Tour de France For dummies(IncludesMe)

For three weeks, Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th 2009, the 96th Tour de France bike race will be made up of 21 stages, will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometres (2300 miles) and eight million seconds. Only seconds seperate the first five riders of "The Tour." Unless you've been stranded at with no television or you have no interest in watching the Tour de Fance, you've undoubtedly seen some of it. I on the other hand, really enjoy watching it daily, wishing I could have done this somehow in my younger years. I actually get chills watching the finishes, the last few hundreds of yards, the pain and determination on the riders' faces, their strategy, their ability to pull from within themselves to either hold onto a lead or pass the leader with only seconds to spare; the never give up attitude. Yet I have limited knowledge with a plethora of questions: team and individual strategy, winning jersey colors, how does one guy who's 37 yr old manage to be ahead of so many riders much younger than him? What kind of gear ratios do they have? What do they drink as they ride? Water, flat Coca Cola, Gatorade? All have been known to be used. I can relate, on a smaller scale, of what it feels like to get up a long hill...like when I want to look up ahead and see how far I have to ride yet and not wanting to know, just concentrating on keeping my pedalling rhythm. Nothing like these pros, though! A Vegas rider posted a great explanation of the Tour on vegasbiking.com . (See complete explanation here if interested.) That said, here's a very brief synopsis of biking/Tour info.


Although it may look to you as just a mangled bunch of cyclists, there's a good reason they ride so close. Drafting; following closely cuts wind resistance and the ride is easier, saving energy. They all take turns at this, as those in front are pullers. (Keep in mind the different countries and the different languages spoken within that pack, called the pelathon, not to be confused with the break-away pack.) From personal experience, (not in the Tour, naturally) it's scary to ride within inches of another skinny tire, looking down at that hard, rough pavement below knowing another skinny tire is inches from your rear tire. Other interesting facts:
It’s not always advantageous for a team member to win the the stage.
It’s not always useful for the leading teams to finish first.
The riders with the best chance to win the Tour usually do not ride first in groups.
The riders who do the hardest work almost never win the Tour.
Rivals cooperate with each other to gain advantage over other rivals.
Not all riders ride to win any prizes in the Tour.
Injuries occur. The bone most frequently broke is the collar bone, next, arms and wrists. Knee and elbow damage is almost a sure bet in a spill. Since international bike racing had started in 1929, 27 riders have lost their lives do to a crash or later from complications resulting from these injuries. *The last time I rode 45 mph, was down hill in Little Cotton Wood Canyon above SLC. And that was almost disastrous when I left the pavement and into the gravel. I talked to myself, "Just keep it straight, Ron" and concentrated on holding the front wheel straight cutting across a curve and came out just inches from the guard rail. Below was a steep, boulder and tree lined embankment. As I came back onto the pavement I realized I had a flat rear tire. But, I hadn't crashed or gone over the guard rail, or both. Tour guys ride 45 mph and more...


Without boring you with details, suffice it to say, each team is made up of riders with specific assignments. Just as not all football players are the same, not all riders are the same. Not every rider enters the race expecting to win anything at all! Rider Characteristics and Specialties are varied and identified as: Sprinters, Climbers, Balanced Riders and Domestiques: Every team has domestiques. They are the team workhorses. These are the riders you see going back to get food and liquids to bring up to the team leaders.
Here’s something to think about: A rider can win the entire Tour de France, having never won a single stage. So as you watch, if nothing else, enjoy the scenery of European countries you have to spend lots a money to visit if you actually went in person. FYI, pro-cyclists' pay isn't all that great, ranging from $32,000 to $50,000 annual - minimum. You-know-who, no doubt makes much more.