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Tour de France

soupcan Jul 05 2005 09:16 AM

From the TDF website: Armstrong Wins Again The yellow jersey will be worn by Lance Armstrong in the fifth stage. Dave Zabriskie is still limping to the finish line after crashing in the final 1,200m of the stage. His yellow jersey is torn and blood is dropping out of open wounds on his arms and legs.

cooby Jul 05 2005 09:27 AM

No pictures? (like I should want to see that)

Frayed Knot Jul 05 2005 11:44 AM

Today's stage was the team time trial. This is where each 9-man team rides together in a staggered start format and each man in that team that finishes together will gain or lose time depending on where the team places. Armstrong's 'Discovery' team placed first today and, because he was only 2 seconds out of the lead to begin with, he vaulted into the overall lead. Teammate George Hincapie is 2nd. Zabriskie was the guy who had the overall lead coming into today. It's weird that someone would crash during this format since each rider is riding only w/his own teammates. These nuts crash all the time otherwise. The current overall standings have Americans 1st, 2nd, 4th & 9th. You just know the French sporting press has to hate the hell out of that.

soupcan Jul 05 2005 11:54 AM

I was following it online and it was very exciting. Discovery started ahead of CSC and was posting the best times of the day at each checkpoint. CSC then started I think 5 minutes later and at each checkpoint they hit, they were posting better times than Discovery. Discovery finished the time trial in first place with only CSC still riding and if they kept their current pace CSC would've beaten Discovery and Zabriskie would've held the yellow jersey. Less than a mile from the finish he supposedly bumped the tire of one of teammates and hit the pavement. On the TDF site it announced it with an exclamation point - 'Zabriskie crashes!' I'm looking for pics.

soupcan Jul 05 2005 12:36 PM

Zabriskie suffers multiple injuries after crash Associated Press Posted: 21 minutes ago BLOIS, France (AP) - Race leader David Zabriskie of Team CSC suffered multiple injuries after crashing near the end of Tuesday's team time trial in the Tour de France. Zabriskie misjudged a turn in the final two kilometers (1.2 miles) of the fourth stage, a 67.5 kilometer (42-mile) team time trial from Tours to Blois, and the yellow jersey holder flew off his bike. The American will have X-rays on his right knee, elbow and wrist. He had stitches in his right arm, his team press officer Brian Nygaard said. "It does not look good, and he's completely devastated," Nygaard said. After his fall, Zabriskie got back on his bike and finished way behind his teammates, who had been poised to win the stage. He surrendered the yellow jersey to Lance Armstrong and trailed the six-time champion by 1:26, and was ninth overall. At the finish line, Zabriskie dropped his head and slumped on his bike. His uniform was ripped in several places, revealing torn skin and blood. Zabriskie is no stranger to mishap. He has screws in one knee from a crash in 2003 when he broke his leg and wrist after being hit by an SUV in his hometown of Salt Lake City.

cooby Jul 05 2005 12:38 PM

Wow, that is really too bad. Probably even if he's able to carry on, he's going to be stiff as heck.

Edgy DC Jul 05 2005 12:44 PM

Sounds like was riding his teammates' butts trying to herd them to victory.in the leg. Too bad. Maybe he'll end up back in the Mets TV booth.

soupcan Jul 05 2005 12:46 PM

Har-har-har-de-har-har

Edgy DC Jul 05 2005 12:49 PM

I can be really stupid when I want to be.

soupcan Jul 05 2005 01:15 PM

seawolf17 Jul 05 2005 01:16 PM

There's not nearly enough gushing blood in those photos, soup.

soupcan Jul 05 2005 01:18 PM

I know I'm doing my best. If you look closely at the first one you can see a stream of red running down his leg though.

cooby Jul 05 2005 01:41 PM

They're pretty bloody. His elbow looks awful...I hope his xrays are all okay... Is that his hip?

soupcan Jul 05 2005 01:50 PM

cooby wrote: They're pretty bloody. His elbow looks awful...I hope his xrays are all okay... Is that his hip? What's left of it.

Frayed Knot Jul 05 2005 02:52 PM

Of course broken bones are only sometimes enough to get these guys out of the race, so who knows.

soupcan Jul 06 2005 09:47 AM

Again from [url=www.letour.fr]Le Tour de France[/url]: [u:6aa86b98d9]No Change To Top Of General Classification[/u:6aa86b98d9] Lance Armstrong finished the fifth stage in 45th place and was given the same time as the stage winner. He will wear the yellow jersey in stage six. There is no change to the top of the general classification. [u:6aa86b98d9]The Top Seven:[/u:6aa86b98d9] Robbie McEwen has beaten Tom Boonen to win the fifth stage by about 30cm. The radar clocked McEwen at 63km/h as he crossed the line. The top seven in the stage is: 1. Robbie McEwen (AUS - DVL) 2. Tom Boonen (BEL - QST) 3. Thor Hushovd (NOR - C.A) 4. Stuart O’Grady (AUS - COF) 5. Angelo Furlan (ITA - DOM) 6. Allan Davis (AUS - LWT) 7. Bernard Eisel (AUT - FDJ) Zabriskie - the guy that crashed yesterday - rode today and finished 176th. Like Armstrong was given the same time as the stage winner. [u:6aa86b98d9]Armstrong Didn’t Want To Wear Yellow Jersey Today [/u:6aa86b98d9] Lance Armstrong explained at the start of the stage that he didn’t intend to wear the yellow jersey today. He said it wasn’t right that he should wear the jersey which Dave Zabriskie lost in unfortunate circumstances. The CSC rider crashed with less than 2km to go in the team time trial. The peloton stopped at the 0km mark and it appears that the race organizers assked Armstrong to wear the yellow jersey for today’s stage. After a brief conference on the outskirts of Chambord Armstrong replaced his Discovery Channel team jersey with the race leader’s one. [u:6aa86b98d9]Stories Relating To Yellow Jersey Crash Victims... [/u:6aa86b98d9] There have been similar circumstances in the past. In 1971, when Luis Ocana crashed on the Col de Mente while in the yellow jersey. Eddy Merckx inherited the lead but did not wear yellow the next day. In 1991 Rolf Sorensen broke his collarbone because of a crash in the final kilometer while wearing the yellow jersey. He was forced to abandon after the stage but no yellow jersey was presented that day. In 1998 Chris Boardman crashed while wearing the yellow jersey in stage two. Erik Zabel inherited the lead and did wear yellow in stage three.

cooby Jul 06 2005 10:16 AM

This does not make the yellow jersey sound very lucky. Desirable, perhaps, but not lucky.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 06 2005 10:57 AM

Thanks to the new sponsor, this is what I think about when reading up on the TdF: Bart: Milhouse, you and me will be Omega Team. Todd, you and Data are Team Strike Force. Nelson, that leaves you and Martin. Martin: Team Discovery Channel! Nelson: Your wussiness better come in handy.

