The annual Tour de France is often on my TV during this time of year.
There is something about the precision of team cycling over the French and Spanish countryside the is visually interesting. With all of the precision, at the end there is a mad scramble for the finish.
Today was a major day in the Pyrenees. The first climb took the starch out of most of the riders. Then it leveled off and headed for a shorter steeper climb... 10% grade. I think that Kelly can relate to that with the dive and climb up out of a Utah lake with the old Travelall. I think that it was rated at 7.5% grade. The Donner Summit is pretty darn steep but its grade is mostly in the lower 6s.
There were a few accidents as they came down the hill. There was one particularly wicked turn. It was not too far from the Summit off ramp on Hwy 17. You watch your self coming back at you. Can you image doing that at 45 miles an hour?
The towns are pretty cool in France too. I also enjoy the camping rigs spectators have along the side of the course.
Most of the teams are multinational so the team is not only competing for the company, but also recognition the rider's country. This will all change when the Olympics come this Summer.
Take care Pat
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I read about The Great Divide Race in my Outdoors magazine. Basically it is a race from Canadian border to Mexican border along the great divide. Here is it's web site:
http://www.greatdividerace.com/
It takes about 25 days and there is no support for the riders. Sounds alot like Tour de France, but American grown.
Post a Comment