a legend.

[@JZTechEngineering]

Can we get a pin on this?

[@gcn]

He smashed it 🙌

[@gcn]

📌

[@daniellloyd100]

@@Stefan_W. Daryl's win was very much celebrated, as was Robbie Hunter's before him. But becoming the first black African to win a stage of Le Tour is a HUGE moment for the race, and for the whole sport.

[@masoodrehman118]

Thanks, are you gonna be back on Eurosport at all?

[@chriscole4149]

I enjoy even quiet and slow bits of the 5 hours because I can enjoy seeing the countryside and special topics that pop up in regional areas or towns. It's a change to learn about hometowns for cyclists or museums dedicated to cycling.

[@simonmacleod6212]

Me too 100%

[@berenicebaker7191]

You are just competition nuts. I only started watching cycling for the stunning scenery of Le Tour and the soothing serenity of the peloton snaking its way mile after mile. And I converted a number of my friends, who then ended up peppering me with questions about the rules. Leave well alone. There’s always the highlights for those who only want the exciting bits!

[@rlm4471]

That's cool, but I hope you can appreciate that you're in the minority. I'd rather spend that time out riding.

[@RoyHughes-tg9hh]

Totally agree 👍

[@rob-c.]

@@rlm4471millions of non cycling fans tune in just for the scenery and history.

[@rudolphpyatt4833]

Trust me: A long sprint stage is MUCH more interesting than most contemporary F1 races.

[@DAOnero]

Asking if the tour should/shouldnt have long boring stages is like asking if the 24hrs of la mans needs to be 24 hrs

[@WillPower46]

Fixing boring football would be easy just get rid of the off side rule and you would have way more goals making it exciting not the snooze fest it is now. Cycling on the other hand would benefit like cricket did from shortening things up for flat stages. As an ex-sprinting racer myself I can well remember sitting in and just going through the motions in flat races just so that eventually I could get to the last few kms to do my thing. If the flat stages were like 120km then there would be a lot more for breakaways to be excited about.

[@rob-c.]

@@WillPower46 Football is boring if one team just defends all the time. Allowing the attackers to push those defenders even further back towards their own goal doesn’t feel like it would help.

[@gcn]

Hahahaha very true! It's part of the fabric of the race, those long stages can throw up some real issues 👀

[@johnhufnagel]

If your only desire is to see the end result, then yes longer is boring. However, to take your LeMans reference, there's a LOT going on in that 24 hours, and not all of it is directly racing related. In their case it's a 24 hour (or longer) massive party, with lots of off-track activities to go do. Related to racing, you can view the race from multiple points, there's almost always someone doing a pit stop (an excellent source of drama and excitement.) I do agree that, shorter stages are generally more exciting because the probability of being able to pull off some stunt increase, since the modern Tour era no longer germinates insanity like Landis' 2006 Stage 17 ride. Irrespective of the ultimate outcome (right or wrong) it was, at least at the time, MASSIVELY entertaining.

[@PazLeBon]

@@johnhufnagel but some of us have brains and use thoughts. those boed literally dont and thry wantto deny us those thoughts lol.

[@Erikperik93]

In Sweden the commentators (that have been at it since 93-ish) are so freaking good so I love having them on in the background for the whole stage, even when it's a sprint stage. Don't change anything!!

[@stevemawer848]

The point at which Kirby starts commentating is, for me, a mute point. Rob Hatch is so much better (though not as good as Dan) despite his quirky pronunciation.

[@webster169]

@@stevemawer848nobody fills boring stages better than Carlton Kirby, his anecdotes are legendary, Rob is good but a bit vanilla

[@byggerEttSlott]

Swede here and this is so true. Basically only reason I watch cycling is to listen to the commentators. It is basically a 5h podcast with beautiful scenery on the TV

[@gcn]

That makes all the difference 🙌

[@neilcam]

Similarly here in Oz we're blessed to have Matt Keenan, Simon Gerrans, and Bridie O'Donnell commentating. Not always exciting, but always very interesting to the point that Mark Renshaw currently DS for Astana (aka Cav's boss) texted Gerrans during the stage to ask about the run in to the sprint finish course (the one where Girmay won) because he knew Simon had ridden that part of the course earlier that morning.

[@declanbroderick4453]

I watched the last hour of the TDF Stage 1 live, the first time ever watching it live. It was amazing. The highlights did not do it justice. I could feel their pain, and I was really invested in the breakaway winning. You don't get that from a short recap.

