Tour De France For Dummies

by Liggett, Phil; Raia, James; Lewis, Sammarye; Armstrong, Lance

• ISBN13: 9780764584497
• ISBN10: 0764584499
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-27
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

A plain-English guide to the world's most famous-and grueling-bicycle race Featuring eight-pages of full-color photos from recent Tour de France races, this easy-to-follow, entertaining guide demystifies the history, strategy, rules, techniques, equipment, and competitors in what is arguably the most grueling and intriguing multiday, multistage sporting event in the world. Cowritten by the most popular English-speaking cycling commentator on the planet, this book is great reading for both experienced and the new bicycle racing fans alike.

Author Biography

Phil Liggett is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster widely regarded as the voice of the Tour de France.

James Raia is a syndicated columnist and cycling journalist.

Sammarye Lewis is an author and Tour de France photojournalist.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xvii
Introduction	1	(6)
About This Book	1	(1)
Conventions Used in This Book	1	(1)
What You're Not to Read	2	(1)
Foolish Assumptions	2	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	2	(3)
Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other	3	(1)
Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won	3	(1)
Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike	4	(1)
Part IV: Watching the Race	4	(1)
Part V: The Part of Tens	4	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	5	(1)
Where to Go from Here	5	(2)
Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other	7	(40)
Chapter 1: Answering All Your Tour Questions	9	(6)
Understanding the Race and the Strategies	9	(1)
Working together	10	(1)
Winning individually	10	(1)
Understanding Those Colored Jerseys	10	(2)
Choosing the Right Stuff: From Bikes to Snacks	12	(1)
Spectating During the Tour	13	(2)
Watching the Tour from home	14	(1)
Searching for Tour information	14	(1)
Making the trip to the Tour	14	(1)
Chapter 2: Understanding the Tour de France Race Routes	15	(14)
What's a Stage, How Many Are There, and How Long Are They?	15	(1)
Choosing the Route and Stage Each Year	16	(2)
Figuring Out Where to Start	18	(2)
Time Trials, Mountains Stages, Prologues, and More	20	(7)
Prologues and high speeds	22	(1)
Flat and rolling stages	22	(1)
Making the grade: Mountain stages	23	(2)
Individual time trials	25	(1)
Team time trials	26	(1)
Scouting the New Route: Practice Makes Perfect	27	(2)
Chapter 3: The Races within the Race	29	(18)
Timing: Every Second Counts	30	(1)
Getting sprints, points, and bonus seconds	30	(1)
Winning stages doesn't equal winning the Tour	30	(1)
Getting to Know Jerseys	31	(2)
What's a jersey and why not just wear a T-shirt?	31	(1)
How did this jersey thing start anyway?	31	(1)
How many jerseys are used during the race?	32	(1)
Showing sponsors' logos	32	(1)
Explaining the Overall General Classification	33	(7)
The yellow jersey	34	(1)
The polka-dot jersey for climbing	35	(2)
The green jersey for sprinting	37	(2)
Being young has its advantages: The white jersey	39	(1)
Standing on the Podium (and Kissing the Podium Girls)	40	(2)
Receiving awards and accolades	41	(1)
Giving flowers and stuffed lions	42	(1)
The Honor of the Lanterne Rouge	42	(1)
From shame to glory	43	(1)
Working hard to keep last place	43	(1)
Riding in the Broom Wagon	43	(6)
Abandoning the race - and why	44	(1)
Meeting time limits	44	(1)
Surrendering a race number	45	(2)
Part II: Haul the Race Is Run and Won	47	(42)
Chapter 4: It's All about the Team	49	(16)
What's Team Got to Do with It?	50	(2)
Does the guy in yellow win every stage?	50	(1)
Riding for dollars	51	(1)
