Tour De France Blog

The Continental Grand Prix 4000 is a vast improvement over it’s predecessor in many regards. The Grand Prix 3000 was a wonderful tire to use. It was comfortable, light and grippy enough to inspire the most cautious riders to go hard into the turns.

The Continental Grand Prix 4000 has taken that successful design and redefined how a racing tire should ride. The most notable change is the addition of Vectran which is an industry first. This allows for a lower weight, reduced rolling resistance, and increased tread strength– reducing cuts and punctures. We must ask: What took so long? Apparently it took a landing on mars in 1997 & 2004. The airbags used for this were constructed out of Vectran which is naturally lightweight and strong. You can also find Vectran fibers used in sails for yachts and paragliders.

Combine the Vectran with Continentals Activated Silica Compound (ASC) and the Grand Prix 4000 receives increased traction with the road. Allowing riders to corner faster and further reduce rolling resistance.

Continental heard our collective cries for a tire that would resist cracking – an age old problem for riders. It turns out that most of that cracking is the result of the sun and the moister lost. A new anti-cracking formula aids in the production against UV rays, and prolongs the tires life by reducing tire cracking from UV exposure. Think of it as built in sunscreen.

The result of these improvements is a tire more aggressive then the GP3000, the GP 4000 lasts longer, corners better and tells you when it needs replacing. Leave it up to the Germans to build in a wear indicator. The GP 4000 is our most purchased tire, out selling the competition.

Key Features
* The successor to the highly popular Grand Prix 3000
* 20 percent less rolling resistance
* Lightweight
* Stronger puncture protection
* Higher mileage
* Anti ageing compound and tread wear indicators

After Your Ride
An ounce of prevention goes a long way – inspect your tires every time you put your bike away after a ride. Look for pieces of debris that might be stuck to your tire but have yet to make it into your tube. Ensuring there is enough rubber on your tire and no debris stuck in it will decrease the chances of a flat on your next adventure.

Arthor Pens
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/continental-grand-prix-4000-bike-tire-732404.html

i just started getting interested in cycling watching the tour de france, its a great sport to watch, the only problem is i am extremely confused. i thought it was an individual sport and they are on teams, how can you be on a team and how do they help each-other out. how do you win? whats with the diferent color jerseys? whats with the peloton and chase 1 2 etc i really want to know wats going on it seems very complicated?

the tour is a multi stage race. I believe there’s about 20 or so stages that take place all throughout france and nearby euro countries. this year they started the race, a time trial, in the city of monaco. a time trail is a race against the clock. usually it’s an individual time trial (ITT or TT) where they start every rider every a few minutes before the next one. this year’s tour has a team time trial (TTT) where each team, all 9 or 10 riders go as one, every 7 minutes, I think.

each team has their own uniform design. but the tour has certain colored jerseys representing a different category: the overall time leader of the tour always wear a solid yellow jersey. when the term GC is used, it stands for General Classification, overall leader. there is a green jersey that represents the rider that have the most sprints points. during the course of a stage, there are certain sections where you can "win" sprint points by being the first to cross a sprint line. the rider that accumulates the most sprint points at the end of each stage gets to wear the solid green jersey for the beggining of the following stage(s). there is a red polka dots jersey that represents the "king of the mountain", the rider that accumulates the most points during climbing sections of each stage.

there is a lot to explain in the team concept. yes, it is an individual sport, but without a good team, no one rider can win by themselves.

you will have to watch the tour and try to listen to the commentators. just watch and listen to the commentators of the tours throughout the years and you’ll begin to pick up on things..it’s way too complicated to explain any further….

A jury in a Santa Ana courtroom will begin to hear opening statements soon from both attorneys in a case that threatens to become a highly emotional one – involving negligence of the city on the one hand, and parental supervision, or the lack thereof, on the other.

Attorneys for both sides of a motorcycle accident case have begun to present opening arguments before prospective jurors in the case involving two teenage San Juan Capistrano boys. In March 30, 2005, the two teenagers, Trenton Merrill, then a 14-year-old, and Scott Agostini, then 13 years of age were riding a dirt bike. Merrill was the passenger. The pair crossed San Juan Capistrano Creek Road, and crashed into a BMW. Both suffered injuries in the motorcycle accident, but it was Merrill who took the brunt of the impact. He spent several weeks in the hospital undergoing a number of surgeries before his leg had to be amputated. Agostini was discharged a week after the accident with no permanent damage. The driver of the BMW, Emily Pastore, was not injured in the accident.

In the days after the motorcycle accident, Merrill and his family sued the city, as well as a city landscaping contractor. The city on its part, sued both Agostini and Pastore, but last week dropped Pastore from the suit.

In opening remarks, the attorney for the city based his arguments on the young boys and their temperament. According to him, the boys had been encouraged to take up the sport of motocross racing by their parents, and were prone to using the neighborhood as their own private motocross-racing track. He rejected outright the notion that these boys were naïve or innocent victims in this tragedy, and said that they were already semi-pro motocross racers by the time of the motorcycle accident. And this when the boys were just 13 and 14 years old!

In his opening remarks, the attorney for the Merrills, argued that the boys had absolutely no time to see Pastore’s BMW as they cut across the intersection because an overgrowth of heavy vegetation created a blind intersection, in the center of the median. Merrill, he contends, had been forced to lose his leg and let go of his dreams, because of the negligence of the San Juan Capistrano city that failed to make the intersection safe to use for riders. There was no record of any maintenance work done at the site of the accident by the landscape contractor. There were no warning signs that could have warned the boys. There was nothing but green brush that blocked the boy’s view, and led to the motorcycle accident.

