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sailor · 07-03-2005, 12:11 PM

I sorta summarized each stage of the Tour de France last year for those TFPers unable to otherwise get any coverage of it, and have had several requests to do so again this year. So, without ado, here it is.

First, if you want anymore coverage, including interviews, Bike Porn (coverage of bike technology and all sorts of cool carbon-fiber parts), check out www.cyclingnews.com, www.pezcyclingnews.com, or www.velonews.com. Television coverage of the race is on OLN in the US.

Also, I wrote a good intro to the Tour last year. You can read it here.

Most measurements of distance and speed will be in metric, since cycling is inherently a European sport, and thats how most of the measurements are reported. I may convert a few, but if not, its easy to do so yourself

This year, the 92nd TdF, is 3,607km long. There are 21 stages. Two individual time trials, though one is a shorter one, taking the place of the standard prologue, and one team time trial. The race will go somewhat clockwise around France, heading into the Alps and then the Pyrenees. Interestingly, there is a stage this year that will head through Germany, something I'm sure Lance is looking forward to, given the nasty reception he was given by the Germans during last year's Alpe d'Huez individual time trial. The race will end on July 24th, coming into Paris to do several laps along the Champs-Elysees as it always does.

There are four main jerseys in the Tour. Yellow, the most famous, is for the overall leader, the person whose cumulative time is lowest. Then there is green, the points jersey, which is the sprinters' jersey. Next is the polka-dot jersey for best climber. Then the white jersey of the best young rider.

Finally, feel free to ask me any questions. If you dont understand a term, the tactics used, or simply why Lance doesn't seem to care about the yellow jersey for the first week or so of the race, let me know and Ill do my best to explain it. As with any racing sport, tactics reign supreme, and that can make things confusing to people.

Ok, lets get this started...

07-03-2005, 12:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Sailor's Tour de France Coverage 2005 I sorta summarized each stage of the Tour de France last year for those TFPers unable to otherwise get any coverage of it, and have had several requests to do so again this year. So, without ado, here it is. First, if you want anymore coverage, including interviews, Bike Porn (coverage of bike technology and all sorts of cool carbon-fiber parts), check out www.cyclingnews.com, www.pezcyclingnews.com, or www.velonews.com. Television coverage of the race is on OLN in the US. Also, I wrote a good intro to the Tour last year. You can read it here. Most measurements of distance and speed will be in metric, since cycling is inherently a European sport, and thats how most of the measurements are reported. I may convert a few, but if not, its easy to do so yourself This year, the 92nd TdF, is 3,607km long. There are 21 stages. Two individual time trials, though one is a shorter one, taking the place of the standard prologue, and one team time trial. The race will go somewhat clockwise around France, heading into the Alps and then the Pyrenees. Interestingly, there is a stage this year that will head through Germany, something I'm sure Lance is looking forward to, given the nasty reception he was given by the Germans during last year's Alpe d'Huez individual time trial. The race will end on July 24th, coming into Paris to do several laps along the Champs-Elysees as it always does. There are four main jerseys in the Tour. Yellow, the most famous, is for the overall leader, the person whose cumulative time is lowest. Then there is green, the points jersey, which is the sprinters' jersey. Next is the polka-dot jersey for best climber. Then the white jersey of the best young rider. Finally, feel free to ask me any questions. If you dont understand a term, the tactics used, or simply why Lance doesn't seem to care about the yellow jersey for the first week or so of the race, let me know and Ill do my best to explain it. As with any racing sport, tactics reign supreme, and that can make things confusing to people. Ok, lets get this started... __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato Last edited by sailor; 07-03-2005 at 05:21 PM..