One of the most grueling and physically demanding challenges in the world of cycling, the Tour de Franch is a genuine test for even the very best riders on the world stage. Each year this magnificent race is packed with thrills and spills, as competitors pedal their way through the undulating French landscape, aiming to wear the coveted yellow vest as race leader.

This year the Tour will feature numerous exciting individual and team battles, making for unmissable road racing action. These are just a few of the key elements to whet our appetite ahead of the big race, guaranteed to keep us glued to our screen as we watch the live coverage.

Froome is Back

But there were serious doubts whether the four-time Tour de France winner would remain with Team Ineos, ahead of the world’s most famous cycling road race. There was talk earlier in May that he might look elsewhere and for a team leadership role, given that couldn’t be guaranteed with Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas having finished first and second last year.

Chris Froome: Bernal and emerging generation have raised the bar | https://t.co/AetyTahpWO pic.twitter.com/CuymHxd3PJ

— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) June 5, 2020

Froome himself suffered a horrible accident during a reconnaissance run ahead of the 2019 Tour de France, which almost ended his illustrious career. However, the British rider has managed to make a complete recovery, is confident in his abilities, and has no plans for retirement any time soon.

Indeed, he recently stated that due to the competitive nature of all three riders, the leadership of Team Ineos will be shared between the trio. This will ensure there is no pecking order and that each will be aiming to win the Tour de France in 2020, without taking any team dynamics into account. That will certainly make for exciting viewing as each stage unfolds.

Colombian Conquest

Since the very first Tour de France was held back in 1903, the race had never been won by a Latin American competitor despite several having come close over the years. That all changed in 2019 when hugely promising Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal claimed a memorable victory riding with Team Ineos.

A look back at some of the most recent editions of the Tour.

Relive the #TDF2019 and the rise of @Eganbernal.

Retour sur les dernières éditions du Tour.

Aujourd’hui, le #TDF2019 et l’avènement d’Egan Bernal . pic.twitter.com/2Fy3xvJUEX

— Tour de France (@LeTour) May 22, 2020

At the age of just 22, Bernal demonstrated his youthful exuberance to beat vastly more experienced riders, becoming the youngest winner of the Tour de France since Henri Cornet in 1904, which was only the second year the world-famous event was held, having been inaugurated in 1903.

The victory for Bernal was the highlight of a particularly potent 2019 for cyclists hailing from Colombia, with three riders finishing inside the top ten at the Tour de France last year. Rigobert Uran finished seventh with the EF Education First team, while experienced Tour campaigner Nairo Quintana claimed eighth position in the rankings.

French Challenge

Although the Tour de France was dominated by homegrown cyclists during its early years, as the worldwide appeal and reputation of this magnificent endurance race grew, so did the international flavor and contingent of competitors. Interestingly, the Tour hasn’t been won by a Frenchman since 1985, although the latest +800 cycling betting odds for Thibaut Pinot would suggest he stands a great chance in 2020.

Pinot certainly faces an extremely difficult challenge ahead, if he’s to ensure there’s a homegrown winner of the Tour this year, yet the 30-year-old Groupama-FDJ team leader is full of confidence ahead of his 2020 campaign. Another homegrown hopeful is 28-year-old Julian Alaphilippe, who is aiming to improve on his fifth position finish at the Tour in 2019.

Interestingly, the last Tour winner to hail from France was Bernard Hinault back in 1985, when he won the race for the fifth and final time of his illustrious cycling career. More than three decades later, France is still waiting, although the competitive strength of local cyclists is gradually increasing year on year, which means a Tour win could be just around the corner.

The post Key Highlights Ahead of the 2020 Tour de France appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

The M3F is coming back to Phoenix March 6^th to March 8^th and the lineup does not disappoint.

Bon Iver, San Holo, Greensky Bluegrass and The Growlers are just a few of the 35 artists hitting the stage this year.

The festival will be held at the Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix starting March 6^th.

Get your tickets now!

The post M3F Returns to Phoenix in 2020 with Epic Lineup appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Since the 2019 British Touring Car Championship is coming up in October. So, what are the differences between the touring cars participating in the championship compared to road cars that we use every single day?