[@daniellloyd100]

Agreed - the opening two stages were fantastic, as was stage 4. And we do love the sprint finishes, it's just that there's often very little happening for the first few hours of those stages. Dan

[@gcn]

Nothing beats watching a full stage 👌

[@andrewsaville4473]

How to make a sprint day less dull? Make the whole stage about sprinting! If there an intermediate sprint every (say) 20km, those wanting to contend for the green jersey have to be at the front of the race and have to get themselves into a position to sprint, so there will always be action. You could even go one further and change the format of a sprint stage so that instead of the stage winner being whoever crosses the line first, it could be who accumulates the most sprint points in the day (the time at which riders cross the line would then only impact on GC standings). Imagine how it would change a boring sprint stage if every sprinter had to contest 20 sprints to stand a chance of being the stage winner!

[@flipper2gv]

It's a tour, they need to travel distance and it can't be all in the mountains or TT.

[@gcn]

We all wish it could be though 😔 Sprints can be exciting to watch though!

[@DonutEndurance]

As someone who is stuck what Peacock's coverage of the Tour, I can guarantee you don't want a director choosing when to pull away from the race coverage to show something else. Peacock keeps showing interview and mini documentaries mid race. It is always during the worst time and is poor quality. I will watch 5 hours of boring race coverage if it meant I didn't have Peacock's race coverage anymore.

[@Ridewithjst]

VPN, Flobikes, and Canadian or UK feed. Back to Eurosport coverage and your sanity. 🫡

[@megatronknits]

I've also noticed that the NBC commentators have a stricter script. You'll hear them go off on a bit of a tangent during a quiet part of a stage about the scenery and suddenly go quiet, then switch to talking about stats. Eurosport commentators will talk about pizza for 15 minutes during the quiet part of a stage and it seems like no one cares.

[@seannugent29]

Simple answer surely is if it's a sprint stage, have more sprints throughout the stage that count big towards the points jersey. May also see more competition for the jersey as breakaway specialists will get involved. But to be honest I don't find the stages boring and as a 90kg cyclist I don't only want to see the smallest guys racing up hills every day (although I love that too).

[@JohnBrownlow]

yep

[@gcn]

Sprints make for amazing viewing, perhaps it would be cool to see more points of interest on route 👀

[@alihume1]

#captioncompetition - Good to see streaming back on GCN !

[@hutchy_4297]

Long boring stages are a perfect time to work on your bikes while you watch. That's what a shop is for:)

[@chriswinchester679]

So here's my half-baked, only recent cycling fan idea: Formalize the "Most Aggressive Rider" award, but make it one of the big overall jerseys rather than just a stage-by-stage jury thing. You set up some kind of a system where if a rider is leading a stage by a certain minimum gap, they start earning points for every km they stay ahead of the pack. That way, they're still getting something even if the sprinter's teams eventually catch up with them. The problem with the current system is threefold: First, the team structures seem pretty rigid. Each team has "their guy" and that guy is there to do "their thing" whether that's the GC, sprinting, climbing, or just winning a stage. The main job of riders who aren't "the guy" seems to be, as near as I can determine, "keep him out of trouble and don't do anything risky or exciting," which doesn't make for exciting viewing. Second, all of important things tend to be determined by what happens at the *end* of something, rather than the middle. The GC guys only care about where they are at the end of a race. Sprinters and stage-goers only care about the end of a stage. The climbers only care about the end of a mountain, etc. That means that the 99% of a stage that isn't the end doesn't really matter? I'm sure there's plenty of tactics and stuff going on I don't really understand, but most of the stage doesn't really have significance on its own. Third, the format strongly disincentivizes breakaways because if a rider gets caught, it's all wasted effort. I have to image teams frown upon support riders doing that unless they're specifically told to.

[@ehthrough]

I LOVE this idea!

[@Headhunter_212]

Maybe add 20+ unaffiliated riders as chaos agents who compete on this aggressive rider category.

[@future62]

You might be on to something here. Could be as extreme as awarding average position across a whole stage vs just at the finish. So riders will have to be aggressive for the whole stage vs just at the end.

[@casinosoul]

@@future62 This is a terrific idea. Chapeau!

[@Ridewithjst]

@@Headhunter_212I like chaos agent idea. Maybe there should be invited riders on top of teams that are like per-event temporary teams, with the riders getting a salary but also bonuses for stuff like breakaways, intermediate sprint and KOM points, etc…will never happen but would be fun

[@Mia-MEME741]

I will get a membership but I've watched all the docs previously so when will new gcn+ docs be coming out or is that something in the pipeline.

