Archive for Cycling
Alpe d’Huez EDF Triathlon
Posted by: | CommentsAlpe d’Huez EDF Triathlon
This 4th anniversary sees the arrival of IMG, the world’s premier and most diversified sports, entertainment and media company which will work closely with Cyrille Neveu, the co-founder of the race. The EDF Alpe d’Huez Triathlon is the latest addition to the catalogue of events owned by the IMG « Mass Participation Sports » division, along with the London Triathlon, N°1 triathlon in the world (13000 competitors), the Blenheim Triathlon (5000 participants) and the Stockholm and Barcelona triathlons.
The goal of this joint venture is to make of the EDF Alpe d’Huez Triathlon the not-to-be-missed event by the world’s best runners of long distance triathlons.
Monday 27 July 2009
15h00 – 18h00 Registration for the KIDS
15h00 – 18h00 Numbers collection for the LONG & SHORT
15h00 – 18h00 Opening of the sponsors village
Tuesday 28 July 2009
The KIDS
10h00 – 12h00 Registration and numbers collection
10h00 – 12h30 Opening of the sponsors village
14h30 – 16h30 KIDS
15h00 – 18h00 Numbers collection for the SHORT & LONG
Wednesday 29 July 2009
The LONG
07h00 opening of the bike park (P1) at Verney’s lake
09h00 race briefing
09h10 The Long, closing of the bike park, Vaujany Verney’s lake
09h30 Start of the LONG
swimming 2200 m, cycling 115 km, running 21 km
14h30 – 19h00 Numbers collection for the SHORT
14h00 – 21h00 Opening of the sponsors village
15h15 Finish of the first (estimated time) at l’Alpe d’Huez
21h00 Award ceremony
Long distance 2008 results
Thursday 30 July 2009
The SHORT
09h00 – 12h00 Numbers collection
09h00 – 12h00 Opening of the sponsors village
09h00 – 12h00 Opening of the bike park (P2) at l’Alpe d’Huez
11h30 Opening of the bike park (P1) at Verney’s lake
13h30 Race briefing
14h00 Start of the SHORT
swimming 1200 m, cycling 30 km, running 7 km
15h00 – 18h00 Opening of the sponsors village
15h45 Finish of the first (estimated time) at l’Alpe d’Huez
18h00 Awards ceremony for the Short at l’Alpe d’Huez
La Marmotte 2009 Bike Race
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La Marmotte is one of the toughest one-day cyclosportive events in the world.
The route is 174 km long, but features more than 5180 metres of climbing. The event goes over the Col du Glandon, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and finishes at the top of one the most famous Tour de France climbs, Alpe d’Huez.
The 2009 event
Starts
7 am – Marmotte – 174 Km – Bourg d Oisans
10 am – La Mi Marmotte – 76 Km – Valloire
Finish
Alpe d’Huez
How To Buy Bicycle Components And Bike Clothing Online
Posted by: | CommentsHow To Buy Bicycle Components And Bike Clothing Online
By Andrew Caxton
At one time you could only buy cycling equipment at your local cycle shop, if they had what you wanted or you had to hope they could order it and then you would have to wait for it to come and hope it was the right size, colour or price. Then cycling magazines started to have adverts for the bigger stores and you could post off a cheque and wait for your prized article to arrive. Now things could not be easier, your at home watching the Tour de France on television, you see you hero attack on the mountainous slopes of Alpe-d’Huez, what are those sexy carbon cranks he’s using? They look like FSA or are they Campagnolo, they could be Stella Azurra, which are they? How much will they cost? Where can I get them? Well, get on the Web, put the name of that most wanted item into your search engine and see what it comes up with. The next move can be nearly as exciting as riding your bike up the mountains, that’s making comparisons of all the equipment, something you probably wont be able to do at your local cycle shop and then ordering it online, the worst bit is waiting for it to arrive.
All the top cycle components, clothing, frames and cycle manufacturers have their own web-sites, once you’ve found what you really want for your bike, most sites can link you to a retail out let, from there, with the use of your credit card you can order the goods on-line, or check out a store near to where you live and if they stock what you are looking for. This is best for items of clothing, shorts and jersey sizes vary from one maker to another and there is nothing worse than receiving your new professional look a like kit and it is too big or small, so get down to your local cycle shop or sports store, try on your choice for size and if all is OK, you can buy it there and then or if you don’t mind waiting and it’s at a better price, order and pay for it online and wait for it to arrive in the post to your house.
There are many cycling shoes on the market, and finding the right ones for you can be hard. Look them up on the web, go through the search engine or if you have a particular make in mind, find them online and if you can’t try some in a shop, this is best, because size can be a problem, one manufacturer size 9 could be a half size bigger or smaller than another company, and most of the best cycling shoes are Italian, so remember that European sizes are very different from American or English sizes, and German shoes are wider and Italian shoes are narrower and you may be looking for a size 44 or 45, so try as many different shoes you can and then make your decision. Very importantly with shoes is which pedal system you are using, Look, Shimano, Campagnolo, Time and all the other systems have different fittings on the sole of the shoe, check up which they have on the shoe manufacturers web-site and then it should then be safe to order them online.
