Jeff, even though the bikes look the same for most of the stages, they are actually slightly different in configuration and set-up based on the needs for the particular course they are riding that day. For instance, once they get into the mountains they will use bikes that are lighter and have lower gears to make climbing hills easier. Some of the weaker riders even use triple-chain rings. On these stages they also set their seats further back(in relation to the bottom-bracket of the pedals) so they can put more power to the pedals to get them up those hills, even the angles of the tubes of the bike’s frame are slacker(as they say) to help put the rider in this position. The extreme of this idea can be understood by looking at mountain bikes. They have very slack frame angles, seats that are very far back and very low gears. These bikes,however, are not good for flat courses because the rider is more upright which is not very aerodynamic and the low gears do not allow for higher speeds. Time-Trial bikes are the exact opposite. Very stiff frames make the bikes very fast because of good power transfer to the road, but that also means they are very uncomfortable(not good for long rides). These bikes also have large gears and steep frame angles and a forward seat position so the rider can get into a very aerodynamic position, which is fast but again very uncomfortable. These are essential factors when riding alone(which is why triathletes use these bikes)because you can’t draft behind another riders slipstream, but in the peloton this does not become a factor. That’s why when a few riders make a break, more often than not they are caught and consumed by the peloton which creates one-giant slipstream. Any other questions, let me know.
I’d say that any of those cyclists that finish the Tour are tough SOB’s. Easily.
What is so freakin’ impressive with Armstrong is his mental toughness. His skull undoubtedly contains the toughest mind out there. Can you imagine the amount of discomfort he blocks out on any given moment of the Tour? I just want a tiny bit of that toughness and man, I’d be going places in strongwoman.
Any athlete at the top of their game just impresses the hell out of me. And Armstrong has been there 4-times previously and there just seems no end.
Jeff – About the only thing you haven’t seen so far is a real mountain stage. The really tough ones are the ones that finish atop a mountain (Alpe d’Huez). This is where you’ll see some REAL time gaps happen. The mountains start on Saturday.
SPOILER ALERT!! Don’t read the next paragraph if you want to be surprised by the TV coverage.
Todays stage saw, as predicted, no changes to the GC. USPS still occupies nine of the top 11 spots, with Lance in second by 2 seconds.
As for why they don’t ride TT bikes for all the stages – they’re not all THAT comfortable. In general, they’re much more difficult to climb with, they aren’t necessarily light, and they’re pretty dangerous in a pack (een when NOT in a full tuck). Besides that, they’re not legal for mass-start races.
for those really interested in cycling (www.cyclingforums.com) has a great deal of info regarding equipment/training/lifestyle
USPS holds the top 8 spots in the GC, with all 9 riders in the top 11. I haven’t been following the tour long enough to remember more than a few years, so maybe brider or someone can help me out. Has any team ever held the top 8 spots before? Or even the top 5? I don’t know if what USPS is doing is truly amazing, or fairly common.
Last year ONCE won the TTT and had first and second, with 7 riders in the top 10. LA was 3rd and Heras was 6th.
For anyone who liked It’s Not About the Bike, the first chapter of Lance’s second book, Every Second Counts is available on his website at:
http://www.lancearmstrong.com/lance/online2.nsf/html/chapter1
It’s the source of my new favoritest quote of all time: “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”
The team time trial was just re-introduced fairly recently (as in the past few years) into the Tour. It was done a LONG time ago, and I don’t know a lot of stats from those eras. I would tend to say it hasn’t happened before.
Geez, everytime I see a mailbox or a mailtruck, I think of the US Postal team!
Alps coming up tomorrow and Ullrich 38 seconds behind Lance.
This oughta be interesting…
the funny thing is how simoni will most likely eat his own shit being 3min down from lance. be humble next time.
I’m still bitter about domina vacanze’s non-selection, as I love Cipo and I enjoyed the early battles between him and Petachi early in the Giro.
As for the occasional doping accusations leveled against Armstrong in the French press, they must be understood in the context of the sport of cycling in the post Festina-affair era. The scandal in the 98 tour revealed how pervasive drug use was in the peloton and led to an unprecedented level of skepticism regarding the cleanliness of the sport. Given that a majority of the riders prior to this period (if not also following it) were doped and amongst the most successful, and given that doping issues have continued, it?s not surprising that there are plenty who are still skeptical of success. If one is interested in the matter, do a search on ?Festina Affair? on any search engine.
All, I say is Go LANCE and the US POSTAL TEAM! Amrstrong is the MAN! Win or lose in this race he is one of the ultimate athlete in the world. And a huge insperation to all.
Today was the most interesting day for wathcing the TDF. Tomarrow (Sunday) should be even better!
Did my first “real” road ride today. Put in 30 miles. Certian parts of me are quite sore!
Stage 8 today is going to be the stage to watch. After Beloki who fell off the back yesterday who I thought could have been a threat is no longer. But Verinque who would of thought. LAnce better hope he is tired today after yesterdays stage win.
So, Lance now must change his jersey!
You got to hand it to the guy with the fractured clavicle.
Go Lance
It’s your birthday
We gonna be liftin like it’s your birthday
We gonna sip protein like it’s your birthday
And you know we don’t give a fuck, you got the jersey!!
Go Lance, we’re rooting for ya!!
Hamilton has balls of steel. I’m surprised his nut sack doesn’t rip open from the sheer weight of those balls.
(Hamilton is the guy with the broken collarbone)
The guy w/ the fracture clavical is amazing but Lance amaze me more maybe because I am bais and I went through almost the same thing he did and now I am on the road to beating lymphoma cancer! Chemo is no walk in the park and for what Lance is doing now is unbelievable. He’s a machine! Took the yellow jersey. Will, he win the 5 Tour de France? I am definatly rooting for him!!! US POSTAL All the way baby.
In Health,
Silas C.
haha good one.
Well, Beloki is out. I read a crash at the end of Stage 9, ended his Tour.
That young Spaniard, Mayo (sp), is certainly impressive.