[@gcn]

What sort of thing would you like to see?

[@user-jj8ev9tq6n]

​@gcn If i can hijack this question, my family and I loved the Slow Lanes series and anything with Jenny and Mark. We have a mix of competitive and non-competitive riders in our family, and this worked for all of us. It really got us all talking about where to adventure next (we live in Oz), and what kind of riding we can do that isn't all about outright performance.

[@noptimized]

To make the Tour less boring, how about this compromise: you can use performance-enhancing drugs if you pair them with the psychedelic ones.

[@Toastybear1]

You can use whatever you like, but you have to compete on a Brompton.

[@davezzzz172]

@@Toastybear1 Or maybe make it like "Squid Game."

[@rajarunachala7516]

Best comment! 😂

[@Toastybear1]

The best thing about July is the Tour de France podcast. 6 hours a day of Carlton Kirby, Rob Hatch and friends during a sprint stage. Truly a treasure. I drive many hours a day with work, as soon as a race kicks off I’ll pause and watch when I get home, but until then I’ll listen to it as a podcast. It’s golden.

[@stephangeissler7491]

Did something similar while I was travelling during the Giro: I only listened to the live stream. And while doing that I was getting aware what a brilliant job they are doing. If you are a little into cycling and the tactics you almost don't need the video footage! SO Chapeau to them. BTW even being German I prefer the English commentators :)

[@gcn]

You know summer has hit when their voices come on 🙌

[@londonbornuk]

Where do you listen to this? Had a quick search and can't find it.

[@Toastybear1]

@@londonbornuk I subscribe to Eurosport and watch/listen there :)

[@heatherbellbikes]

Hard disagree that it’s boring. We love the sprint day in our house. The riders are relaxed. You get to see them having a bit more fun and some mischief. They’re also very chatty and we get to hear some of it. You get to admire the scenery and discover landmarks. It’s just slow tv with commentary, which is excellent on the slow days. Both Si and Dan say it’d be boring for someone seeing it for the first time but you’re both wrong. I started watching and it was precisely this that sucked me in. Same for my hubby. I kept calling him on to look at the scenery and listen to the chat. It’s very inviting actually. We have to watch the Tour on catch up at night and we try to watch as much as possible, especially on sprint day, instead of just watching the last hour or so. I’m not adverse to having some intermediate sprints and KOMs and like an InterGiro, but let’s not play around with it too much.

[@JasonOFlaherty]

I enjoy the boring stage’s too. That’s when I appreciate good commentators that talk and show the local architecture and history and landscapes, etc. Talk about the other parts of a grande tour that aren’t immediately on screen and it’s still enjoyable. It’s called a tour for a reason. These stages are good to explain to the new fan just what the heck bike racing is about

[@Millicente]

As someone who got into cycling only 3 years ago I distinctly remember my first viewing of the tour which was also the first race I watched. Like the two gentlemen said, on the sprint stages I thought at first that the exciting bits were soon to come, then after 20 mins I stopped focusing on the race and did other things. Once that stage ended, and that happened another time, I didn’t want to watch full stages. I started watching highlights instead, and if the highlights were great, looked for extended highlights. Now if I watch a full stage it’s only if it’s projected to be a much contested stage, or one with iconic/hard climbs. People will accuse me of being a casual watcher, and I am, but I don’t think the casual watching crowd should be brushed off. Maybe offer time bonuses throughout the stage to create multiple smaller finish line sprints?

[@oumtaha3834]

I like them

[@michaelnewman4302]

I don't see lavaliers or podcast mics, and yet...this is the high-quality audio I know GCN has always been capable of providing. Boom mics? No clue, but kudos! Now take this approach to the GCN Tech Show, please!

[@gcn]

We don't let our secrets out 😉

[@michaelnewman4302]

@@gcn I don't need to know how the trick is done. I just want to be wowed by the magic.

[@babiilabilux]

I'd love to see a "breakaway ranking" with either a special bib/helmet or even jersey. It could be the amount of kilometers raced in the head group. It sounds a bit similar to combativity award but I think that it could be a good incentive for riders to go in the break during flat stages.