Frayed Knot Jul 06 2005 11:31 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 06 2005 02:49 PM

]There is no change to the top of the general classification. There'll likely be few significant changes in the overall standings for the next couple of days. The current leaders and potential final contenders can't make up enough time on the others during these long, relatively flat stages to make expending the energy worthwhile. The main jockeying goes on during specified sections - essentially races within the race - where sprinters can win bonus points (in the form of seconds deducted from their overall time) and also at the final tape (same deal, plus bonus money from their sponsoring teams) but few of those sprint specialists have hope of contending for the overall lead; some will even drop out before the 3-week ordeal is over. The guts & strategy & seperation parts come when they hit the mountains - the Alps first this year, then the Pyrenees - and also during the individual time trials (two left). ]Robbie McEwen has beaten Tom Boonen to win the fifth stage by about 30cm. The radar clocked McEwen at 63km/h as he crossed the line. That's nearly 40 MPH folks!!

soupcan Jul 06 2005 11:49 AM

I think the fastest I've ever gone on a bike was maybe 46-48 and that was going down a big honking hill and it scared the shit outta me. 40 mph on a straightaway. Sweet fancy Moses.

soupcan Jul 07 2005 09:39 AM

Not that anybody's thinking about this right now (except me) but here's your update: Courtesy of [url=www.letour.fr/]Le Tour de France[/url] [u:6a771dd16d]Armstrong Safe In 32nd Place[/u:6a771dd16d] Lance Armstrong was held up by the crash but did not come down. He finished in 19th place and will wear the yellow jersey again in stage seven. There has been no significant change to the general classification after stage six. [u:6a771dd16d]The Top 10 In Stage Six[/u:6a771dd16d] The crash on the final turn has caused total chaos. All the usual winning candidates were taken out of the picture but nothing can be taken away from Lorenzo Bernucci who was in the right place at the right time. The top 10 is: 1. Lorenzo Bernucci (FAS) 2. Alexandre Vinokourov (TMO) 3. Robert Forster (GST) 4. Angelo Furlan (DOM) 5. Thor Hushovd (C.A) 6. Kim Kirchen (FAS) 7. Gianluca Bortolami (LAM) 8. Egoi Martinez (EUS) 9. Gerrit Glomser (LAM) 10. Kurt Atle Arvesen (CSC) Christophe Mengin crashed on the final sharp right hand turn of the stage. He was in a winning position but the wet road caused him to crash. Vinokourov had to unclip from his pedal to avoid the crash. Bernucci managed to escape the carnage and raced on to celebrate his win in complete surprise. [u:6a771dd16d]Carnage At The End Of Stage Six[/u:6a771dd16d] Lorenzo Bernucci has won the stage. He only came to the front of the stage in the final 300m. He has never been at the head of the peloton until he was about to win his first stage of the Tour de France. He relegated Vinokourov to second place. A crash in the closing kilometers has split the peloton into a hundred pieces. Riders are limping in in dribs and drabs while Bernucci celebrates his coup.

cooby Jul 07 2005 09:42 AM

Another crash? Bikers are nuts.

Willets Point Jul 07 2005 09:44 AM

The more I read these reports, the more I don't understand how the tour works. I figure the biker who finishes first would be in first place, but what do I know. By the way, I once had my bike up to 37 mph going down a honkin' big hill and all of sudden the speedometer jumped to 54 mph! In a moment of amazement and slight panic I braked and it jumped back down to 34 mph. I know it was an error on the speedometer but it was still pretty cool to have my maximum velocity for the day recorded as 54 mph. I think the fastest I can go on flat land is in the low 20's.

Elster88 Jul 07 2005 09:45 AM

Bikers are nuts for lots of reasons. I admire and fear them. Edit: For the record, this was my 3000th post and I was David Wright when I wrote it.

Willets Point Jul 07 2005 09:54 AM

Presidents who bike are also nuts. This article has some pretty funny quotes.

soupcan Jul 07 2005 10:45 AM

Willets Point wrote: The more I read these reports, the more I don't understand how the tour works. I figure the biker who finishes first would be in first place, but what do I know.. It's not so complicated really. It's cumulative time so let's say that after 4 stages Lance's cumulative time is 1 minute faster then his next closest competitor. In the 5th stage if Lance finishes 35th in that stage but the guy who was 1 minute behind him cumulatively at the start of the stage doesn't finish at least 1 minute faster than Lance's time, Lance retains the lead. Assuming of course that 3rd through whatever place hasn't made up their time differences versus the leader. Winners of stages also get bonuses which translate to extra time if they are the leaders or having time shaved off. The guy wearing the yellow jersey has to stay mindful of his closest competitors and try to control where they are in relation to him in each stage. I think.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 07 2005 11:52 AM

isn't lance on the juice?

Edgy DC Jul 07 2005 12:07 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 07 2005 12:09 PM

This thread keeps driving this song through my head.

soupcan Jul 07 2005 12:08 PM

]isn't lance on the juice? Aren't they all? Depends on what and who you believe. He's passed every test they've ever given him. Not that that means much in today's sporting world but there's no hard evidence to suggest he is. There's a lot of suspicion as a result of: - His relationship with a controversial doctor who has been accused of providing steroids to other riders, - The gal who worked for the Postal squad who said she was told to get rid of the syringes that the Postal team used - The guy that used to work for him that said he found a container in Lance's house that was for some type of steroid. One theory is that Lance was juicing and that's what caused his cancer in '96 or '97 whenever it was. Like everyone else who's accused he denies it emphatically

Frayed Knot Jul 07 2005 12:53 PM

Soupy's explanation of how the race works is reasonably accurate. The eventual winner is the one with the lowest cumulative time over the entire race -- it's just that with 20+ stages over 3 weeks w/only 2 off-days it's impossible for any one rider to go all out every day. Where things seem to become a bit odd is that it's a team competition as well as individual one so team strategies involved - both actual and phsychological - vary from day to day as team members attempt to "protect" their leader from both crashes (yes, there are a bunch) and also from the wind (it takes considerably less energy to follow then it does to lead). In these earlier, flatter stages, most of the riders tend to finish in a large pack (the peleton) with only a handful attempting to break away and sprint for the finish to gain those "bonus points" to improve their times. All riders finishing w/the peleton are awarded the same finishing time so Lance finishing 35th (or whatever) won't lose him any time except to those handful of late sprinters or to some guy who decided to break from the pack in mid-race (sometimes because it's near his hometown) and grab all the glory for himself for one day. As long as said guy isn't considered an overall threat, the favorites and their teams will be unconcerned knowing that it's likely a one-off fluke from a guy who will lose much more time in the mountains than he just gained (if he even makes it that far).

cooby Jul 07 2005 12:56 PM

It took two guys to write the lyrics to that song?

