Weekly Ride Report: 7/19/10 - 7/25/10

Date	Course	Type	Distance	Ride Time	Climb	Max Altitude	Max Speed	Avg Speed	Odometer
07/24/10 08:00 AM	InCycle CycleDots Loop	Flat	32.8	02:03:02	1261	936	35.3	16	19824.1
07/25/10 07:30 AM	Antigua Bread Loop	Rolling	46.6	03:00:41	1983	1129	37.7	15.47	19870.7
	Weekly Totals		79.4	05:03:43	3244			15.69

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/25/10 - Finale

Alberto Contador, winning his 3rd Tour de France, and 2nd consecutively, became the 7th Tour champion not to win a single stage on his way to Paris.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/24/10

While the last stage at the Tour de France is mainly a procession for the rest of the peloton before the sprinter teams and breakaway artists ready themselves for the laps around the Champs-Elysees, most of the memories captured before the hard gallop are pictures of champagne sipped on the bike, the colored jerseys all having a chat, and supposed transfer negotiations between possible future teammates. The inimitable Dave Zabriskie, the current U.S. time trial champion who finished fifth in today's ITT, has altogether different memories from last year's final stage:

Last year on the way to Paris I had to stop in an Indian restaurant for an emergency crap. I hope this doesn't happen again tomorrow.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/23/10

With Mark Cavendish winning his 4th stage of this year's Tour de France, and Alessandro Pettachi finishing third, and ending up 10 points ahead of Thor Hushovd in the green jersey competition, the top three are only separated by 16 points. Hushovd has conceded the race, citing his poor fitness in his legs for field sprinting, but anything can happen on the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées. All the sprinters are now talking about the final sprint on the last stage, even though there is still one other stage remaining with the 52 km individual time trial. There are actually points available for the top ten places in an individual time trial, which is why some sprinters can actually get points in the short ITT's of a prologue. A five to ten minute effort is possible for sprinters to match the speeds of the time trial specialists, since this kind of effort matches the final ten kilometers leading up to a final sprint on a flat run-in. However, a one hour effort is impossible for the sprinters to maintain at the same level as the specialists or to match the different strengths and focus of the overall contenders.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/22/10

The last 29 winners of the Col du Tourmalet summit in the Tour de France have not been eventual winners of the yellow jersey in Paris. It remains to be seen whether Andy Schleck can still pull out a win barring disaster for Alberto Contador. The last rider to win the climb up the Tourmalet and win the overall classification also won the sprint and king of the mountains competitions. That was Eddy Merckx in 1969, his first of 5 Tour de France victories.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/21/10 - Rest Day

Of the 7 man group that escaped the peloton and finished ahead of everyone else on Stage 16, 3 of them were among the oldest men in the Tour de France. Christophe Moreau, Lance Armstrong, and Chris Horner were all born in 1971, but Moreau was born in April, making him the oldest at 39 and the oldest overall. Armstrong and Horner are still waiting for their 39th birthdays in September and October, respectively. There is one more man in the peloton born in 1971 who likes the breakaways, just not in the high mountains: Jens Voigt. He is only one day older than Lance Armstrong.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/20/10

"If you draw your sword and then drop it, you die."

- Ryder Hejesdal at the start of Stage 16, when asked his opinion on the Chain of Events, noting that Andy Schleck attacked Alberto Contador first.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/19/10

"My stomach is full of anger, and I want to take my revenge."

- Andy Schleck after Stage 15 and the Chain of Events

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/18/10

Paperboying - cyclist slang for zig-zagging up a steep climb, to make the gradient less steep, which is the same reason roads are cut into switchbacks up mountain passes. The zig-zag ascent by the cyclist is reminiscent of a paperboy delivering newspapers from one house to the next, crossing the street as he does so.

Weekly Ride Report: 7/12/10 - 7/18/10

Date	Course	Type	Distance	Ride Time	Climb	Max Altitude	Max Speed	Avg Speed	Odometer
07/12/10 08:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:53:46	638	942	28.7	18.3	19725.2
07/13/10 08:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:54:40	581	929	27.8	18	19741.6
07/14/10 08:30 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.7	00:54:22	754	917	30.3	18.43	19758.3
07/15/10 08:45 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.6	00:52:12	642	946	27.8	19.08	19774.9
07/16/10 08:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:53:46	558	880	31.6	18.3	19791.3
	Weekly Totals		82.5	04:28:46	3173			18.42

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/17/10

With no rider in contention for the general classification for either Team RadioShack or Caisse d'Epargne, both teams are now in mortal combat for the team classification. The team classification is tallied a bit differently than the GC riders when counting cumulative time. Instead of taking the the times of the top three riders on the overall standings, the time for the team contest is counted by the finishing times of the top three finishers per team on each stage, then totaled cumulatively. This is why team tactics dictate looking to get into breakaways, but not necessarily winning stages.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/16/10

We've talked about the lantern rouge before, the designation for the last finishing man in the peloton, but what does it look like when we see the lantern rouge for the stage come in? As you can see from the faces of Bert Grabsch and Robbie McEwan at the end of Stage 12, it looks a bit demoralizing.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/15/10