[@SmartLittleFishy]

I’ve been thinking the TdF needs an award focused on the teams to make early parts of the stages more exciting. I suggest a points contest for the teams, modeled after the pooka-dots and green jerseys. The teams are awarded point, like for the pooka-dot/green sprinters’ contest. The 5th rider of a team that crosses the team contest line determines the points awarded in the team as part of the team contest. The top three teams are giving a podium place at the ends of the TdF. This will give some of the smaller teams something to chase during the race and could lead to exciting racing and maybe lead to some break-aways from the smaller teams. The points could all be awarded in the early parts of the stages to make the them more watchable.

[@ianjwhitmore]

Caption: "I drew a line ... I drew a line for you Oh, what a thing to do ... And it was all yellow" - Coldplay

[@gcn]

It seems like Pog is on a higher power this year 😉

[@ianjwhitmore]

@@gcn Indeed 🤩

[@vincec5260]

On flat stages, sprint every 30 kms. 10kms to recover, 20kms to position and sprint. Enought points on offer to affect the overall winner. Mountain stages, increase the cut off time to give the sprinters a chance to recover from their exertions.

[@stevesmith866]

You were on the toilet when you thought of that weren’t you?

[@gcn]

Wow! That would shake things up 👀

[@PPage-g6v]

Dan has had more mentions on commentary than when he was on Discovery +. Sounds like the team miss him. Good luck guys

[@gcn]

We're happy to have Dan fully back on GCN 🙌

[@238949]

I've watched all stages from Sat - now Thursday and not been bored once, I love the TV footage, the views, the cycling and after Wed's stage am the happiest person in the world

[@TheBrawlmastah]

Dan is the man, give this man a joint, best presenter by far

[@oumtaha3834]

Is just far away

[@davidhakes5141]

If you don't televize the boring bits, you're liable to miss the "Super Streaker"( streaker on a bicycle). The way to keep eyes interested, you need some kind of cheerleader. But, if that fails, send in the streaker. Works like a charm, every time. Especially , in major sports events.

[@gcn]

Hahaha there is always something going on 👀 Side winds can also cause GC chaos!

[@user-jj7cv4dh8t]

If Hank's song doesn't become the intro to the GCN show now every week, I'll be sorely disappointed... And the tour coverage even on the "boring" days is great, no need to change it. I love hearing about the history of the different villages and regions as they go. American sports don't need to be shortened either, they just need to be less commercialized. 48 minutes for an NBA game or 60 minutes for an NFL game are fine, just don't have a commercial break every 3 plays.

[@gcn]

Hahahaha you want more of Hank's tune?

[@john_7986]

Where can I find Hank's reel?

[@tcslonaker177]

I tune in on “boring” stages to hear the commentary stories and analysis. Also, I like to view rider positions, cadence, etc.

[@gcn]

We spy a true cycling nerd... and we love it!

[@ericaworthington2675]

I'm a casual cycling fan and watching highlights of the TdF is enough for me. I'd never watch more than 30 minutes of a bicycle race, unless there were several intermediate sprints, KOMs, exciting descents, crashes, etc. worth watching. Seeing the pelotón moving down the road is only slightly better than watching paint dry

[@giglz3887]

I wouldnt want to change too much, the climbers need their day and the sprinters need theirs. 2 Small-ish changes but i think it would add a little of fun: change a mountain day into a team relay. Place your riders throughout the distance, all teams have one rider at the start line, brings in tactics of playing into different riders’ strengths. If youre worried about the time differences being too great you can do total team time divided by 8 = individual GC time, similar time totals to TT. Maybe b/c im american and we love it here but i’d love to see a flat or hilly day turned into a criterium. You can do it similar to the WC last yr in Glasgow, maybe 20-50k into a a city, then 10 10-15k laps around the city. Im sure there are plenty of cities that would love to host that, hell, i bet Monaco would love to host that and that practically turn it into a mini mountain stage with the climbing around there

[@oumtaha3834]

Use it equal

[@Chiller11]

Think of the aero shades as preventing skin cancer and I could wear them. Mountaineers have worn similar contraptions for decades.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

We have folks who wear have nose covers to keep the Sun off and to prevent getting skin cancers. Integrating them with glasses means you don't forget them.

[@gcn]

That's a really interesting take! 🙌

[@CLONisKING]

I agree in flat stages at the TdF or any other grand tour, the distance should be limited to roughly a 100k. This would increase the speed and as you mentioned, it would give breakaways at any time of the race a more realistic chance to actually win the stage.