Willets Point Jul 07 2005 12:58 PM

One wrote "Pow!" the other wrote "Huh!"

cooby Jul 07 2005 01:00 PM

Oh, I see! I missed the Pow! part I never could read music

Edgy DC Jul 07 2005 01:10 PM

Tour de France Radio Tour information Transmission television Reportage sur motoTesti Canzoni Camera, video et photo Les equipes presentees Le depart est donne Les etapes sont brulees Et la course est lancee Tour de France Les coureurs chronometres Pour l'epreuve de verite La montagne les vallees Les grands cols les defiles La flamme rouge depassee Maillot Jaune a l'arrivee Radio Tour information Transmission television Tour de France

soupcan Jul 08 2005 08:42 AM

Another crash today and that Zabriskie guy was involved. Details to follow...

soupcan Jul 08 2005 10:12 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 08 2005 11:01 AM

Courtesy of [url=www.letour.fr/index.html]TdF[/url] McEwen Gets The Win! Robbie McEwen has won his seventh stage of the Tour de France - his second this year. His main rival in the points classification Tom Boonen finished in sixth or seventh place. The Top 10 In Stage Seven... 1. Robbie McEwen (Australia) DVL 2. Magnus Backstedt (Sweden) LIQ 3. Bernhard Eisel (Austria) FDJ 4. Gerrit Glomser (Austria) LAM 5. Baden Cooke (Australia) FDJ 6. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) FAS 7. Tom Boonen (Belgium) QST 8. Gianluca Bortolami (Italy) LAM 9. Thor Hushovd (Norway) C.A) 10. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain) FAS Armstrong 54th In Stage Seven Lance Armstrong finished the stage in 54th place. He was awarded the same time as the stage winner and will wear the yellow jersey in stage eight. There was no change to the top of the general classification after stage seven. FABIAN WEGMANN Fabian Wegmann has won both the climbs in today’s stage. He already had three points in the mountains classification before the start of stage seven. Now he has a tally of 10 points which means he will wear the polka-dot jersey tomorrow. He was trying to become the 17th German to win a stage of the Tour de France... the first to do so on home soil (the Tour finished in Germany today). At one point today he was about 8 & 1/2 minutes ahead of the peloton and was the virtual Tour leader.. Our pal Zabriskie crashed again today but was okay. They were several wipeouts today due to slick conditions but no one was seriously hurt. Cyclists scramble to get back on their bikes after crashing when they hit railroad tracks. I think that since the Tour began only three riders have dropped out altogether.

cooby Jul 08 2005 10:27 AM

Glad he's not hurt again

soupcan Jul 08 2005 01:20 PM

Fabian had a good day...

Willets Point Jul 08 2005 01:24 PM

He better be careful to avoid people playing twister on his jersey.

cooby Jul 08 2005 02:16 PM

Fabian looks like he could be a female favorite

Frayed Knot Jul 08 2005 02:42 PM

That polka-dot jersey is a ceremonial deal worn by the "king of the mountains" the rider who wins points for leading on specified climbing stages. There's also a green jersey for the sprint leader and a white one for best young rider as well as the famous yellow one for the overall leader. The polka-dotted Fabian wanted to win today's stage as it finished over the border in his homeland of Germany. Towards that end he broke from the pack at about kilometer-45 and kept the lead - which at one point built up around 8-1/2 minutes - until the peleton reeled him in like a skinny, spandex covered fish some 150km later ... no stage win for you!! In the meantime he built up enough points in today's climbing stages while he was ahead to claim the polka-dot shirt and his share of local pride, although that comes after what must have been a massive expense of energy needed to ride all by himself for some 90 miles of a ~140 mile stage.

Frayed Knot Jul 10 2005 08:13 PM

Might as well update the weekend's happenings: They're into the hills (though not yet the MOUNTAINS) of eastern France. Stage 8 showed a bit of trouble for Lance as his teammates were unable to keep up with him meaning that he had expend a lot of energy chasing down many of the breakaways himself. He retained his lead but questions wer raised about the strength of his "discovery Channel' team which lost one of it's strong riders from last year to another team and a different member to a pre-race injury. In stage 9 (Sunday) the team rode better as a whole but chose not to contest a break by several riders which resulted in a new overall leader. Jens Voigt won stage 9 by over 3 minutes putting him 2 min 18 seconds ahead of Lance who is now in 3rd place. I'm not sure how seriously (for the overall title) this Voigt guy is considered, or the current 2nd place rider Christophe Moreau currently 1 minute 50 behind Voigt and 28 seconds ahead of Armstong. The riders in 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th - Vinokourov, Julich, Basso & Ullrich - certainly are being taken seriously. Monday is an off day before they head to the ski town of Grenoble - site of the 1968 winter olympics - in the Alps. Early leader David Zabriske - he of several crashes earlier in the week - has withdrqwn from this year's TdF due to "multiple injuries". I saw film today of that wreck that "didn't look bloody enough' in the pictures posted on this thread ... the dude was a fuckin' wreck.

cooby Jul 10 2005 08:21 PM

FK, have you been watching this on OLN? I won't pretend I am riveted to the set, but one of the things I was amused about (was it yesterday?) was a serious discussion about some horses watching from a nearby pasture and how they were "well behaved and would not pose a threat". Meanwhile there looks to be at least four moving vehicles within touching distance of every biker. The horse would have to pull some fancy manuveurs to first escape the pasture, let alone get out on the road. I also have to chuckle at the guy who calls it "Tour Day France", we think he's doing it to be funny because he obviously is a pro and knows what he's doing there.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 10 2005 08:26 PM

] the ski town of Grenoble - site of the 1968 winter olympics - in the Alps I can't think of Grenoble without hearing ring announcer Jiiiiiiiiiimmm McCuuuuuune remind us Grenoble was the hometown of Andre the Giant.

Edgy DC Jul 10 2005 08:27 PM

When was the last time Armstrong lost the yellow jersey once he acquired it?

