Tour de France - First rest day - July 15

Velonews Website ^ | 7/15/07 | Aeronaut

[Aeronaut]

No racing today.

[zoso82t]

When I’m in the saddle for 100+ miles, you can be sure I’m going to wear clothes that make sense for the activity. That means spandex shorts, a breathable jersey, gloves, helmet, etc.

As for the team jerseys; I think they’re goofy don’t wear them, but a person riding a bike in bicycle team gear is decidedly less stupid than the 300lb couch potato watching football while wearing his Peyton Manning jersey. At least the bike gear serves a purpose.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Do you wear spandex and the gay yellow bracelet?"

You might have noticed that football players also wear tight, unnatural pants. Do you like to stare at their buttocks? Does watching the tackling give you some kind of suppressed homosexual thrill?

Of course I'm being sarcastic, but people who hint that there's something sissified about cycling are clueless. It takes balls to ride down a mountain pass at 60 mph on half-inch tires. And it takes incredible stamina to ride a bike 120 miles at an average speed of about 25-30 MPH. Try riding a bike on level ground at 30 mph for three minutes, and you might appreciate those who can do it for 3 hours.

Of course, no one is under any obligation to take a shine to any particular sport, but I find the TDF mesmerizing, and wish I'd discovered it earlier.

[PeteB570]

BANG - You nailed that one zoso82t.

The good ‘ol USA is the land of sports gear on non functional stuff. From NASCAR stickers on rattle buckets belching blue smoke shaking down the road to the 300 pounders on the couch with their favorite team T shirt.

OK, off to check the air in the tires of my under $100 Sears mountain bike that’s about 20 years old that I ride in blue jeans of shorts and a T shirt. Helmet and gloves of course.

[Rodney King]

You might have noticed that football players also wear tight, unnatural pants. Do you like to stare at their buttocks? Does watching the tackling give you some kind of suppressed homosexual thrill?

But that's while their playing. I'll bet that even pro football players, when tossing the ball around with their kids, don't wear the spandex. Yet, there are all these 40 something year old guys who have latched on to the lance armstrong look and wear the gear around.

Of course I'm being sarcastic, but people who hint that there's something sissified about cycling are clueless. It takes balls to ride down a mountain pass at 60 mph on half-inch tires. And it takes incredible stamina to ride a bike 120 miles at an average speed of about 25-30 MPH. Try riding a bike on level ground at 30 mph for three minutes, and you might appreciate those who can do it for 3 hours.

I gave up riding my bike when I got my drivers license, but yes, I know what you mean.

Of course, no one is under any obligation to take a shine to any particular sport, but I find the TDF mesmerizing, and wish I'd discovered it earlier.

It would be better if they carried batons and could hit each other with them.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I knew more than one annoying person who got the short haircut, started wearing the bracelet, and riding their bike around in spandex."

That kind of thing is hardly unique to cycling. I ride a bike, but I don't wear spandex, just regular shorts.

Sports garb is big business, and for every spandex-wearing cyclist there's ten paunchy middle-aged men wearing a Brett Favre jersey.

I think adult cyclists who ride around kitted out in a pro-tour outfit look silly, but they're no different from the football fans wearing a team's jersey.

[Rodney King]

When I’m in the saddle for 100+ miles, you can be sure I’m going to wear clothes that make sense for the activity. That means spandex shorts, a breathable jersey, gloves, helmet, etc.

fair enough.

As for the team jerseys; I think they’re goofy don’t wear them, but a person riding a bike in bicycle team gear is decidedly less stupid than the 300lb couch potato watching football while wearing his Peyton Manning jersey.

I agree. Actually, I was talking with someone about this the other day. The "Lance Armstrong Look" has been adopted by mostly professionals, who look with disdain upon the guy that wears the football jersey to the stadium, yet they do the same basic thing with their biking stuff. And of course, that does not include anyone like you who actually had dedicated yourself to it.

