Tour De France

“Certainly there has to be a few people who bike "AND" hike. On July 6th Lance Armstrong and the USPS Team aim for their 4th Tour victory. Anyone as interested as myself?”

“Geezr, I'll be doing my best to follow each day of the race on OLN. The Tour is my favorite sporting event of the year. I'd love to go to France some summer to see at least part of the Tour is person.”

“It'll be cool to have it on OLN. I was in Switzerland last year during the Tour, and go lots of news on it there. Just had to figure it out from German and Italian TV. ?!?”

“I don't get OLN. :-( I LOVE that channel. I always try to follow it a little, it's a fascinating race. Those guys are warriors.”

“Road racing cyclists are the fittest people on earth. These guys in the tour are from anther planet. With what they are expected to do it is little wonder that some of them turn to doping and steroids. Lance is clean but he uses some strange tactics too. He sleeps in a tent that simulates high altitude. But most of all he trains harder than anyone. I wish I could follow the tour but coverage in the USA stinks and I wouldn’t pay for cable TV for just a few weeks of need.

Watching the races in person could be fun. The thing is that in a road race you get your place by the road and wait for a hour for the race to come by. Zip, the riders go past at 30 miles and its done for you. Criteriums are fun to watch. It is a race of laps around a course of less than a mile.

We all know the Tour of France is the toughest men’s road cycle race in the world. So what is the toughest professional women’s road race? Hint, its held in Idaho. USA media doesn’t pay any real attention to it either.

The race, fast women in lycra”

“You betcha. I can't wait. We went out and rode yesterday. Too bad the German (Jan Ullrich) had to drop out this year. Armstrong may not have anyone to push him.”

“Lance pushes himself. I read this morning that he wears out a chain a week. I can't imagine!

Thanks mtn gal for the Link. I just scanned it briefly. Stage 1, 70 miles in 2hrs 40min. I'm glad I don't have to keep up with them.”

“I'm not a biker, but I read his book and will be keeping up with them. His book is great and very inspirational.”

“geezr - I could keep up on the downhill sections. It's those damn uphills that I have so much trouble with.
mtn gal - Great link.”

“It never ceases to amaze me the speed these cyclists can reach AND maintain.

I hit 51 MPH on a steep downhill coming out of Yellowstone one time and lost my nerve. I still wonder what speed I could have attained, but the fear crashing forced me to brake. When I finally slowed I realized I was shaking.”

“dayhiker, it's a special book. My mom died of cancer. What these people are forced to endure is beyond description. To this day I think she is the bravest person I have ever seen!”

“Yes, those speeds can be nerve racking. A flat at 50 mph could be deadly. A buddy of mine had his rear wheel come apart on him Sunday morning coming downhill at about 35 mph. He was able to keep from crashing though.”

“I bike, but don't follow racing - perhaps I should check it out this year. My fastest downhill so far is 42mph, and yeah, anything more than that - yikes! I don't let her rip unless I'm pretty sure of what's below - would hate to be screaming along and have a car pull out of a driveway or something.

I completed a century ride last Sunday, it's been my goal for a couple of years. Took me a LOT longer than THREE HOURS - wow!”

“Arky -That is why I build my own wheels. I broke the head tube on a bike once. It happened just before a big climb. If it had happened 40 minutes latter I would have been doing 45 mph coming back down that hill. I don’t know if I could have controlled the bike if that had happened. ALWAYS wear a helmet.

In the Idaho women’s race in the stage from Stanley to Ketchum they go over Galena summit (8700 ft). They hit over 50 mph on the way down. A few years ago they had to stop the stage because of snow here, in July.”

“Yes, good wheels are very important. I had a set of Mavic's that would not stay trued. I have been riding Rolf Vector Comp's for about a year now and they are bomb proof. And yes, I always wear a helmet.”

“I don't think my rear end could take a century. Plus there may not be enough hours in the day for me to finish one.”

“Traditional wheels consist of rim, spokes, nipples and hub. I had to use a thread lock compound on the spoke treads on the last wheel I built. It too would be a wobbler in 20 miles. The compound stopped it and it has been true without adjustment for the last 1000 miles. The mavic rim was probably not the problem. I would like to try some of those wheel systems like the Rolf but can’t justify the expense now that I no longer race. That’s the other reason I build my own wheels, cost.”