Frayed Knot Jul 10 2005 08:32 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 10 2005 08:38 PM

]FK, have you been watching this on OLN? I don't get that channel on my cable package. CBS Sports had a show on it this afternoon - essentially an hour that summed up the first 8 days of racing. Once they got passed the typical Hollywood-style intro that network sports shows seem to think is mandatory, they actually did a decent job. It's about the best I can hope for as far as actually seeing anything. If I were riding I'd be more worried about the drunks hanging out 2 feet from the side of the road rather than the horses across the way. (of course if I were riding I would have dropped dead trying to keep up with these guys by about mile 20) ]When was the last time Armstrong lost the yellow jersey once he acquired it? It's not uncommon, sometimes it's even planned. I know it happened last year f'rinstance. As long as the "wrong" person (ie. a contendah) doesn't take it away they don't really mind. Like I said, not sure what they think of Voigt. He could be just a guy looking for one-day glory. I think the guys behind him are more worrisome. For some reason I always thought Andre was Swiss. Well, Grenoble is sorta near the Swiss border.

cooby Jul 10 2005 08:35 PM

What they probably didn't show then was that either Voight or Moreau (I forget which one) had to stop for a new back tire within a few miles of the end and the other one hung back so he could catch up. Pretty neat. I'll probably get stoned for this, but I wouldn't care if Lance didn't win. Not at all.

Frayed Knot Jul 10 2005 08:43 PM

]either Voight or Moreau (I forget which one) had to stop for a new back tire within a few miles of the end and the other one hung back so he could catch up. That's both a kind of unwritten code of chivalry in bike racing and also a bit of strategy. Two riders riding together can cover more ground w/less energy than one guy going it alone (by alternating turns in front fighting the wind). So yeah, the guy waiting is doing the right thing, but there's a selfish element there as well.

PatchyFogg Jul 10 2005 08:50 PM

Just asking, but who has more mileage on them--Lance's bicycle or Sheryl Crow?

Rockin' Doc Jul 10 2005 08:50 PM

Somehow, it just doesn't seem right to be discussing Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France without RKFast involved.

Edgy DC Jul 12 2005 10:41 AM

Armstrong killed in the initial mountain stage and recaptured the yellow jersey. Apparently, his teammates carried some water today.

soupcan Jul 12 2005 11:38 AM

Courtesy of [url=http://letour.fr/index.html]TdF[/url] Valverde’s Confirmation There was a lot of anticipation surrounding Alejandro Valverde’s debut in the Tour de France. On the day that the race arrived in the high mountains of the French Alps he proved he was worthy of the hype. Only a rare breed can beat Lance Armstrong on the crucial days but that’s just what the young Spaniard did at Courchevel. The 25-year-old was one of three riders capable of matching the surges of the Texan who is back in the yellow jersey after a dramatic day that saw the collapse of many pre-race favorites. Forget about the one-two-three punch that the T-Mobile team insisted would help them win the title of the 92nd edition of the French event. Alexandre Vinokourov, Andreas Kloden and Jan Ullrich may have shown what was possible on the final climb of stage eight. But they didn’t win that stage and their taunting only encouraged Armstrong to ensure his Discovery Channel troops were better organized for the first mountain-top finish of this year’s race. Instead of seeing the German team’s trio of champions attack the six-time Tour winner on the category-one climb to the ski station in the Savoie we saw the Discovery crew eliminate ‘Vino’, ‘Klodi’ and ‘Ulle’ with 10km to go. The scene was reminiscent of what has happened on the major mountains since the beginning of the Armstrong Era. It’s a formula which requires phenomenal legs and perfect timing. The policy is simple: ignore the early escapes, don’t panic on the first mountain, get to the final challenge with a complete team setting a pace that’s high enough to ward off any dangerous attacks, let the ‘domestique’s go into overdrive to sort the pretenders from the contenders, and then give Lance the chance to dance. That’s what happened again today but Armstrong didn’t have it all his way. His team had already destroyed the T-Mobile trio before the business end of the stage. And okay, Lance did drop his main rival from the mountains of last year, Ivan Basso with eight kilometers of climbing still ahead. But he tried everything to take the King of the Mountains Mickael Rasmussen and a strong Illes Balears duo out of the equation, but they matched him all the way to the summit. Jens Voigt knew that his time in yellow was going to end but he expected Basso, Bobby Julich or Carlos Sastre would be the heirs. Sastre tried an early attack on the final rise but he only inspired Armstrong’s young Ukranian colleague Yaroslav Popovych to prove that he wasn’t injured in a crash on the descent from the Cormet-de-Roseland. The new Discovery Channel recruit was the last man in line before his boss took over. ‘Popo’ put every ounce of energy into his pedal strokes 11km before the summit and then peeled off ready to limp home to 19th place almost four minutes behind Valverde. There was one winner today but four champions. Francisco Mancebo has a contorted technique that makes him look like he’s in a world of pain and there’s no doubt he was. The former Best Young Rider in the Tour joined his team-mate Valverde, as well as Armstrong and Rasmussen to create a quality quartet that would finish over a minute ahead of everyone else. Each of these four took turns to set the pace up the second half of the 22.2km climb to Courchevel. They wanted to put as much time as possible in the casualties from the first half and their cooperation was admirable. The only thing which prompted attacks in the closing kilometre was the prospect of acquiring double points for the climbing classification and the stage win. The first reason was why Rasmussen surged first but the others chased him down without too much trouble. With 500 meters to go, Armstrong must have remembered his “no gifts” policy from 12 months ago and he raced ahead for the stage win. Lance expected to throw a victory salute but Valverde had other ideas. “I’m a bit disappointed not to have won because I’ve been looking for a victory since the beginning of the year,” said the rider who now leads Rasmussen by 38 seconds in the general classification. Valverde is closing in on the yellow jersey. He began the day in 24th place overall and finished it in fifth. It’s a confirmation of Lance’s appraisal of his rivals. "My opponents were slightly different than what we expected," he said after the stage. Indeed they are formidable riders but it is becoming rather obvious that the six-time winner is on course to claim title number seven. Lance gets beat at the finish...

soupcan Jul 12 2005 09:16 PM

How psyched am I? I just realized tonight that my cable system IS offering OLN (the network airing the Tour)! Ordered it - in a package with 4 other loser 'sports' channels for $4.95 per month. I figured I'll cancel when the Tour's finis. Watched today's stage from 8-11 (screw the All-Stars). Riveting stuff. Love it!

cooby Jul 12 2005 09:19 PM

Too bad you missed the rogue horses on Saturday

Frayed Knot Jul 12 2005 10:16 PM

OLN - in addition to being the network to televise the tour in America - is also an Armstrong sponsor. Expect lotsa positive coverage of the man in front. Today's leg featured one of those 'Only in France' moments. It seems that French farmers are upset about the Gov't not doing enough to protect their sheep against wolf attacks, so they staged a road-closing protest in what was to be the starting town. This meant that the starting point was moved up to the next town and the day's stage was shortened by some 15 miles. Usually it's truckers who stage road-closing protests in France. What did the farmers use, donkey carts? Line from the book I just read: 1) The way to beat Lance is not to make him mad 2) Beating him makes him mad

Elster88 Jul 13 2005 08:14 AM

I was wondering about that. From what I read "Because of a protest at the start by farmers angry over wolf attacks on sheep and cows, organizers shortened the route by 8.7 miles, beginning the race just after the town of Froges, near the Alpine city of Grenoble.", it sounded like the farmers were complaining that the race incites the wolf attacks. Your explanation makes much more sense.

