Tour de France...

[Lord Cornwallis]

Since Armstrong started winning the tour the coverage on tv here has got better and better. 2.5 hours of live action every day.
Top commentary from Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggott.
Ofcourse there is the obligatory American link man who is a total knob, and clueless. Asks probing questions like why don't the bikes have reflectors ?
Hamilton's ride today was pure guts, loved the way panic set in with the other teams when it looked like he was going to start knocking their blokes off the top possitions in the gc.
These riders are super human and I for one don't want to learn how to suffer like that.
Ride your bike up Ditchling Beacon really fast, times that by 10, then do that 4 times. we'll throw in another 100 miles or so of
various terrain. Good, that's one stage done. 27 more to go.
Amstrong lost 14lbs in weight in that time tria the other day.
Tom Simpson also downed half a bottle of Brandy at the foot of Mount Ventoux [sp] apparently before he died half way up it.

 

[Gwylan]

The Tour de France is amazing. Don't know why Channel 4 scrapped covering it. I don't know who anyone can call it boring, it must be one of the most compelling sporting events in the world.

I'm thinking of doing the Etape du Tour next year. That's when amateur cyclists are given the chance to do one stage of the race, the day before the professionals do it. It's all well-orgnised, the roads are closed and there are all sorts of support vehicles. It's tough though - there were 8,000 entrants last year and only 2,000 of them finished.

I think I'll have to race up Ditching Beacon a few times to get into training.

 

[ade28uk]

Im interested in doing the etape du tour next year. Is their any websites that provide information on this?

 

[Gwylan]

More info can be found here:

http://www.letapedutour.com/2003/fr/index.htm

It's scary stuff: I'm pretty fit, but will have to do a lot more cycling.

 

[ade28uk]

I would have to ditch my moutain bike and get a proper racing bike. The cheapest Trek starts at 499. Their is no way I could complete the etape on a mountain bike. Im definetely thinking about doing this.

 

[MikeySmall]

Does anyone know why David Millar has fallen away so quickly? He started well yesterday but ended up 34 minutes back. I heard he had some chest infection - anyone able to help?

 

[Gwylan]

Yeah, Ade, I'm going to have to fork out for a proper racing bike as well. I think it would be some achievement to do it though. I'm trying to persuade a couple of the other cyclists from work to have a go.

 

[SeagullinKent]

I use to race week in week out. Used to do about 100/150 miles a day training if not racing and usally do a time trail/road race over the weekend. Use to compete against the likes of Boardman, Obree, Rayner (R.I.P), and it was amazing the depths you would have to go to if you wanted keep up, let alone win a race with these guys.

Having said that I,m still the fastest junior in 50 mile time trails and 100 mile time trails in the south coast, a record which has stood for nine years.

But you have to take your hat of to Hamilton for what he has done with a fractured collarbone, although its not the first time it has ever happened to him, happened in a tour last year, same injury and to fight the pain he grinded his teeth so much that they had to be re-done by a dentist, amazing.

And Armstrong to fight cancer and look like winning the tour for the fifth time in a row is truely remarkable.

And not forgetting the domestic's, without whom, the like's of Armstrong, Mayo, Ullrich wouldn,t be able to keep up such a high tempo.

 

[MikeySmall]

I use to race week in week out. Used to do about 100/150 miles a day training if not racing and usally do a time trail/road race over the weekend. Use to compete against the likes of Boardman, Obree, Rayner (R.I.P), and it was amazing the depths you would have to go to if you wanted keep up, let alone win a race with these guys.

Having said that I,m still the fastest junior in 50 mile time trails and 100 mile time trails in the south coast, a record which has stood for nine years.

But you have to take your hat of to Hamilton for what he has done with a fractured collarbone, although its not the first time it has ever happened to him, happened in a tour last year, same injury and to fight the pain he grinded his teeth so much that they had to be re-done by a dentist, amazing.

And Armstrong to fight cancer and look like winning the tour for the fifth time in a row is truely remarkable.

And not forgetting the domestic's, without whom, the like's of Armstrong, Mayo, Ullrich wouldn,t be able to keep up such a high tempo.

 

[aftershavedave]

wow letapedutour looks amazing! love to have ago at this myself....