Touring Cars

It is no surprise that touring cars go faster than most cars. The top speed of a touring is 150 miles per hour. Since these cars need to go fast, they also need to be light. This means the inside of the car is usually stripped and left pretty much just a steering wheel setup, with the car weighing in at around 1280 kg. The interior of touring cars are not focused on comfort, but on performance. When it comes to the engine, it has the same 2.0 liter engine as a road car, but can generate more power with a 360 + BHP racing engine. A touring car also comes with a 6-speed sequential shift mode which moves the gears at top speed without the need of a clutch. Just like the interior, the main goals of the wheels is for performance, so most touring cars come with specified rim stock center lock wheels.

Road Cars

When it comes to road cars, things are a little different. The top speed of most road cards are only about 112 miles per hour and are much heavier weighing in at 1735 kg. The engine of a road car is built for safety and comfort, with a 2.0 liter engine and only 180 BHP. Road cars come with a 6-speed manual, which is a much greater improvement than a 5-speed. The interiors of road cars are much fancier and are usually the focus of most of these road cars. Road cars come with very comfortable and stylish interiors which include a navigation system, Bluetooth system and heated seats. Tires on road cars are focused more on fuel economy and safety, so these cars are going to drive much differently than touring cars.

With the 2019 British Touring Car Championship just a few months away, what are you looking forward to most? Join the conversation with #KwikFitBTCC.

The post What are the Major Differences Between a Touring Car and a Road Car? appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Every sport has its fair share of controversies and the thoroughbred racing industry is no exception. Throughout its long history in Australia there have been a number of scandals that were big news, and we’ll go over just a select few of them in this post.

The Fine Cotton Affair

Arguably this is one of the greatest scandals in Australian horse racing history.

The year was 1984 and a horse named Fine Cotton was getting ready to race a 1500 metre handicap at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane.

Fine Cotton wasn’t a top race horse at the time and was given little chance of winning. That reflected in the opening odds of 33/1. But by the time the race was due to commence, his odds had massively shortened to just 7/2 after he was very aggressively backed to take the winner’s post.

What actually happened is that Fine Cotton never contested the race. Instead, he was switched out for a superior horse named Bold Personality, who had been masked and disguised to look like Fine Cotton. White paint was used to make Bold Personality’s legs look like Fine Cotton’s.

Bold personality (masquerading as Fine Cotton) went on to win the race by a narrow margin. However, when going for the final weigh in after the race, the white paint started to drip off the horse’s legs, giving the scam away.

The con would have made the syndicate a cool $1.5 million had they got away with it. As it was, some involved received lifetime bans from the sport, two served jail time, and famous bookmakers, Bill and Robbie Waterhouse, received 14 year bans.

This was massive news at the time, and one could only imagine just how big a scandal this would have been if it had occurred in a race like the Melbourne Cup, instead of a lesser known horse race called the Commerce Novice.

Damien Oliver’s “Conflict of Interest”

Most of us have heard the name Damien Oliver when it comes to horse racing and famous Australian jockeys, but in 2010 the champion jockey went from famous to “infamous” when he placed a wager on a rival horse he was competing against.

The race favourite was Miss Octopussy, and Oliver placed a bet of $10,000 on her. Meanwhile, he was riding the second favourite, Europa Point, in the same race.

Oliver made sure Europa Point remained well back in the field for much of the race, only making things look good towards the end, where he and his horse made a charge for the post. There was never any chance Oliver would get past Miss Octopussy by that stage and the race unfolded just as Damien had planned.

Legal complications made the investigation difficult, and eventually all Oliver received was a 10 month ban from racing.

The Mystery of Phar Lap’s Death

After capturing the hearts of racing fans and the Australian public alike for a number of years during the Great Depression, champion horse Phar Lap went and raced in Mexico, after which he was stabled on a ranch in Southern California.

On the 5th of April, 1932, Phar Lap went into distress. His intestines were inflamed and it was immediately assumed the great horse had been deliberately poisoned, either by gangsters or rival racehorse owners.

Recent studies into the death of Phar Lap concluded that the horse suffered from an arsenic overdose, and that this was most likely the cause of death.

The interesting thing is, back in those days, arsenic was commonly used as a tonic for horses, and wasn’t considered a poison.

Phar Lap’s strapper at the time, Tommy Woodcock, claimed that Phar Lap was never given arsenic in his tonics and remedies. However, that statement was contradicted by trainer, Harry Telford, who claimed arsenic was a great tonic for all horses, and even had a tonic recipe with the main ingredient being arsenic.

It’s likely we’ll never know the real truth, as other “experts” have concluded recently that Phar Lap died from acute bacterial gastroenteritis.