Edgy DC Jul 13 2005 08:54 AM

With all the major sports leagues inactive during the All Star Break, it's one last chance for an American carrier to get viewers to glance at Lance before he retires.

soupcan Jul 13 2005 02:09 PM

Photos from Stage 11... Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) is chased by a German fan during his climb of the Galibier Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) wins the stage ahead of Santiago Botero (Phonak) Eddy Mazzoleni (Lampre-Caffita) post-stage Miss Tour de France 2005

cooby Jul 13 2005 02:13 PM

heh heh, love it, yet another reason for Sheryl Crow to feel like a skank

Edgy DC Jul 14 2005 09:26 AM

You have no idea how hard it was to fight not to post this article in the Baseball Forum with a misleading topic heading like "Beltran Hurt in Crash!" Beltran out of Tour de France after crashing on stage 12 July 14, 2005 DIGNE-LES-BAINS, France (AP) -- Lance Armstrong lost a key teammate when Spanish rider Manuel Beltran crashed during the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday. Beltran fell on the Col des Demoiselles Coiffees climb early in the 116.2-mile route from Briancon to Digne-les-Bains. He got back on his bike but quit after receiving treatment from a Tour doctor, Discovery Channel team spokesman Jogi Muller said. Beltran was taken to the hospital but tests revealed no broken bones or fractures. He will be kept overnight as a precaution and is expected to be released Friday. The 34-year-old Beltran is a specialist mountain climber and will be missed by Armstrong when the race heads into the Pyrenees on Saturday. He has been part of Armstrong's Tour-winning team since 2003.

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2005 01:34 PM

Aw you should have. In fact, somebody who still posts over on the MoFo should try it there and watch a panic start. Man, Sheryl Crow is taking a beating in this thread. Today's stage didn't change much of note. A Frenchman ran away w/the Bastille Day stage to what was no doubt a tearful and adoring crowd of countrymen. But he was well back in the standings and is no one of significance to the overall lead. Armstrong retains his 38 second lead over Danish rider - and current "King of the Mountains"- Mickael Rasmussen. Rasmussen, however, doesn't seem to be much aof a time-trialist (finished well back in the short opening trial) and so wouldn't figure to stay near the leaders unless he grabs a huge lead before the thing leaves the mountains and the final/longer time trial occurs. The main threats at this point seem to be current 4th place rider Ivan Basso (2 minutes 40 seconds behind), 5th place Alejandro Valverde (3' 20"), as well as a pair of Germans: Jan Ullrich (1 time winner of 'Le Tour' & 5-time runner-up; 8th place - 4' 02") & Andreas Kloden (10T - 4' 16"), and a pair of Americans: Levi Leipheimer (7th place - 3' 58") & Floyd Landis (10T - 4' 16") Landis is an interesting cat. Raised a strict Mennonite in Lancaster County PA, he saw almost nothing of the outside world until moving to California at age 20 to race mountain bikes against the largely dyed-hair and pierced set of west-coast hippies, then eventually turned to the more European-based road racing. He was also part of Armstrong's team until this year and didn't part (as many don't) on the best of terms.

Frayed Knot Jul 16 2005 12:24 PM

Weekend Update Time: Friday was a transitional day - a flat stage between the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains. Little change occured at the top of the board except that the hot young rider Alejandro Valverde withdrew due to knee tendonitis. He's out of this race obviously but otherwise is listed as jour to jour (I crack me up). Saturday they were back into the mountains near the French/Spanish border. Armstrong finished 2nd but increased his overall lead and gained a bit of time on most of the major rivals as the list is starting to shake out most of the pretenders. 1) Armstrong 2) Rasmussen: -1' 41" 3) Basso: -2' 46" 4) Ullrich - -4' 34" 5) Leipheimer: -4' 45" 6) Landis: -5' 03" 7) Mancebo: -5' 03" 8) Kloden: -5' 38" 9) Vinokourov: -7' 09" 7 stages left. 2 more in the high mountains - where the best opportunities to gain and lose are - plus a 35-mile individual time trial.

Edgy DC Jul 16 2005 12:50 PM

Randolph is an idiot. When is he gonna move Mancebo up in the lineup?

Frayed Knot Jul 17 2005 08:08 PM

'Nother good day for Lance and the Disco boys (Discovery Ch Team). Armstrong maintained his lead on the rider who is likely the only possible remaining threat - Ivan Basso - at 2 minutes 46 seconds, while increasing it on climbing specialist Mickael Rasmussen (3rd place - 3' 09" behind) and 5-time runner-up Jan Ullrich (4th - 5' 58"). In the meantime, the stage win went to Armstrong teammate (and NY native) George Hincapie. Hincapie has been part of Armstrong's team for all 6 TdF wins and this is the first ever stage win for the rider who may captain the Discovery team following Lance's retirement. Day off Monday before the remaining serious mountain stage on Tuesday. Then 3 stages in the less severe hilly region of Central France, before a 55K individual time trial which leads to the final (and largely ceremonial) stage entering Paris on Sunday.

soupcan Jul 18 2005 10:44 AM

Again I was riveted to my TV. I cannot get enough of this bike race. OLN broadcasts live from early morning 6:30-7:30 to about noon. Then they rebroadcast in the afternoon and again at night in primetime. I watch in the morning, the afternoon and the evening. I watch the same stage three times. My wife and kids hat me. Saturday was great. T-Mobile was able to isolate Armstrong from his team and thought they would tire him out since he was stuck with three of them but none of his mates for the majority of the day. Suffice to say - they were wrong. He just kicked their ass all the way up the mountain. The guy is just so good. Sunday it was Armstrong Basso and Ullrich for something like the last hour. Each one making sure the other did not break away while at the same time trying to break away themselves. Finally Basso and Armstrong shook off Ullrich but not by much. To think that these guys are not just going up hills but doing mountain ascents and riding as hard as they can for 5-6 hours straight is unbelievable. This is the topography of yesterdays stage. I think I read that the average speed from the stage winner yesterday was 21 mph. This is what I think of when I think of the Tour de France - scenes like this Armstrong, Basso and Ullrich Armstrong and HIncapie wore these 'FABIO' bands in tribute to Fabio Casartelli, a former team member of thiers who died 10 years yesterday during the TdF when he crashed on a descent.

holychicken Jul 18 2005 11:47 AM

BOOOO! More picture of Miss Tour de France 2005!!!