An other good and very important item you could look for online is a cycle helmet, as with most cycling goods there are many different helmets on the market, some times the helmets you see on the heads of the professionals are difficult to find, but anything is possible on the net, just type it in and away you go, it may be that just the helmet you are looking for is available in Holland, get it ordered, it may take some time to come but if its what you want it’ll be worth it. Sizes of helmets, like shoes can vary, so if it is possible to try before you buy, then make sure it’s a comfortable fit, the big difference between cycle shoes and helmets is that helmets come with different pads to go inside so you can make the helmet fit exactly, which could help if you’ve ordered the wrong size, this is not something you can do with cycling shoes.
The net is a great way to find the frame size you want for your new bike, with the new sloping frame designs it can be tricky to know which size to order, all frame designers have their own ideas for what is best, so if you know the top tube length of your present bike then you can compare online with the design dimensions on the manufacturers web-site and then you will know what size to order either at you local bike shop or from your internet supplier. As this is probably the most important and expensive thing you’ll buy for your cycling, and so with online shopping you can make sure you make the right decision.
Andrew Caxton contributes adding articles and professional reviews to http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com. At his site you will find technical reviews on bike parts for both road bikes and mountain bikes.
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The Tour De France – An Introduction
Posted by: | CommentsThe Tour De France – An Introduction
By Darren Gilbert
For experienced followers of the Tour De France, the colours, speeds and craziness of it all is exciting, inspiring and totally addictive. For those watching for the first time, however, like being dropped in the middle of a city without a map, it’s daunting and confusing.
The Tour De France in every sense is vast…
Comprising twenty two teams, one hundred and ninety eight riders, four different competitions, two and a half thousand kilometres, two of the world’s biggest mountain ranges and a supporting cast of hundreds of team cars, coaches, motorcyclists and helicopters, its numbers dwarf all other sporting events.
Taking three weeks to complete, the Tour draws the world’s biggest live and televisual audience. No event, not even The Olympics or World Cup inspires more people to forget about their everyday life and involve themselves with the drama of sport. In 2004 nearly a million people gathered on one 17km stretch of the Alpe D’huez climb alone. It’s audience figures are even more remarkable when remembered that unlike the World Cup or Olympics, the Tour is an annual event, and far from waning, interest in the Tour grows every year.
HIstory
The Tour was born in 1902 when Geo Lefevre put forward the idea of a cycle race that circum-navigated France to his two friends Henri Desgrange and Victor Goddet. Desgrange and Goddet, editor and accountant of the sporting publication ‘L’Auto’ were looking for ways to boost circulation, and put the attractive, if crazy idea into motion the following year.
The very first Tour De France left Paris on July 1st 1903. The uninitiated balk at the distances the modern day Tour riders cover, which can be over 200km a day. Imagine, then, the strength and determination required to ride the very first stage of that very first Tour, which incredibly started in Paris and finished in Lyon: A staggering 467km. More remarkable when one considers that roads in turn of the century France are not as they are now, and that bikes in the early 1900s did not have gears!
The inaugural Tour was ridden by 73 riders over eighteen days, six stages and 2,428km and proved a huge success. Boosting sales for L’auto and cycle manufacturers Le Francais, whose team won it, the Tour had also captured the imagination of the French public. Over a hundred years later it is more popular than ever, drawing a world-wide audience, and whilst the founding ethos remains the same, the race has changed somewhat.
The Modern Tour De France
The Tour De France comprises four different competitions, the leaders of which are awarded different coloured jerseys at the end of each day’s racing or stage. The overall leader wears the famed Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune, the heroic King of the Mountains is in the equally prestigious Polka Dot Jersey, whilst the points leader and best young rider wear the Green and White Jerseys respectively. To wear the Yellow Jersey, even if only for a day, represents for many riders the pinnacle of their career.
The Tour is designed to showcase the different types of cycling and thus now has about 20 stages which fall into three categories. Flat Stages, contested by the Sprinters, Mountain Stages, which are dominated by the climbers and Time Trials for the riders who can push a big gear around a course ranging from 40 to 60km. Every rider must complete every stage and specialists tend to dislike other disciplines; climbers for example don’t traditionally make good time triallists and sprinters don’t like climbing.
In recent years the Tour’s validity has been questioned in the light of drug enhanced performances. Some say it’s symptomatic of our society, but we should not let the actions of a few tarnish the reputation and honour of the many. To watch a rider battle an Alpine Col after cycling nearly 200kms in blistering heat is to witness a very human, and thus, very inspiring drama. To continue when every sinew and muscle is screaming for cessation, to meet one’s doubts head on and to triumph is to distil in sport the human condition.
Please see my other articles on the Tour De France for more detailed information on this magical race.
Darren sometimes writes content rich articles with no backlinks purely for your enjoyment and enlightenment! This is one.
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