There are many out there who still believe Phar Lap was murdered by American gangsters, who feared the great horse’s legendary status. So the mystery lives on.

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Can you believe that the 16th annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival is less than a few month away?

Starting March 1st-March 3rd, the M3F Fest hits Hance Park in Phoenix for an epic 3-day music festival.

This year’s lineup includes:

ODESZA, Empire of the Sun, Umphrey’s McGee, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Lettuce, Margo Price, Big Something, The Knocks, Marian Hill, The Noodles, Nombe, Kevin Morby and more. You can check out the full lineup at the official website.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale now! You can get a single day pass for $60 or get the 3-day pass for $125. VIP tickets are also available for $200 for single day tickets and $540 for the 3-day pass.

It should be a gorgeous weekend full of music and fun in sunny Arizona!

The post Are You Ready for the 2019 M3F Fest? appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Fans of the EDM heavy festival Electric Daisy Carnival can certainly whet their appetite this weekend at the Phoenix Lights Festival in Downtown Phoenix. Electro-House heavy hitter Hardwell shines as top billed with Zeds Dead, Robin Schulz, Route 94 and Lane 8 also performing.

One act to look out for is Dirty Bird’s Kill Frenzy. The German tech-house (err booty-house?) producer promises to have a good showing. Kill Frenzy is definitely a stand-out act to see and should be performing early so do not miss it.

The festival is this Sunday, March 22nd at Civic Space Center in the heart of Downtown Phoenix. There’s also going to be a post-festival party at the Monarch Theater with Zeds Dead. Get ready to call in sick Monday morning because this fest is going deep into the night.

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS

The festival is this Tickets are available online for $65.00 or can be purchased at various Zia Records in Phoenix.

Zia Records – Tempe

3201 S Mill Ave (NE Corner)
Tempe, AZ 85282
(480) 829-1967
Mon-Sun: 10AM-Midnight

Zia Records – Camelback
1850 W Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85015
(602) 241-0313
Mon-Sat: 10AM-11PM
Sun: 10AM-10PM

Zia Records – Chandler
3029 N Alma School Rd
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 857-4942
Sun-Thurs: 10AM-10PM
Fri-Sat: 10AM-11PM

Zia Records – Thunderbird
2510 W Thunderbird Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 866-7867
Mon-Sun: 10AM – Midnight

Full Line-Up

Hardwell

Zeds Dead

Robin Schulz

Route 94

Lane 8

Kill Frenzy

SecondCity

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Last week, RL Grime‘s post-apocalyptic trap show, Void Tour, rolled through town, and although I wasn’t sitting on pins and needles initially, as soon as I got to the venue for the night, I could tell I was in for a treat. After the slow release of RL Grime’s highly-anticipated rookie full-length album, I knew I had to see what all the hype was about. And as much as I enjoyed the record, I enjoyed RL’s live show tenfold. Lesser known as Henry Steinway, the scene’s top trap-purveyor had me captivated the entire time with his dark, gritty brand of hard-knocking trap and his finessed hip-hop fusion, working in not only everything I wanted to hear that night, but everything I didn’t know I wanted to hear too. The LA-based producer’s seemingly minimal, yet intricately complex stage design accentuated the music perfectly, and allowed the quintessential RL Grime sound to fill the room and take everyone in attendance to the world of Void. As soon as his pyramid light structure sliced through the dark room and the strobes began to blast the packed crowd, my jaw hit the floor–where it remained until the house lights came on two hours later.

Clockwork’s trap-tyrant alter ego took to the stage after Djemba Djemba warmed the crowd with his brain-rattling brand of experimentally fearless bass music, and after a set packed with waves of rolling bass, I moved from my balcony perch down onto the venue’s main floor for what was surely about to be a rowdy affair. With my elbows up, I was ready for RL to take the stage, but I definitely wasn’t ready for what he was about to deliver.

Crusing between everything from Kanye West to Jack Ü, the Beastie Boys to Lil Wayne, Baauer, DJ Snake, and everything in between, RL Grime’s set was loaded with hell-raisers that kept the entire crowd moving all night long. The set was tied together with a collection of Grime’s best, sprinkling in “Mercy,” “Core,” and “Tell Me,” and “Trap on Acid.” Each time he dropped one of his biggest hits, the venue shook like a riot was about to ensue. About five minutes into the set, the album’s overarching concept fully hit me; this set could very well be the commencement of the apocalypse. I was prepared. I hunkered down and put my best trap-face on and kept dancing.