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2005 12:14 PM

Then they rebroadcast in the afternoon and again at night in primetime" Like they've got anything else to show. I dig checking out those maps showing the course. The numbers on the hills represent the "rating" of the climb (based on a combo of length & slope) going from smaller hills at '5' and '4', increasing to '1' and finally 'HC' for "Hors-Categorie" or "Above Categorization". That final 'HC' climb is 10.3 KM (6.5 miles) @ an avg 8.3% slope. To get an idea of an 8.3% slope picture running down to 1st base and the base is the same distance it's normally at ... only it's now 7-1/2 feet in the air. Now chug up that slope for 6+ miles ... now race up it after you've already put in 125 miles that day including 5 other high-level climbs. Those guys aren't human. Meanwhile, 2 weekends in a row, I've stopped to rest halfway up this sissy hill in the Port Washington area because I feel like my heart's going to explode.

Edgy DC Jul 18 2005 12:28 PM

Sissy Hills is a great name for a Long Island village. I like that they mark eateries on the sopes.

soupcan Jul 18 2005 12:32 PM

Well of course they have nothing else to show - doesn't mean I don't appreciate the re-runs. I like the shots from the helicopters showing these old ruins of castles and such. The scenery is beautiful. I don't know about next year - but sometime in the future I am going over there to see this thing live.

Vic Sage Jul 18 2005 01:22 PM

you guys have been talking about a bicycle race for 4 pages? whatever, dudes...

Frayed Knot Jul 18 2005 08:08 PM

And just think, we've only got a week to go! Actually, I was just hoping to keep the thread alive long enough to entice some comment from you. Mission accomplished, my work here is done.

cooby Jul 19 2005 10:05 AM

soupcan wrote: . I don't know about next year - but sometime in the future I am going over there to see this thing live. I think next year you should ride in it. I'll bet you could do it

soupcan Jul 19 2005 10:39 AM

You're probably right. And I could use the monkeys flying out of my ass to propel me.

Willets Point Jul 19 2005 11:31 AM

You would wear this of course:

cooby Jul 19 2005 01:55 PM

If this comes to pass, next year I will be riveted to MY set...

soupcan Jul 19 2005 02:10 PM

I actually have that shirt and I do wear it while riding... and this one too of course...

cooby Jul 19 2005 08:50 PM

They were teasing the "Tour Day France" guy the other day and he said he was pronouncing it wrong on purpose after a run-in with a rude French waiter. I think he was pulling our leg though.

cooby Jul 19 2005 08:57 PM

This is pretty sad: By the end of the stage the Davitamon-Lotto rider earned more than that. Evans gained three minutes and 24 seconds on the real protagonists and worked his way up to seventh in the general classification. “All I wanted was time,” said the rider who was caught on the descent of the monstrous Aubisque mountain by Pereiro Sio and later by Xabier Zandio and Eddy Mazzoleni. “I might have missed out on the stage win but I wanted to do something today to show my respect...” Cadel didn’t have the words to finish the sentence. Like the rest of the Australian cycling community, he was in mourning today. Only 24 hours before he crested the Aubisque with an advantage of over four minutes on the yellow jersey, a car ploughed into six female cyclists from the Australian national team while they were on a training ride in Germany. Amy Gillett died at the scene of the tragic accident and all five other women are in hospital with devastating injuries after a head-on crash caused by a young driver. “I simply haven’t got any words to compensate for the loss,” said an emotional Evans after the stage

Edgy DC Jul 19 2005 09:13 PM

Wow terrible. That first sentence in that paragraph reads like it was meant to be the last.

cooby Jul 19 2005 09:23 PM

True enough, I cut it out of a longer article and should have zapped that... http://www.letour.fr/2005/TDF/LIVE/us/1600/index.html

ScarletKnight41 Jul 22 2005 10:35 AM

From [url=http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/]Letterman's Top Ten[/url] ]Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky 10. Goodbye Gatorade, hello Colt 45 9. For next two stages will be riding a unicycle 8. Is only giving 109% 7. Shouts, "Which one of you French bastards want my autograph?" 6. Yesterday rode twenty miles out of his way looking for whores 5. Already put the yellow championship jersey for auction on eBay 4. Lets fans ride on the handlebars 3. During stage 18, took in the noon showing of "Wedding Crashers" 2. On alternate days, substitutes his fat brother Dennis Armstrong 1. Took detour to nail Jude Law's nanny

cooby Jul 22 2005 12:15 PM

Almost through. Results after Stage 19: I do believe Lance is going to win this thing. There was a change to the top 10 in the general classification because of Pereiro’s involvement in today’s main escape. The top 10 after 19 stage is: 1. Lance Armstrong (USA) DSC - 3,408km in 81h22’19" (41.694km/h) 2. Ivan Basso (Italy) CSC - at 2’46" 3. Mickael Rasmussen (Denmark) RAB - at 3’46" 4. Jan Ullrich (Germany) TMO - at 5’58" 5. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) IBA - at 7’08" 6. Levi Leipheimer (USA) GST - at 8’12" 7. Cadel Evans (Australia) DVL - at 9’49" 8. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakstahn) TMO at 10’11" 9. Floyd Landis (USA) PHO - at 10’42" 10. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spain) PHO - at 12’39"

Frayed Knot Jul 22 2005 12:24 PM

'Le Tour' has been pretty uneventful over the last few days since it left the Pyrenees mountains and swept through the smaller hills of central France. Lance's lead has remained at a steady 2' 46" over Italian rider Ivan Basso, and has increased somewhat on 3rd place Mikael Rasmussen (3' 46") and long-time rival Jan Ullrich in 4th (5' 58"). There's been some movement among the back-end of the top 10 riders but no one has managed to make up any real time on the leader. 2 days left, with Saturday's stage as the last biggie: a 35 mile individual time trial which is where riders go off in staggered starts in a race against the clock where team strategy and drafting tactics aren't a factor. Realistically, it represents the final real chance to make up time on rivals and the big race may be for 3rd as the mountain specialist Rasmussen may not fare well in an individual race while it's one of the strengths of the 4th place Ullrich. But it's unrealistic to think that anyone is making up 3+ minutes on Armstong long one of the top time trialists in the field. Lance actually hasn't won an individual stage yet this year so tomorrow - the penultimate day of his racing career - will be his final chance to let it all hang out and give a fast & furious hour of pedaling. So before Sunday rolls around it's likely his lead will increase on almost everyone. Sunday's stage, which will take the riders into and then around Paris, is largely ceremonial and little time is won or lost save for the standard manic sprint to the end by lower level riders looking for a day of glory in the French captial. In short, Lance's strategy can be summed up in three words: DON'T. FALL. DOWN.