[@Pomi3001]

I am fine with sprint stages. For the first 4 hours, I watch them as a sort of zen program, mostly in the background. After the looooong build-up, I then really enjoy the intensity and suspense of the last 20 kilometers

[@shahilj]

Golf is one of the most boring sports to watch except it’s also the most exciting because of the TV coverage which has been supercharged to keep your attention. Much harder for cycling where there is not staggered start. But the facts and discussions on cycling commentary is always interesting and one reason I like watching full stages even all the boring bits.

[@ChrisSpriggs-rj2ys]

I love a boring stage😊 Beers books and relax enjoy the scenery In the Tour Suisse the Tissot watch prize proved popular with the riders 😊

[@gcn]

Oh yes please!

[@thomasgeorge5426]

Caption: Tadej: “Hey peloton, pee, no?” FDJ “He’s not riding this year, he retired!”

[@bertbikeblah7204]

Here in Australia, late at night! I usually only watch the mountain stages in full and watch the fabulous SBS channels’ hour long highlight package every evening at 5pm

[@francesstager997]

I love watching you guys-- this motivates me to laugh harder and train harder!!!

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

Solution to boring spring stages : Substitute those with an elimination sprint competition with time bonuses to be grabbed for a following short team time trial (without their sprinter).

[@OscarVarona-hu9pl]

Caption: On “exhibition” in France this week, Monet’s lost work: Tadej Amongst the Water Lillies

[@StevePHILLIPS-o9z]

As someone newly retired who now has the time to watch the entire coverage I am loving the insights given by commentators and Jens which you don’t get on catch up shows even when the stage may not be in your view “exciting”

[@gcn]

If you've got the time it makes for a great day filler! Are you getting lots of riding in too?

[@StevePHILLIPS-o9z]

@@gcn Lots, 3810 miles so far this year although with the weather being so pants the majority of that has been on Zwift 🤣 Allez, Allez!

[@johnrodgers6049]

Golf tournaments now are covered for hours (6 or more per day). Years ago, coverage would start when the leaders started the back nine (2ish hours). They would then intersperse highlights throughout the coverage of what happened prior. With cycling you could show the last hour. During the boring bits, fill in with the highlights of the prior 3-4 hours.

[@gam1471]

Paul McHugh was the British national track sprint champion five times (1984, 85, 86, then1990 and 92). I read an article asking why he'd specialised in track sprinting. His reply was as I recall "Why I should I spend several hours in the saddle just waiting to do what I enjoy the most?" 😊

[@rileyvonbevern4652]

A points competition would be great. Have 4 intermediate sprints worth as much as the finish in total

[@stevenhaywood5868]

I thought this also, possibly 6 even 8 intermediate sprints. Tacticts would really need to used and would definitely make the whole stage more interesting.

[@JohnBrownlow]

Yes, I agree with this

[@kokonanana1]

Like crit Primes!

[@JK-NOT-JK]

Great to have it on in the background whilst I’m at work. Similar to having the Open on or Wimbledon. So, long form is perfect for many of us.

[@ZenEndurance]

I’ll never forget my friend recording a basketball game and then just watching the last 2 minutes on the clock because he said the rest of the game was a waste of time. He was right. But if you heard something big happened, you had the whole game on tape.

[@MaxGalofre]

How about this: a stage that's 5 TT of 20-25km each distributed as A➝B, B➝A, A➝B, B➝A, A➝B going through 2 different routes. A total of 100-125km, much harder than that same distance done in a single continuous ride. Could be done as an ITT, or as a TT by heats, in which heats are organized based on the top riders of the previous stages (ie.: average top10, 11-20, 21-30, etc, and as usual, slowest riders go out first). Winner of the stage is the rider with the lowest overall time. It's a sprint stage, you can have bunch sprints if it's done in heats, safer because it's limited to 10 riders per heat, and it makes 100+km not boring. You can even add bonuses for the winner of each of the time trials, or for the rider with the overall fastest time on each of the 2 different routes (regardless of the heat). The details would need to be refined to make it viable, safe and not too draining for riders, but it's possible to make these stages more entertaining without changing the soul of the race, because you'd still have your other typical stages, and this would be just one that would take the spot of a boring, filler kind of stage. I still love the "boring" stages and think they should always have a prominent presence in the Tour, much like normal ITT and hard mountain stages. Similarly, a normal stage of ~150km could also be divided in several parts and have several finish-line sprints/climbs across the stage with a rest of 20 minutes or so in between, with the winner being the rider with the best overall time across all parts of the stage. This would also be fun to watch because a stage like that would be ridden hard on a variety of formats (flat sprint, climb, technical twisting roads, etc). Just some ideas.