With all the new advances in technology, sports medicine, and nutrition, there is a hundred year old elixir still preferred by the pros that aids in recovery, mitigates cramps, and provides quick nutrient uptake. What is this miraculous beverage passed out like candy by race doctors on hot days during the Tour? Coca-Cola Classic.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/14/10

The polka-dot jersey changed hands briefly today, passed from Jerome Pineau to Anthony Charteau, even though they were tied at 85 points at the start of today's stage. Charteau got the bulk of his points from a 40 point bomb after winning the H'or Categorie (HC above categorization) summit of the Col de la Madeleine on Stage 9. HC climbs award 20 points for the KOM competition, but the last climb of the day gets a double bonus. If these two riders were tied, why didn't Pineau get to keep the jersey, as he was already wearing it? The tie-breaker for KOM points is based on the categories of climbs won, with the highest number of highest classification deciding the winner. Since Charteau won an HC climb, and Pineau had not, the tie went to Charteau. Pineau got the polka-dot jersey back at the end of today's stage though, by beating Charteau up the 1st category climb to snag 7th place, which then gave Pineau a one point lead as King of the Mountains.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/13/10

While it may be argued that there is no crying in baseball, there is definitely crying in professional cycling. From the tears of Mark Cavendish after his first stage victory at this year's Tour on Stage 5, to Cadel Evans crying in the arms of his teammate Mauro Santambrogio after Stage 9. Evans cracked on the Col de la Madeleine, after not being able to withstand the pain of his broken left elbow, and lost the yellow jersey after only one day.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/12/10 - Rest Day

Someone's a fan of Spanish soccer. AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/11/10

Today we saw the GC hopes of Lance Armstrong dashed by bad luck, actually, three instances of bad luck, all involving crashes, two minor and one major. By getting delayed in the minor crashes, and expending extra energy to catch back up with the overall contenders, plus suffering from the bruising and the scrapes of the major crash, it was too much effort for Armstrong and his domestiques to pace him back into position. This also shows how much good luck Lance Armstrong had to win 7 Tours de France in a row, by avoiding major crashes and not getting caught behind other incidents. Avoiding bad luck was mainly done by staying up near the front of the peloton and riding hard enough tempo that the group was stretched out instead of being so bunched up. That Radioshack was not one of the teams dictating tempo on this stage might be an indication that their riders were only strong on paper, or that the peloton was not giving Armstrong's team the deference that he had accepted in the past. Other riders have different ways of avoiding bad luck, such as Fabian Cancellara, who is wearing unlucky 13 as his bib number this year. To counteract misfortune, he turns one of the two placards upside down.

Weekly Ride Report: 7/5/10 - 7/11/10

Date	Course	Type	Distance	Ride Time	Climb	Max Altitude	Max Speed	Avg Speed	Odometer
07/05/10 07:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.8	00:54:26	473	998	28.7	18.52	19612.3
07/06/10 08:45 AM	ToC Circuits	Climb	16.9	00:58:41	978	982	34.4	17.28	19629.2
07/07/10 08:45 AM	ToC Circuits	Climb	16.8	00:57:23	916	978	37.1	17.57	19646
07/08/10 08:15 AM	ToC Circuits	Climb	16.6	00:58:36	921	969	37.1	17	19662.6
07/09/10 08:30 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:54:05	450	946	29.7	18.19	19679
07/11/10 08:15 AM	InCycle CycleDots Climb	Climb	29.8	01:57:44	1647	1703	36.5	15.19	19708.8
	Weekly Totals		113.3	06:40:55	5385			16.96

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/10/10

During a three week Grand Tour, such as the Tour de France, there are only two rest days, each after about a week of racing. However, according to Chris Horner of Radioshack, there are more, because the non-GC contenders regard the time trial stages as rest days. The domestiques and sprinters only put in about an 80 to 85 percent effort into their race, and spend the rest of the day concentrating on recovery. At this year's Tour, the riders are feeling more tired than usual before entering the first mountain stages because they have not had the usual first week time trial. Instead, they have had hard crashes and cobblestone stages.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/9/10

argy-bargy - noun

Definition: U.K. arguing: an animated or heated argument, or animated or heated arguing ( slang )

[Late 19th century. Playful development of argument]

Argy-bargy is usually used in cycling to describe the elbowing, shouldering, and nudging that can take place as the sprinters and their lead-out men jockey for position before the finish.