cooby Jul 22 2005 01:03 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: . Lance's lead has remained at a steady 2' 46" over Italian rider Ivan Basso I keep thinking it's gotta change sometime, but it's always the same, for the past 3 or 4 days

Frayed Knot Jul 22 2005 01:20 PM

When a group of riders finish in the same pack, all riders in that pack get awarded the same time since it's virtually impossible to distinguish between them. Once Lance got himself the lead it wasn't that important that he ride all out to win each day (he hasn't won an individual stage yet) it's only important that he finish within sight of the other leaders - so each time one of the top riders attempted to break away Lance (w/the help of teammates) was always able to chase them down and make the break useless. That's why it's neither surprising nor accidental that the time difference hasn't changed. It will change tomorrow since it's not a pack race - and probably in Lance's favor.

cooby Jul 22 2005 01:29 PM

Thanks, LF... I am learning quite a lot about it this year

Frayed Knot Jul 23 2005 12:03 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 23 2005 03:45 PM

LF? ... I'm glad that idiot doesn't post here anymore. Lance wins stage 20 Stage 20 was a 55.5K (~35 mile) 'Time Trial' Riders go off in a staggered start format (*worst goes first) in a race against the clock. * In addition to the 'Yellow Jersey' for the overall leader, the polka-dot & green jerseys for climbing and sprint leaders, plus the white jersey for the best young rider, there's also a sort of unofficial "ceremonial" title of 'Laterne Rouge' (as in red/tail light) given to the rider who's in last place overall. I think that's kinda funny -- so long as it's not you of course. Spanish rider Iker Flores is this year's 'Laterne Rouge' with a cumulative time slightly over 4 hours behind Armstrong going into today. Armstrong was down by 7 seconds to 2nd place rider Ivan Basso at the first intermediate check (@ the 17K mark) ... but then led by 19" at the 35K check (over Jan Ullrich), by 32" at the 40.2K mark, 35" at 49.7K, and finally won by 23". Final time for 55.5K = 1h 11m 46sec - about a 29mph avg Jan Ullrich - former winner of the TdF and 5-time runner-up was the man in 2nd those 23 seconds back. Alesandre Vinokourov 3rd at 1' 17" behind, American Bobby Julich 4th at 1' 33", and Basso was 5th losing 1' 54" to Lance. Overall standings going into the final stage: Armstrong 2) Basso @ -4' 40" 3) Ullrich @ -6' 21" 4) Francisco Mancebo @ -9' 59" 5) Levi Leiphimer @ -11' 25" The 3rd place rider coming into the day - Mikael Rasmussen - crashed 3 times during today's run and also had several problems w/his bike causing him to lose some 11 minutes to the leader in this stage and dropping him from 3rd to 7th overall. Bummer! Final - and largely ceremonial stage - is tomorrow. But really it's all over save for the champagne toasts and kisses from the pretty girls on the victory stand.

Frayed Knot Jul 23 2005 03:43 PM

Meanwhile, the good news from the 'Tour de Long Island' is that I gutted it out and wasn't required to stop for a rest/water break halfway up my sissy hill climb today. The bad news is that I somehow managed to ride over a razor blade an hour or so later. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem since a discarded blade would just lay flat on the street and might, at worst, nick the tire. But - as best as I can figure it - I must have run it over w/the front tire which flipped it up until it was precisely blade side up just in time for it to slice the rear tire completely in half. It severed the tire and the tube even to the point of cutting a nick into the freakin' rim! I had a spare tube of course. Plus I cut a section out of the now damaged-beyond-repair tube (using the offending blade - might as well put the fuckin thing to use) and used it as padding over the new tube where the big honking slice was in the tire. Then I deliberately under-pumped it - because otherwise I'd get a huge bubble busting out of the slash in the tire - and rode veeeerrrry carefully going home because ... well because doing that was a much better alternative to walking the rest of the way. I was about 9 miles from home at the time.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 23 2005 03:47 PM

Ugh! Sorry about the busted tire, but WTG on completing the race!

Frayed Knot Jul 23 2005 03:56 PM

Well, it wasn't a race - I'm just kidding about the 'Tour de Long Island' stuff. I was just out for a ride.

ScarletKnight41 Jul 23 2005 03:59 PM

It's still an accomplishment.

Elster88 Jul 24 2005 10:46 AM

Does the last stage ever make a differnece in the Tour de France? Is it just really short? If two cyclists were within seconds of each other for first would they hit it hard? What if they were within seconds of each other for second? Have two racers ever been close to each other for first going into the final stage?

cooby Jul 24 2005 08:22 PM

I have some questions too... How far in advance do they announce each year's route? Do the bikers go over and ride it to get a feel for the tricky places in advance? And for those of you who have a educated opinion, who do you think will be the next dominant rider, if any?

ScarletKnight41 Jul 24 2005 08:30 PM

BTW, it's official. Lance has won his seventh Tour de France. Now he has one yellow jacket for every day of the week.

Willets Point Jul 24 2005 08:32 PM

Someone was telling me that the last day of the TdF is more of a ceremonial victory lap for the winner than actual competition. I don't know how accurate they are in that appraisal though.

Frayed Knot Jul 24 2005 08:51 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 25 2005 08:57 AM

]Does the last stage ever make a differnece in the Tour de France? Is it just really short? If two cyclists were within seconds of each other for first would they hit it hard? What if they were within seconds of each other for second? Have two racers ever been close to each other for first going into the final stage? Don't know the answer to what's the closest TdF in history or how the strategy has always played out. The Tour itself was much more of a free-for-all, down-and-dirty, only sissy boys don't play both offense & defense kind of thing back in the day, so some rides to the finish could have been only slightly more polite than the chariot scenes from 'Ben-Hur'. There is a 20-second bonus for finishing 1st in a group stage race (a subtraction that deducts off your total time) and 12 seconds for finishing 2nd - so there certainly could be some interesting jockeying along the ride and an impassioned sprint if 2 guys were realclose entering the final day. The closest of Lance's victories was by 61 seconds and no one challenged him for that lead on the trek into Paris. The problem is that on a flat, "easy" and short* stage (* less than 100 miles) there's little chance to make up even a minute or so gap because the leader's team could just form a flying wedge and, working together, would go faster and easily catch up to any lone escapee. Time like that can be made up in Individual Time Trials where there's no team help, on mountain stages where all riders are susceptible to poop out at some point, or in lenghty early stages when leaders are content to allow riders to ride off by themselves while they save their energy to fight another day. But, of course, there's nothing to "save yourself" for in the final stage. One of Greg LeMond's 3 TdF victories however, ended with an individual time trial as it's final stage (instead of the penultimate stage as this one had). LeMond trailed 2-time winner Laurent Fignon by something like 45 seconds going into that last day. Not sure exactly how long the ITT was (it was short by TT standards - something like 15 miles) but it was considered unlikely that there was enough ground to make up that kind of time, especially considering he'd have to make it up on the guy who's leading some 2,080+ miles into a 2,100 race. But LeMond was a good TT-ist and he showed up that day with the then-radical "tear-drop" shaped racer's helmet that are standard now and aerodynamically faster than either a standard bike helmet or even none at all (hair is very UN-aerodynamic). Fignon went "old-school" that day and rode helmetless w/his fashionable blond ponytail flapping in the breeze. He also decided against the ear-piece radio where the team's base could inform him of his and his rival's progress. So LeMond started 2nd-to-last and Fignon last - as per their standing - and LeMond was picking up time at each intermediate point, something he knew but the techo-phobe Fignon didn't. The American literally laid out on the street from exhaustion after crossing the line and knew it would be close depending on how Fignon rode the closing half-mile or so. Fignon also all but collapsed across the line also so it's doubtful that he could have gone any faster even had he known how close the split-times were. But as he crossed he learned he had finished the stage 53 seconds slower than LeMond, and that after some 50 hours of riding and 2,000+ miles over 3 weeks he had missed securing his 3rd Tour de France win by 8 seconds. I don't thing the old school European cycling community thought that those goofy high-tech ideas were all that silly after that.