[@CycletheNation]

I see no reason for sprint stages to change. It's a 'Tour' de France, and these stages just happen to be flat and have been adopted as 'sprint' stages. You can't have a Tur de France without the tour bit. The increased load and cumulative strain over the 3 weeks is what makes the great riders show their strengths towards the end of the race.

[@Ridewithjst]

You can have a Tour de France without long flat stages. This isn’t an immutable law of physics, nor is it some sort of strict religious ceremony, contrary to what some luddites would believe. The tour used to be 18 hour, 400km overnight rides. We got rid of that. Time to evolve some more.

[@jesuspascualcamino]

That intro to caption competition almost made me weep. Perfection. That was sheer perfection. Thanks, Si : )

[@gcn]

Shucks ... What can we say 😳

[@jesuspascualcamino]

@@gcn Ever since the change from Elite to Camelback water bottles it's been a streak of interruptions due to the delivery saga, excitement over the delivery, special series... this is first time in a while that's it's been delivered in full, that made me smile : ) (I know, it's sad I can actually notice!)

[@jannesampo]

As said in earlier comments: so called "boring" stages are great opportunities for commentators, like our finns Peter and Christian Selin, to really shine, tell stories about region stage is on, to tell what kind of tactics we can assume to see on next stages etc. I personally just listen commentary on backround most of the time on these stages and do something else while listening.

[@mommamooney]

As someone who doesn’t have access to live footage, highlights are the way to go! 25-35 minutes is a really good time

[@gcn]

Where do you watch your highlights?

[@DaveIngs]

@@gcn FloBikes subscription (in Canada). IMO boring sprint stages are best watched via the highlights. Stage 3 (230 km) was so boring that even the highlights were padded out with interviews!

[@mommamooney]

@@gcn KZbin. Eurosport unless NBC has the rights as I’m in the US. NBC has longer highlights than Eurosport

[@moblet]

One way to guarantee the existence of a breakaway is to form it before the start and release it early (i.e. handicap race). Each team could nominate one rider; would need some rules like being down on GC and not being the team's highest sprint points holder.

[@peterdobos1606]

I have a new reason to watch the GCN Show: it's just so weird watching the Tour and not hearing Dan's dulcet tones. So I come here to get my fix.

[@JonCannings]

You know it makes sense

[@gcn]

You can fill your boots here 🙌

[@3Max]

I agree with Si, it's a coverage thing, where highlights will fix the issue. True for most racing, it's boring 99% of the time, and has a few fun bits. Alternatively, watch it on the weekend in the background.

[@jacobblackshaw3060]

Something which could spice up boring stages is the introduction of a combatively jersey. This would make attacking on boring stages have a clearer benefit for teams, I think that points for this jersey should only be available on certain stages to avoid a runaway victory for GC leaders.

[@redeagle999]

I can barely ride a bike but love watching! I started watching when Indurain was riding and it grabbed my imagination. I still can't believe that people can be this good at anything. For me an hour highlights everyday would be great. I don't have time to actually "watch", and 10 minutes isn't long enough. I love all the inside stories, etc.

[@gcn]

1 hour highlights can be a great way to soak it all in 🙌

[@donball370]

TdF should look to this year's Giro. The "shorter" stages really did set up aggressive racing from the off. Also puts the pressure on the sprint teams who can no longer assume that it will be a sprint train finish

[@roa5359]

What ‘boring’ sprint stages have that football doesn’t is amazing scenery and views. Learn a little about the country with the commentators help. Include some peloton tech with interludes and mechanics interviews.

[@6ft8incyclist]

Conor and myself will need a full size frame pump to fix a slipping seat post.

[@blueyhills]

I

[@hornetluca]

#CaptionChallenge "Checking hydration level, if it's yellow, keep winning"

[@davidmunro3188]

What a banging tune Hank! Love it

[@Scottopotto]

Add more intermediate sprints on longer stages! 3-4 sprints for green jersey points in a sprint stage would add so much value to a 5-hour broadcast

[@PhilDazo]

My suggestion is to have more intermediate sprints on long flat stages (5/6) with riders being more consistent winners getting a huge time bonus. So if a rider comes in top 3 of six intermediate sprints and wins the final sprint gets calculated time bonus to be seconds on the top three leaders. Maybe even, 10 secs back from the leader. Depending on the finishes they get 10 secs, 30 secs, 1 min behind the leader. I’d watch to see who wins the intermediate sprints.