Selecting a Team - All Shapes, Sizes, and Skills	52	(7)
The team leader	53	(1)
The climbers	54	(1)
The sprinters	54	(2)
The rouleurs	56	(1)
The time trial specialists	57	(2)
Recognizing the Team Behind the Team	59	(6)
The directeur sportif (team manager)	59	(1)
The team mechanics (a.k.a. wrenches)	60	(1)
The soigneurs (all-around assistants)	61	(1)
The masseurs	62	(1)
The drivers: Skills, stamina, and street smarts	62	(3)
Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know	65	(12)
Knowing Some Important Tour de France Regulations	65	(7)
Helmets: Mandatory, dude!	66	(1)
Oh, no, we're wearing the same outfit	66	(1)
Riding by numbers	67	(1)
Sign on the line, or you don't pass start	68	(1)
Feed zone and feeding rules	68	(1)
Team cars: Position and passing	69	(1)
Staying within the time limit	70	(1)
Drug testing at every stage	71	(1)
Who's Keeping Score and Why?	72	(5)
Photo finishes and split seconds	74	(1)
Staying in the know	74	(1)
Starting orders and paying fines	74	(3)
Chapter 6: Understanding Race Strategies	77	(12)
Here's the Plan, Man!	77	(5)
Protecting the race leader	79	(1)
Chasing down the competition	80	(1)
Pulling and sacrificing	80	(2)
Attacking and breakaways	82	(1)
Miles to Go Before I Sleep	82	(5)
Domestiques: Delivering news and other stuff	83	(2)
The peloton: Stuck in the middle with you	85	(2)
Heeding Nature's Call While Riding	87	(2)
Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike	89	(44)
Chapter 7: Who Are These Guys and How Do They Do It?	91	(10)
Two Hundred Cyclists: Maintaining Their Bodies	92	(1)
Shaving legs and getting road rash	92	(1)
You are what you eat	92	(2)
Hydrating - or else	94	(1)
What's Up, Doc?	95	(1)
Things That Go Bump in the Day	96	(5)
Singing in the rain	97	(1)
Dealing with mechanical failures	98	(3)
Chapter 8: Spending a Day in the Life of a Rider	101	(18)
Morning, Noon, and Night	101	(2)
Rise and shine	102	(1)
Breakfast of champions	102	(1)
Mini-meetings in the morning	103	(1)
Cleaning and packing up	103	(1)
Moving On Down the Road	103	(1)
Get Ready, Get Set, Go!	104	(3)
Fine-tuning the bikes	104	(1)
Warming up	105	(1)
Last-minute instructions	105	(1)
Signing in	106	(1)
Lining up	106	(1)
Starting the Race	107	(1)
Lunch for the Bunch	107	(1)
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over	108	(3)
Soigneurs waiting at the finish line	109	(1)
Getting crushed by the cameras	110	(1)
Surviving the crowd: Getting to the bus	110	(1)
Replenishing the calories	111	(1)
Traveling to the Next Hotel	111	(1)
No Fun-Filled Evenings for the Riders	111	(4)
Getting a rub: Massage is a must	112	(1)
A little nap time	112	(1)
Dining together	112	(2)
Rooming together	114	(1)
Listening to music or reading a magazine	114	(1)
Calling home and cybersurfing	114	(1)
Early to bed, early to rise	115	(1)
No Rest for the Weary on Rest Day	115	(4)
Taking the A train: Traveling	116	(1)
Practice makes perfect, even on rest days	116	(1)
Press conferences and interviews	117	(2)
Chapter 9: Having the Best Equipment in the Bunch	119	(14)
Using High-Tech Bikes	119	(3)
Weighing in on those bikes	120	(1)
Not so heavy metal	120	(1)
Ordinary or specially made bikes?	121	(1)
Time trial bikes	121	(1)
Wheels Go Round and Round	122	(1)
Shifting Gears	123	(1)
Cogs, cassettes, and cranks	123	(1)
What gears do they use?	123	(1)
Use a triple, be a wimp?	124	(1)
A Helmet Is a Helmet - Not!	124	(3)
Dude, you gotta wear 'em!	125	(1)
Protection versus ventilation	125	(1)
Time trial helmets: Aerodynamics is everything	126	(1)
Wearing a Kaleidoscope of Kits	127	(8)
Weightless is the goal	130	(1)
Wearing time trial skinsuits	131	(2)
Part IV: Watching the Race	133	(38)
Chapter 10: Perfecting the Art of Spectating from Home	135	(16)
Watching in Your Pajamas	135	(4)
Television coverage in the United States: Outdoor Life Network	136	(2)