Rockin' Doc Jul 24 2005 09:01 PM

Nice story regarding the LeMond comeback. Thanks for the information.

Frayed Knot Jul 24 2005 09:05 PM

"How far in advance do they announce each year's route?" Over the winter sometime. 5 - 6 months before the race. "Do the bikers go over and ride it to get a feel for the tricky places in advance?" The smart ones do. Not every stage but selected ones for sure. "And for those of you who have a educated opinion, who do you think will be the next dominant rider, if any?" Don't know enough to hazard a guess. The problem is that Lance has been on top for so long that many of his contemporaries - Ullrich in particular - are likely past their primes and not in position to dominate for any length of time. Call it the Michael Jordan syndrome. Ullrich won once and that was about 9 years ago. There's probably any one of about 10 guys who could win next year but that doesn't mean any one of them would "dominate". Spaniard Miguel Indurain won 5 in a row in the early-mid '90s, and then there were 3 or 4 one-year guys before Lance's stint started. One single dominant rider is often the exception not the rule. There were 3 Americans in the top 9 this year and 5 in the top 20 but Armstrong says he doesn't think any of them have enough to win the TdF.

cooby Jul 26 2005 05:07 PM

Just for the record, that website is back to normal now, but it has a neat little history section, though I wish it had more photos. This one is captioned: Frayed Knot and Soupcan set off in Stage four, 1921

cooby Jul 27 2005 08:45 AM

Wow, Mr. coby must have dumped this link right out of our favorites...

soupcan Jul 27 2005 01:31 PM

If you look closely you can actually see the monkeys!

cooby Jul 27 2005 02:18 PM

Yes, but I was too polite to point that out :)

cooby Aug 10 2005 07:17 PM

Biking questions for you experts: Since my son got his license in June, we've worked out a deal where he can have the car 24/7 and I've been walking back and forth to work. Actually it is extremely pleasant, lotsa nice yards, a big woody park, and rolling streams along the way. Most of the mastiffs seem to still be in the house at that hour so I don't have to run too much. However, it has been in the back of my mind that I ought to suck it up and try riding my bike to work every once in a while, so a few weeks ago, I tried riding it up there one evening. It's not a long distance, but it is all uphill, and I am old. Well, I must have looked pretty bad, because about half way there, I stopped for some rest and a little old lady on one of those motorized scooters stopped and made sure I was all right! Even the little dog on her lap looked concerned. How embarrassing... Anyway, tonight I finally made it there in one try, and even rode around the parking lot in a victory lap, and had enough oxygen left over to make some side trips to other parking lots on the way home (which is all downhill) So I think I am about ready. Here are the questions: 1) I have to take my lunch with me, because my break isn't long enough to come home and eat, plus I carry an umbrella, stuff to do at work, and maybe a sweater. Right now I put it in a tote bag, but that won't work for a bike. So what do I do, put it in a back pack? Will that throw me off balance do you think? 2) What do I do when I start wearing slacks to work? How do I keep them out of my pedals? 3) I accidentally put 80 lbs of pressure in my front tire instead of 60 lbs, is that okay?

Willets Point Aug 10 2005 07:44 PM

I ride all the time with a backpack and it's never upset my balance. You could also try getting a bag or basket to hang of the front of your bike or have rack put on the back of the bike from which you can hang a pannier (that's a saddlebag for a bike). Easy way to keep your slacks from getting caught is to roll them up. You can also get velcro strips from a bike store to tie your slacks down. I've never quite understood tire pressure, but I think that overinflating your tires could put you at risk for rupture at the worst, wearing out the tread of your tires unvenly at the least. If you poke the nozzle with a ball-point pen you can let some air out. Congratulations on becoming a bicycle commuter! I gave up my car 6 years ago and have been biking ever since. One of the most satisfactory decisions of my life. A few more unsolicited tips: If you don't know how to change a bike tire, have someone teach you how. It's a lot easier than it looks and could save you some trouble if you get a flat. Carry a spare tube and get one of the pumps you can attach to your bike. A great investment is a waterproof jacket and pants should you get caught in a storm. These web sites have good information about riding on roads: http://www.massbike.org/skills/traffic.htm http://bicyclesafe.com/index.html Finally, there is http://www.bicyclecommuter.com/ where there's a message board where you can talk to other bicycle commuters.

cooby Aug 10 2005 08:06 PM

Wow, thanks! Now, please understand, before this summer, I have probably ridden this bike five times in the past 2 years, so it is not like I am suddenly going to be riding downtown or anything...(that's seven miles, I would surely die) But I think people are at least getting used to seeing me on it and are keeping track of my progress. There is one place that is a little scary because it is a big curve and people drive fast there because it is fun and I am afraid someone will hit me. And that is the place with the highest density of dogs, too. Those are good ideas, I will have to look at my bike to see whether a front or back thingy would be better for it. Plus I thought about it and obviously, I wouldn't be carrying an umbrella on a bike so that is one less thing. I thought about rubber bands for the slacks, but they would get all wrinkly, so velcro would be better, I see that... Willets, that bike forum is neat, I like this little snippet.. feel great when you arrive but I am not so sure that would apply to me! :) Plus I have to climb steps to the fourth floor, maybe I oughta rethink this, heheh Thanks for the advice, and the links! I will have something to read tomorrow at work now!