[@dpr8ter]

If you want short and exciting, watch track of BMX. And almost every major coverage provider already provides a recap/highlights later for those who can't or don't want to watch the full stages. As far as making it more competitiive, it would be nice to see more or more impactful intermediate sprints throughout the stages.

[@oumtaha3834]

I want do forever

[@Schekktitan]

Hungarian commentators solve the boring stage program beautifully. They always tell about the particular area’s cuisine where the peloton crosses, tell us legends from the area, and the history of it. It really feels more like top notch culture program more than anything. Additionally, guests are invited and we can ask questions from them. Never a boring stage with the Hungarian commentators!

[@RhymesWithPorridge]

Here's how to make flat stages more interesting: offer a year's immunity from doping prosecution to the first to cross the line in an intermediate sprint. Not only would it spice up the race, but it would lead to endless talking points.

[@Ridewithjst]

There is no better sleep aid, for night time or nap time, than a sprint stage of a grand tour. Had me quite the nap this afternoon watching a replay of stage 5, woke up with around 50km to go, which turns out was just about perfect…

[@NVGTO]

Sport is sport and it should answer to the rules and needs of the game/sport itself. The length of stages is part of the amazing sporting feat that the cyclists go through and we should all appreciate that the final sprints come after so many kms. I think that changing sport for viewers can be driven by wrong values and criteria, more focused on short attention spans and commercial needs rather than what the sport in question stands for. Of course I understand that viewers bring money and money keeps the sport alive, but this shouldn't come at the detriment of the purity, beauty and values of the sport.

[@coconutman1980]

For ep.600, I think a nice tribute to Cillian Kelly would be very fitting to thank him for all he has done for GCN. For those who don’t know, since going independent, Cillian no longer works for GCN

[@Erhan_H]

How to make long sprint stages more fun? Instead of declaring the winner at the finish line, use a point system. Have several intermediate sprints, and the one collects most points win the stage. Which can mean someone wins the stage before the finish line... so need to find a way to make it interesting until the finish line... may be huge time bonus for GC?

[@Ridewithjst]

The problem with this particular TdF is that Arkea won an early stage, Cofidis has come close in sprints, Total doesn’t seem to have decided what their goals are, Uno-X has the Polkadot jersey (and formerly Green), basically the teams you would be expected to try for a breakaway and also be allowed up the road, aren’t going for it because they don’t have to.

[@capitanveinteyuno]

Caption. Wee won´t stain this kit, what a relief!!

[@cyclingmrc]

Just give Dan the bottle now, smashed it this week with his suggestion pmsl! 😜

[@burgels]

#CaptionCompetition Tadej still producing yellow and hoping to be "number 1" by the end of the tour.

[@tonyfranco2521]

I think Dan touched on it - make the sprint stages uber short, like 100km or even shorter.

[@BrockHooten-bs6py]

Man, after that stellar diddy, Hank and Blake (the twins) are my favorite presenters. That was solid.

[@fcbr10p]

I love the idea of infusing the sprint stages with intermediate sprints and time bonuses. And in addition to the local highlights and behind-the-scenes content, I would be thrilled to get more live, detailed analytics of the riders’ performances.

[@TheSamwhyte]

Here’s an idea - in each race you have one (or a few) stage where it’s only the team leader from each team who goes out on their own… it forces the teams to actually race and pit the best against each other

[@emilanoburgos]

Love that y'all mention the weight maintenance as well. Personally I can gain muscle well but lack the stability to eat regularly for extended peroids of time. I know I have trouble eating enough to go on 20mi + rides and feel like more people should talk about a healthy weight goals.

[@AngusKingston]

I agree some stages dont suit the full length being shown on TV. A few years ago they weren’t. It’s assumed audiences want to see it all. In Australia the TDF is on TV from about 8pm to 1am. A dull stage means an early night to train for the Queen stage late nights.

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

Spot on. 1 hour extended highlights would be perfect.

[@Toastybear1]

The thing is, 1 hour highlight packages already exist through Eurosport.

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

@@Toastybear1 they do?? Certainly not on Peacock or HBO

[@DaveIngs]

FloBikes (Canada) has 25-30 minute highlight videos. Perfect for sprint days.