[Rodney King]

hink adult cyclists who ride around kitted out in a pro-tour outfit look silly, but they're no different from the football fans wearing a team's jersey.

I agree.

[Steve_Seattle]

On the other hand, there are local bicycle clubs that have their own competition outfits, and they really do race, so some of the people you see might be legitimate amateur racers. But I won’t deny they’re showing off a bit if they’re wearing their racing gear around town.

[Steve_Seattle]

"but you have to have the shorts & gloves & (helmet hair be damned) the headgear or else you aren’t going to last very long out there."

I'll swear to that. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't been wearing a helmet when I crashed last summer; and I wasn't even going fast or doing anything macho.

[PeteB570]

On a sad note Robbie McEwen was cut from this years Tour de France for finishing outside the 40 minute time limit for the last stage.

The race went from 189 down to 172 riders in the first full week.

Two more weeks to go.

[leilani]

I’ve not always been good about wearing it for short & quick morning rides, but I had a close call in a bad crash about a year & a half ago, & very nearly killed myself on some very sharp rocks. (As it was, I broke a couple of ribs). Ever since then, I wear it religiously & nag everybody else I see without one to do so as well. A ride isn’t so “short & quick” if it requires an ambulance to the morgue in order to help you finish it.

[Texas2step]

The race went from 189 down to 172 riders in the first full week.

Eight riders dropped yesterday, and I think we'll see more tomorrow. I was sorry to hear McEwen didn't finish within the cutoff time yesterday, but I don't believe he ever really recovered from his crash in Stage 1.

The sprints won't be as gripping now, 4 major sprinters out in the last two stages.

[Texas2step]

Any predictions now? Were you surprised any with yesterday's stage?

I was very impressed with Contador from Discovery. I think I'd rather see him as the Discovery team leader than Levi. I've never thought Levi had the legs to be "the man".

About the only "favorite" that showed any real form was Valverde. It's going to be an interesting day Tuesday and the ITTs will be huge...

[leilani]

The sprints won't be as gripping now, 4 major sprinters out in the last two stages.

And this is even before the 3 cols tomorrow! And after that we still have the Pyrenees. Aye carumba. They'll be lucky to have anybody left at all to sprint in Paris.

[Texas2step]

They'll be lucky to have anybody left at all to sprint in Paris.

Boonen and Zabel will be there. They looked really good yesterday, particularly Zabel.

Tomorrow should be an epic day. I really is time for the GC riders to come out an play and who us who is in form. This may be a year for a relative unknown to win. Or, maybe Vino and Kloden will have recovered enough from this crashes to take control.

Really, really looking forward to tomorrow's stage. We should see some major attacks from the very beginning of the stage with the race starting on an HC climb!

[leilani]

This may be a year for a relative unknown to win. Or, maybe Vino and Kloden will have recovered enough from this crashes to take control.

I think you're right that if ever there were a year for un unknown to snatch up the yellow in Paris, this is it.

I still haven't seen yesterday's stage (have been travelling, hope to see the replay tonight) but have read that Kloden stayed back to help Vino & gave away a lot of time. If this is true, does this mean Kloden has just given up trying for GC for himself?

[Steve_Seattle]

I don't think an unknown will win it; most of the pre-race favorites are lurking near the top. Valverde is in good shape, so are Evans and Menchov, and - who knows? - with Kloden and Vino banged up, maybe Kashechkin will emerge as "the Man" for Astana. Most people thought he was a year or two away, but he's hanging right up there. But I'm not prepared to write off Kloden and Vino at this point.

Tomorrow will be very interesting; no one will win it tomorrow, but expect one or two of the favorites to fall off the pace. I fear that Leipheimer might be one of them.

[Steve_Seattle]

I wonder if Discovery deliberately held back Hincapie and Popovych to possibly lead a breakaway tomorrow, or if they just fell off the pace because they didn’t have the legs.