Quick learning type question. Over the course of this year’s race, I have picked up at least cursory knowledge about the Tour, protocols, teams, etc.
But, in reading the updates I came across a foreign phrase. The feed zone. What is it? Is it some special race within a race like a sprint? I hear feed zone and picture something like the movie The Running Man. Slow bike riders get picked off by opera singing fat guys and blade wielding hockey goalies. But, that sounds a little too intense for the Tour de France (maybe the Tour of Germany). So, any explanation on the feed zone would e appreciated.
The feed zone begins with the space along the course where riders are given food packets.
pause Phil Liggett just said it looks like “Winter is on the way here, but it’s still 20C…”
Easily digestible stuff with various sugars.
(Phil) From the tavern, after a pint or two here comes Boo Boo Foo pounding on a heavy gear at an audacious pace on the cobblestones. Boo Boo’s teeth must be chattering - yet despite his standing some two hours back in the GC has the faithful chanting Boo–mercks!
It can’t be - yes it is - Eddy Merckx has entered Le Tour based on some technicality and/or anniversary. It’s the Versailles technicality! It’s some kind of rule related to this being a French Race - yet here it is. Merckx is on a massive breakaway.
Not as impressive as Hamilton yesterday, but I’m glad for the kid anyway. It’s his first Tour victory. He did win the 2001 Paris - Roubaix, though, which is a nice one as well. Good rider, though certainly not a TdF GC competitor. More of a Classics kind of rider. First Dutch victory in the Tour this year, and it’s about time.
Eerie… I just realised that Erik Breukink, who’s a commentator for the Dutch TV these days, tipped Knaven as today’s winner. Breukink obviously knows his cycling![/spoiler]
Thank you Corbomite for the laughs. Funny stuff. Thank you.
As for Davis Phinney, he was my era circa 84 Olympics. I’m pretty sure he got up for Bronze in the Road Race that year. I recall Alexi Grewal won the Gold from Steve Bauer (Canada), and there were 4 guys away in the winning break of which Davis Phinney was a member. He was a great sprinter, a really super duper muscular guy - which ultimately meant he suffered somewhat on long mountainous stages. He tended to fade on those stages - like most sprinters do. I can remember his legs most of all. Huge muscular legs. Real tree stumps.
Interestingly though, I recall Greg Le Mond being rather dismissive towards Davis Phinney when he first turned up pro in Europe in 1986. I’m pretty sure Greg’s quote went thus “Davis is a really fast guy - no questions - and he thinks he can mix it up to the Sean Kelly’s and the Guido Bontempi’s without any problems. Well he’s in for a big shock. Over 160klms, sure, not a problem. But these guys can pull out the mega killer sprints after 270klms, and THAT’s the difference. As an amatuer your longest race is 180klms. Davis is in for a huge learning curve this year…”
Everyone tends to forget Jeff Pierce’s solo breakaway win in the final stage of 1987. But it was a great ride. The Arc de Triomph stage is incredibly prestigious, and to ride solo and hold off the pack is really a hard thing to do - especially seeing as how the final 800 meteres is uphill at about 3% or thereabouts.
But the most remarkable thing about Jeff Pierce’s win, and Davis Phinney’s wins, was the team they rode for - in particular, one of their team-mates - the incredible Eric Heiden. Remember Eric? 5 Gold Medals at the Lake Placid Olympics in speed skating. Awesome legs. Huge lung power. He used to do cycling all through his Olympic years as a form of cross training - and eventually turned pro and rode 3 Tours de France if memory serves me correctly. He was never a major force, but I recall he was treated with reverence and respect by everyone - all the way up to the highest levels.
Sweet! Did anyone hear Phil Ligget say during today’s stage that IMAX is making a film of the Tour? And that they decided to focus before the Tour on Tyler Hamilton and CSC?
Yet another question. In looking at the various standings (individual, sprinter, climber, etc) I understand generally what they all mean, how they are arrived at, and what the importance is. Except for one. The Team Standings. Is this a coveted thing to win? How do they calculate it? I would think it is just adding up the times of team members, but that gets dicey when lots of people drop out or are injured (Rabobank, I am looking in your direction.)
Just watching the ITT live as I write this - it’s 16:00 Paris time, but it’s 01:00am in Boo Boo land so I doubt I’ll stay awake till the end - but you never know.
Nonetheless… oh wow… Jan Ulrich and Lance Armstrong were separated at the 2 thirds mark by just 2 seconds. OK, fair enough - to be expected - dead flat roads in wet slippery conditions.
But listen to this… they averaged for the first 32.5 klms of the ITT an incredible 56.7 kph. Now, those of you who have ever ridden track will know that only the rarest of rare Teams Persuit squads can break 56 kph - and that’s 4 guys working together for only 4 klms. Man… and yet today we’ve got 2 guys, who on their own, unassisted without taking turns with teammates - are averaging the same speeds for over 32 klms.
The top five after Armstrong’s arrival at the finish is:
MILLAR (GBR, COF) 49km in 54’05"140 (54.358kph)
HAMILTON (USA, CSC) at 09"
ARMSTRONG (USA, USP) at 14"
ULLRICH (GER, TBI) at 25"
BODROGI (HUN, QSD) at 26"
Fancy that… a 5th Tour win and neither ITT won by Armstrong. Now who would have predicted THAT?
You historians in the future? Never overlook the role that the UPS Team played in this 5th Tour win.
The 1 minute lead that the Team Time Trial gave to Lance Armstrong over Jan Ulrich in Stage 4 effectively carried over the entire length of the tour.
Given such an important role that a Team Time Trial can play, can somebody please, PLEASE tell me why the 4 man 100K Team Time Trial was dropped from the Olympics?
I’m not sure “poor bastard” really does justice to the situation.
I didn’t see Ullrich’s fall, I’ve just been following text updates on the web. With the whole Tour at stake, and your wheels slip out from under you, that moment before you hit the ground must be the sickest feeling in the world.
Well, it has to be said that both Ulrich and Armstrong were riding at amazing speeds - given the conditions.
Remember, all of them have perfect two way radio - look for the little ear pieces in future - and Lance was DEFINITELY told about Jan’s fall, and where it happened. When it was Lance’s turn to ride through that roundabout, apparently he went REAL slow - and of course, he could afford to.
But I truly don’t feel that Ulrich was pulling out enough time to seriously worry Armstrong. Without the fall, at best he might have won the stage and taken 15 seconds out of Lance, I’d wager.
I’d like to seize upon this list to point out the awesome TT by Tyler Hamilton. I thought he’d be cautious, given that he probably didn’t want to fall and land on the injured collarbone, but damn! I know I’m a broken record when it comes to Hamilton (I was rooting for him to win it all before the Tour started), but I have to say that I think his entire Tour has been terrific. Fourth place, baby! No longer just a workerbee for Lance.
The brown team? I’m sorry to tease you about a typo, but UPS is something else indeed. In fact, I believe they’ve recently been pitted. But they do have mighty cute shorts that might look good on a bicycle.
I’m sorry to tease you about a typo, but UPS is something else indeed. In fact, I believe they’ve recently been pitted. But they do have mighty cute shorts that might look good on a bicycle.