“Geezr, I recently read where Lance is revered to the point where people come to races just to touch him. In the cancer community it is refered to simply as "The Book" Pretty big stuff, regardless of your religous beliefs.”

“100 miles, one can only wish. Congrats twigeater!!!!!!!!!!!

We did a 60 mile tour of Yellowstone last fall, West Yellowstone to Old Faithful and return. I didn't feel my butt (and a few other parts ) for two days.”

“thanks, guys !

My butt didn't hurt, but I had 850 miles in the saddle prior to the century, and the previous weekend had biked 55-70 miles/day for 3 days in a tour. It took all day, from 7am to almost 6pm, but it was fun !

I can't even change a tire, much less build my own wheels...”

“I've been a Tour fan since LeMond... it's kinda amazing how American cyclists have to go through HELL on the way to greatness”

“the only bad hing about the Tour de France is that it is in France, and frogs get to ride in it.”

“Ya mean like this?

”

“yeah, looks like a french guy to me bitpusher.... LMAO!”

“Man, that's one big wart that frog has on it's a$$!”

“I read his book and thought it was VERY good, would love to know how much was Lance, how much was Sally Jenkins writing.

I rode a Century in my 20's, as well as doing a couple of triathlons. Those were the days.

I am looing forward to following the Tour.”

“Next June you are all invited to come out and do the Bike Across Kansas. Start in the west and end at the Missouri River.”

“Does it go through Great Bend?”

“Dunadan – What do you do the second day?”

“Good, educated question, Bit.
They have three routes every year,and they modify the routes each year. With a northern, middle, and southern route I would assume that the middle route goes near Great Bend each year. They have a website. I think it's BAK.org.”

“It was mostly out of curiosity. I lived in Great Bend the summer of 1979.”

“You been to Cheyenne Bottoms?”

“Nah, I don't think I left Barton County except when we were on tour. I was in a Drum and Bugle corp that summer, and all we did was drill, drill, drill, or go out on tour. The closest I got to nature was skinny-dipping at spillway near there they called "The Flush".

It was still fun though.”

“Well, not to horn in on the Tour thread, (so, please excuse me), but Cheyenne Bottoms is a huge wetlands area right near Great Bend. It is one of the most important stop-overs for migratory birds in the world. You can easily see hundreds of species at a time there. Quite a site.”

“Thanks for the link to the boy cyclists Geezr. Now I can sweat over the soccer boys and the cycle boys. Yum.”

“The best part . . . some of the soccer boys shave their legs . . . but almost all the cycle boys do!”

“Gotta like a woman who sweats..........”

“Dunadan . . . Kansas. I was stationed at Fort Riley in Junction City prior to leaving for Vietnam. I said I'd never go back, but a bike tour sounds interesting. I'll check out bak.com”

“Newgirl – cyclists shave because it makes it easier to clean the wounds after a crash. I prefer some soft fur.”

“Most of my buddies shave their legs and actually make fun of me because I won't. Listening to you I may change my mind.”

“Geezr, old buddy. After being in the Flint Hills region, how would you characterize it? Did you get time to do any exploring?
Thanks for the link. My brother did the BAK in 2001 and wants me to do it with him, sometime. I don't know. I'm more of a runner/hiker than a biker. However, my legs are surprisingly hairless.”

“Oh yeah, Arky, go for it. Way sexy.”

“Newgirl- That's what we used to say up in Missoula: "Where the men shave their legs and the women don't."”

“And the sheep are above average.”

“Sounds like Soula to me Aero!”

“Dunadan, honestly we had very little time to ourselves, or to explore. I remember fishing and picnicing at Milford Reservoir and seeing Dodge City and that's about it.

The things I recall the most vividly we're hitting the stateline from Michigan at about midnight and seeing the entire western horizon aglow from range fires they were having. Then, while driving into Junction City seeing all the coyotes hanging by their back legs from barbed-wire fences. Apparently farmers and ranchers DON'T like coyotes.

Then there was the baseball size hail that totally destroyed my '67 Fairlane and seeing three tornados at one time.

Man, I'm not sure I really want to bike across Kansas. ;-)”

“USPS Team Photo

Ride Like The Wind, Boys!”