RL’s stage presence was also a noteworthy element to the show. He was having just as much fun as the crowd was and the energy in the room was palpable. He humbly accepted his role as “Life of the Party” from his dark pulpit before the packed crowd, and he delivered exactly what everyone in attendance wanted. To anyone who thinks trap music’s time in the sun is over, go see the Void Tour if you can. You’ll be eating your words. And for anyone who thinks that trap music is a cheaply produced, maligned sub-genre of hip-hop, listen to RL Grime’s latest record. It’ll change the standard of trap music for you.

Admittedly, I was one of these people just a short time ago. I thought I grew out of trap music after I grew out of sophomoric, sticky, vodka-soaked college pregames. I thought the trap music palette was unsophisticated and generally not too creative. Void flipped those misconceptions upside down and delivered the one-two punch I needed to realize that I still love trap music with all my heart. Ultimately it showed me that when done to the meticulous degree of detail that RL Grime spent on his record and live show, trap music can still captivate crowds and tear the house down.

The post The Night RL Grime Made Me Fall In Love With Trap Music All Over Again [Event Review] appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

If you have been near a radio, cell phone, or television in the last few months, its a safe bet to say you’ve heard ILoveMakonnen‘s “Club Goin’ Up” at least once. Or a hundred times. The young up-and-coming R&B star has exploded into popularity with his viral, ultra-catchy slow-jam that has made Tuesday the most important day of the week, and now the Atlanta-born rapper is gearing up to put out his first full-length studio album as he rides the enormous wave of success and attention his standout track is still raking in. And who better to produce the emerging songwriter’s first record than the two most sought-after taste makers in the music industry? Enter Skrillex and Diplo.

This past week at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, MTV caught up with Makonnen to get the inside scoop on forthcoming projects and the rapper briefly dished details on his upcoming record, slated to be released this summer. Mak, who’s had his music played out extensively by the Jack Ü duo over the last few months, explains that Skrillex and Diplo will both receive production credit, alongside a stacked roster of contributors. The album will also feature work from Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, and Drake, making for what could be one of the biggest releases of the summer.

No official release date is posted for the impending album, but keep your eyes peeled for ILoveMakonnen’s new material that’ll surely be covered in Diplo and Skrillex’s undeniable swagger here in the near future. Check the full interview above.

The post ILoveMakonnen Taps Skrillex and Diplo as Producers for Upcoming Album appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Phoenix, Arizona could be the next place to establish the newest up-and-coming festival destination in the country. With Las Vegas hosting EDC‘s largest U.S. installment and southern California being the home of both Coachella and HARD Summer, it seems as only a matter of time before Phoenix taps into the festival market. The Valley of the Sun is preparing to host the first annual Phoenix Lights Festival on March 22nd, rounding off their headliner announcement with a star-studded cast of performers. The event’s inaugural bill will be lead by Hardwell, Robin Schulz, Route 94, Lane 8, and most recently confirmed, Canadian bass gods Zeds Dead.

Although the full roster of acts has yet to be announced, Phoenix Lights is already promising a colorful variety of performances from some of dance music’s most sought-after performers. The newly announced event is promising to bring leading-edge designs, interactive art, and vibrant lighting displays to the mix. Lead by a very impressive list of headliners, Phoenix Lights is gearing up to deliver what could grow into the next big west coast event.

Grab tickets here.

The post Phoenix Lights Festival Announces Final Headlining Roster For Inaugural Event appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

In the last few years, we’ve seen dance music finally emerge into the world of commercialization as some of dance music’s most in-demand names begin to pull in Grammy nominations. Skrillex, Afrojack, and Zedd are all past Grammy winners, and now Aphex Twin can join those ranks, with this year’s awarded Best Dance/ Electronic Album. The reclusive English producer, who many consider one of the most influential figures in dance music’s modern era went up against deadmau5‘s critically acclaimed double album, While (1<2) to take this year’s top prize.

Aphex Twin’s cryptic release of Syro in 2014 brought the renown producer back to the limelight, setting the bar extremely high for full-length electronic LPs to follow. While Mat Zo, Royksopp & Robyn, and Little Dragon were also nominated for the award this year, it ultimately came down to two clear front-runners in that category, although Aphex Twin is also joined by the legendary Tiesto and Clean Bandit, who also won Grammys at this year’s event too.

The post Aphex Twin Takes Home First Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album appeared first on Just Noise To Me.