Nearly constant television coverage in Europe (those lucky dogs)	138	(1)
Cybering the Tour	139	(6)
Fan sites	139	(1)
Team sites	140	(1)
Tour blogs: Here today, gone tomorrow	141	(1)
Forums and chats: At your own risk	142	(1)
E-mail updates	143	(1)
Searching for Tour info and photos	143	(2)
Sounding Like an Expert	145	(6)
Classic, unknown, and weird cycling movies	145	(1)
Cycling magazines	146	(1)
Getting maps and marking the route	146	(1)
Speaking the language	147	(1)
Knowing about the publicity caravan	147	(4)
Chapter 11: Going to the Tour: A Brief Guide	151	(20)
On Your Own or with a Tour Group	151	(6)
Selecting packaged tours	152	(2)
Cycling with celebrities	154	(1)
Doing the Tour on your own	155	(2)
Details, Details, Details	157	(3)
Transportation details	157	(1)
Lodging details	158	(2)
Where to Watch	160	(6)
Checking out the Village Depart	160	(2)
Starts and finishes	162	(1)
Partying and painting in the mountains	163	(2)
Early bird gets the front row	165	(1)
Getting photos and autographs	165	(1)
Grabbing that bidon (water bottle)	166	(1)
The Thrill of Finishing on the Champs Elysees	166	(7)
What you don't see on television	167	(1)
Where the elite meet and greet	167	(2)
Tour security guards	169	(1)
Hordes of ecstatic spectators	169	(2)
Part V: The Part Of Tens	171	(66)
Chapter 12: Ten Greatest Riders in Tour History	173	(10)
Jacques Anquetil	173	(1)
Lance Armstrong	174	(1)
Gino Bartali	175	(1)
Fausto Coppi	175	(1)
Bernard Hinault	176	(1)
Miguel Indurain	177	(1)
Greg LeMond	178	(1)
Eddy Merckx	178	(1)
Jan Ullrich	179	(1)
Joop Zoetemelk	180	(3)
Chapter 13: The Ten Most Important Tours in History	183	(14)
1903: Publishing Wars and Garin Make History	183	(2)
1913: Time Changes, Tour Reverses	185	(1)
1919: The Yellow Jersey Debuts	186	(1)
1938: Le Tour: A Team Sport	187	(1)
1969: Eddy Merckx Arrives and Dominates	188	(1)
1986: Greg LeMond and Other Americans in Paris	189	(1)
1989: LeMond Dramatically Wins Again	190	(1)
1999: Armstrong Shocks the World	191	(2)
2003: Armstrong and Ullrich Pedal in Fast Company	193	(1)
2004: Armstrong Rides Into History	194	(3)
Chapter 14: Ten Unique Tour de France Statistics	197	(8)
Young, Restless, and Champion	197	(1)
Old and Leading the Pack	198	(1)
Will You Still Need Me When I'm 32?	199	(1)
Winning, French Style	199	(1)
Taking the Long Way Home	200	(1)
Pedaling Short, But Not So Sweet	200	(1)
Humbling Experience: 300 Miles of Torture	201	(1)
Speeding Over Hill and Dale	201	(1)
Knowing Your Neighbors: An American in Paris	202	(1)
Climbing Into the Clouds: The Great Peaks of the Tour	202	(3)
Chapter 15: Ten Dramatic Tour de France Moments	205	(8)
Assassins Among Us (1910)	205	(1)
A Tour First: Death in the Peloton (1935)	206	(1)
Poulider Versus Anquetil (1964)	206	(1)
Merckx Attacked in the Mountains (1975)	207	(1)
Hampsten Conquers L'Alpe d'Huez (1992)	208	(1)
LeMond Rides into History (1989)	208	(1)
Armstrong Salutes Fallen Fabio (1995)	209	(1)
Sitting Down on the Job (1998)	209	(1)
Hamilton Shows His Mettle in the Mountains (2003)	210	(1)
Riding through Hay Fields (2003)	210	(3)
Chapter 16: Ten Great Tour Climbs and Mountaintops	213	(12)
Aspin	213	(1)
Aubisque	214	(1)
Courchevel	215	(2)
Galibier	217	(1)
Glandon	217	(1)
Izoard	217	(1)
L'Alpe d'Huez	218	(1)
La Mongie	218	(1)
Luz-Ardiden	219	(2)
Madeleine	221	(1)
Mont Ventoux	222	(1)
Puy de Dome	222	(1)
Sestrieres	223	(2)
Chapter 17: Ten Other Important Races	225	(12)
Amstel Gold Race	226	(1)
Clasica San Sebastian (San Sebastian Classic)	227	(2)
Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy)	229	(1)
Liege-Bastogne-Liege	230	(1)
Milan-San Remo	231	(2)
Olympic Road Race	233	(1)
Paris Roubaix	233	(1)
Tour of Flanders	234	(1)
Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain)	234	(1)
World Championship (Road Race)	234	(3)
Glossary	237	(6)
Index	243