Speaking of argy-bargy, there was an actual altercation after the stage today between Carlos Barredo of Quick-Step and Rui Costa of Caisse d'Epargne from an intra-peloton dust-up during the race with 20 km to go. Luckily, the fighting took place after the race instead of during, otherwise both riders would have been disqualified and thrown out of the Tour de France.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/8/10

Today, Mark Cavendish finally got the stage victory that had been eluding him, but what was more interesting was American Tyler Farrar contesting for the final sprint with his usual lead-out train, despite an elbow injury and a possible hairline fracture in the wrist of the same arm, only two days after the massive crashing on the slippery slope of the Col du Stockeu. Anyone with a broken or sprained wrist knows how difficult it is to hold oneself up in a push-up position, which is what a sprinter needs to do to get up off the seat and violently push down on the pedals for the final effort. However, once the adrenaline starts pumping, the pain disappears, and it can be surprising the feats one can do. In fact, it was Robbie McEwen, in the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France, after crashing 12 miles from the finish, and injuring his wrist badly, was able to win the field sprint in London. According to Robbie, he couldn't even shake hands after the race because the wrist was so painful, even thinking it was broken, before x-rays proved negative.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/7/10

Mark Cavendish was the most dominant field sprinter last year, having won over a dozen races before coming into the 2009 Tour de France, where he won 6 stages during the 3 week race. This season, however, we've seen a much quieter Cavendish, with only 3 wins before coming to France, caused mainly by sitting out 2 months because of a dental infection, and struggling to regain fitness ever since. Interesting to note for perhaps a not so successful tour campaign for the Boy Racer is the change in his lead out train from last year. Gone are George Hincapie, now on Team BMC, Adam Hansen with a broken collarbone from a dog running into the course, and Mick Rogers, who is now conserving his energy for GC hopes.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/6/10

Some may call it racing karma, but it seems to be true that if you respect the rules of the peloton, even if reluctantly, the racing gods will smile upon you. And so it was, that a day after Fabian Cancellara lost the yellow jersey after convincing the peloton to sit up and not contest the sprint so that fallen team leaders had a chance to rejoin the bunch, he won it back after a hard day on the cobbles. Even after complaining about Fabian's decision to neutralize the sprint overnight, Thor Hushovd, led by Cancellara in the winning break, won the bunch sprint, and donned the green jersey he wanted to wear yesterday. The racing gods deemed yesterday's offering acceptable and repaid blessings upon Spartacus and the God of Thunder.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/5/10

Patron, Spanish for boss, is the title given by acclimation to the "boss of the peloton," the rider looked to by the rest of the 200 riders to uphold the customs and unwritten rules of the professional cyclists during a stage race. Sometimes, the patron will even negotiate with the race director to nullify results of a stage to protect the safety of the riders. Since Lance Armstrong retired the first time, there has not been an agreed upon Patron of the Tour de France, but with a crash marred stage today, which saw over half the peloton crash down a slippery descent off the Stockeu, in addition to many race motorcycles, we saw that Fabian Cancellara has become the most respected rider in professional cycling today. First, by asking and directing the few riders who did not crash to slow up and wait for their team leaders to rejoin. This was necessary since most of the race support vehicles, which would normally relay information and watch over the safety the riders, were all stuck behind in the aftermath of the crashes. And second, when Cancellara reached an agreement with race official and lead referee Jean-Francois Pescheux, who himself had slipped on the slippery road while assisting riders back on their bikes, to nullify the sprint finish and award sprint points only to the breakaway winner Sylvain Chavanel from Quick-Step.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/4/10

On a stage where we saw three major crashes within a mile of the finish line, and many others earlier in the day, the GC men are glad that UCI rules recognize the unfairness of being caught behind a crash and missing out on joining the luckier groups able to finish ahead of the pile-up. Current rules state, that should a crash happen within 3 km of the finish line, all riders able to cross the line with their bikes shall be awarded the same time as the eventual winner. This rule doesn't help out the sprinters, though, who still have only their actual finishing order count for awarded points. On a flat stage like today, the first 25 riders were awarded points, so those caught up in or behind all the crashes, lost out on their chance to win points at the end.

Weekly Ride Report: 6/28/10 - 7/4/10

Date	Course	Type	Distance	Ride Time	Climb	Max Altitude	Max Speed	Avg Speed	Odometer
06/28/10 09:00 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.5	00:57:17	464	964	30.3	17.28	19495.5
06/29/10 09:30 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:55:43	481	954	28.7	17.66	19511.9
06/30/10 09:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:54:37	573	922	31.1	18.02	19528.3
07/01/10 08:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.3	00:53:35	535	918	28.6	18.25	19544.6
07/02/10 08:15 AM	Rose Bowl Laps	Flat	16.4	00:55:08	546	933	28.8	17.85	19561
07/04/10 08:15 AM	InCycle CycleDots Loop	Flat	34.5	02:15:38	1240	985	38.9	15.26	19595.5
	Weekly Totals		116.5	06:51:58	3839			16.97

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/3/10

The prologue, used to establish the initial order of the General Classification, also establishes which rider gets to wear the colored jerseys which represent the leaders of the different races within the race: the overall leader by time (GC for General Classement) wears yellow; the points leader, for placings at the finish of each stage and sprint lines within certain stages, wears green; the King of the Mountains (climbing points leader), for placings at the top of categorized climbs, which is not awarded until there is a categorized climb in a stage, wears polka-dots; and the young riders leader, for riders younger than 26 years old at the start of the year, wears white. An additional advantage for having an individual time trial as the prologue at a stage race is that it establishes time splits of hundredths of a second. On the rare occasions where overall leaders end up with the same time, the time splits from an earlier time trial stage are used to establish the actual leader. If there hasn't been a time trial to count the hundredths of a second, then the number of stage wins, and then cumulative placings in earlier stages are used to break the tie.