[@Toastybear1]

@@askmeaboutmattweiner I thought Eurosport had them to be honest! I use discovery, not sure if they make highlights this year as I haven’t used them but the full replay has timeline markers for climbs, attacks, sprints, km markers etc. so you can really make your own highlights of whatever length suits there.

[@alexnaturalis1179]

The TV broadcast isn't boring if it can squeeze in trivia facts about the riders, the Tour and just France. I enjoy "virtual traveling" to different parts of the country and getting to see the countryside as they ride through. The helicopter shots are wonderful. Perhaps include more tourism tips of the cities? I'm sure they've done it before. The Tour is also a showcase of France as a travel destination.

[@timjurgens1499]

Well, since a couple years it is action right from the first stage. When I was young the first TdF week was always "boring" sprint stages, but the peloton could settle into the race. We always want more entertainment, more action. But the guys need to race for 3 weeks. I can totally understand that after the first days they are pretty happy to "take it slow" for a change. What do you want to do? Mountain finishes for three weeks straight? If we go down that road we shouldn´t be wondering if the peloton is doped up to the teeth again in a couple of years. (If they aren´t already..)

[@noskillzdad5504]

Incentives-wise: They could do the same thing they do in marathon (ice) speed skating: Add intermediate sprints where you can accumulate points. That turns a slightly boring too-many laps race into a watchable one.

[@Viewfromabove1]

Beyond the racing, the coverage takes you on a meditative tour of the countryside .... Some of the shots are breathtaking. Highlights alone would likely curtail that aspect. So whilst some stages are not very exciting, there are other reasons to watch. 😊

[@XR4turbo]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...we need at least one more jersey competition in the TDF. High visibility jersey for the rider who spends the most cumulative time at the front of the Peloton. Could be fun to see the various "tractors" fighting each other to pull the field along on otherwise boring stages.

[@01FozzyS]

That Hank rap though. Could be a good one for a ride motivator! lol #captioncontest "Help me Jonas, I can't find it."

[@ex3qtor]

I trully loled when heard Lloyds caption :D Good job! This one is your best one ever!

[@nicholashodson6041]

Done right, the commentary could be like Test Match Special (Cricket for those unfamiliar) on BBC Radio 4 - entertaining in its own right even when the play on the pitch is boring (or even when it's raining). You can have it on in the background and then perk up when something happens.

[@endaohalloran6649]

A great idea for exciting sprint stages are routes we've seen in the giro where about 20km there's a long but shallow climb. Maybe around 15km at 5% So the Peloton has to go at a certain speed for the sprinters which gives breakaway riders time to build a gap. Then the Peloton has less time to chase down the break over the top

[@lux-wattage]

The Dutch public broadcasting usually fill out "boring stages" with interviews with riders and pre-recorded clips in the area of the stage, with historical fun-facts.

[@astronomerperson]

Apparently unpopular opinion, but I enjoy watching the different types of stages. It can't always be GC teams and climbs. I think the Eurosport coverage does a good job of highlighting the culture in the area/region as well as the racing along with tid bits of ranking the road art. The sprinters need their stages too and a 50km stage would be too short to really call a "race" as there's a difference in being able to ride for 1 hour vs several and still have something in the tank, a good closing 20-25k with your team, and see who does it best or freewheels at the line - especially when trying to close a gap on a breakaway. You need time for the stage to develop and everyone to react. Anyway, no change, but for the "boring" bits - just highlight aspects of the region and making part a cultural learning thing too? (food, drink, travel, history, etc. - all inclusive)

[@clivegower-collins9012]

Great interviews Dan

[@zoltanpataki]

Our commentators in Hungary make these stages entertaining :) @ESBringa FTW!

[@busterbrown2905]

Caption competition: Tadej pulls out a wattagbazooka just in time for it’s return on GCN.

[@GregJC]

I’m absolutely loving the GCN membership because I’ve never seen any of the documentaries before. But I hope there are plans for new ones because I don’t know if I’ll have reason to subscribe after I finish them all.

[@gcn]

Just you wait untill next month! You'll get more 🙌

[@paulgordon7526]

Loved the Brompton special Si, are you going to be doing some more of this

[@gcn]

Would you like to see more? We're all ears 🙌

[@vipergtsrgt1]

Most of the TDF is on in the background while I'm working. So I like it that they show the full stage. The quiet times during the stage don't bother me either because I spend that time focused on work anyway.

[@gcn]

We do too... "foucusing" on work 😉