The case has taken on emotional tones, especially with those who believe that the boys’ parents were being irresponsible in letting them ride dirt bikes in the streets. The attorney for the city actually used the words, “self centered”, and “disobedient.” We’re still a while away from hearing all the facts in this case, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the boys were in the habit of using the streets as a racing track, as the city’s attorney has claimed. Neighbors of the Agostinis say that most of the boys’ riding was done at the racing track that his parents had built for him in the yard.

It’s ridiculous to pile all the blame on the parents, when the city has failed to keep the streets safe for people to use. It looks as if the city is trying to blame others without acknowledging that it too had a part to play in this tragedy. True, the boys may not have had a place on the roads, but then, that huge brush didn’t have a place on the center median that day either.

Robert Reeves
http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/san-juan-capistrano-dirt-bike-riders-motorcycle-accident-case-begins-682593.html

Lighter in weight, easy to carry and can be easily maneuvered, yes such characteristics aptly describe a Best Folding Bike. It is quite an easy task to store and transport a best folding bicycle. Such bikes fit well in conventional carrying cases and they can be carried in trains too.

The range and category of folding bikes are gaining opulence in contemporary bike bazaar and they are being more and more used on road, off road and for racing purposes too. It is true that folding bikes are a bit too costly in comparison to non-folding bikes but they are worth that extra six pence.

Best folding bikes are items of growing interest

The Montague and the bike Friday varieties of the folding bike have recently gained immense popularity in U.S, while Brompton folding bike are becoming known to the bike enthusiasts of U.K. However, the groups of folding bikes manufactured by the Taiwan companies are also capturing the market as they yield more with higher end models and superfine biking components.

On the other hand, the specialty of DaHon folding bike lies in the fact that despite their small stature, the bikes can be easily folded with both wheels on.

The basic motto of buying folding bicycle is to easily carry them on several public and private transports including trains, ferries, RVs, small planes and boats. There are some areas where non-folding bikes of massive size and weight are not allowed during the peak traffic hours. However, the best folding bicycles are ideal for such places and even hours of the day as they can be transported without any external hazards.

A perfect folder is always required to store a superior-quality folding bike because unless you get hold of a suitable folder, storage is difficult. Though each folding bike is best in their own way, still they are not without disadvantages.

1. Montague and Slingshot folding bikes, They are the best for their excellent performance but they cannot be easily folded due to their large sized wheels.
2. The bike Friday folding bikes, Again an excellent folding product but they seem inconvenient due to their small wheel size, which brings about a harshness in riding and the wheels get heated quite rapidly.
3. The Birdy, Brompton and the small DaHons, These folding bicycles lack an extensive gear range.
What should an ideal folder of a folding bike possess?

1 The folder should fold as small as a 18inchs Birdy, a 20inch DaHon Explorer or 16inch Brompton.

2 It should not weigh more than 26 pounds

3 The folder should have a very wide gearing, handles that of a full sized bike along with a suspended frame

4 It should also have folding pedals, which help in reducing the folded width

5 The folder must make use of several standard components and accessories and it should get folded and bagged in less than 2 minutes

It is the neatness, which matters in every equipment and judged from this perspective the best folding bicycle is sure to catch the attention of the contemporary bike freak publics.

Robert Sheehan
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/best-folding-bike-for-easy-storage-and-transportation-118887.html

My brother thinks that if you ride in the tour de france, you represent your brand(sponser) and the people on your team can come from any country…I think that you represent your brand but the brand is sponsoring a team that is made of people from the same country…who is right?

im afraid your brother is right! Riders ride for what are called uci trade teams such as cofidis and astana. The teams are mostly made up from riders all around the world. However, some teams are vitually all of the same nationality for example Bbox Bouygues Telecom who have a full team of 27 with 23 of them being French and in the case of Euskaltel-Euskadi they are all spanish.

Super pocket bikes were produced in Japan where they were predominantly used for racing. As with any automotive type racing teams they created performance upgrades for the bikes that would make them go faster and have better handling (among other thing).

These parts and bikes are available to anyone across the world that are forming their own teams or just having fun. Below is a list of some of the best and most popular upgrades that you can find.

Redline Motorsports Cone Air Filter

The cone air filter from Redline Motorsports will increase the horsepower as well as the performance of your pocket bike. The filter performance kit will also give your engine the chance to breathe easier. The filter is in the shape of a cone so that it can cover a larger area and deliver more air. This is one of the best performance filters that comes available with high speed velocity stack and mounting hardware.

Aluminum Pull Starter

This upgrade is a lightweight direct OEM replacement part. It is produced with a heat resistant outer casing making it more durable and able to withstand high speeds. This part is connected to the side of your pocket bike giving it a sporty look and better function.

Redline Motorosports Exhaust System

This exhaust system that has been designed and produced by Redline Motorsports is chrome plates and one of the highest output exhaust system that you will find. It offers your bike to reach higher speeds. Because of its longer and wider expansion chamber the exhaust system has a decreased amount of back pressure that let’s the engine work more easily. This in turn gives the bike a higher top speed.

NGK High Discharge Spark Plug

This specially designed spark plug gives your super pocket bike the ability to race faster and more efficiently than before. The spark plug is designed to ignite the fuel and the air mixture contained within the bike’s cylinder. This pocket bike upgrade will offer faster acceleration and top speed.

Redline Motorsports Clutch Springs

Get rid of your old stock clutch springs because Redline Motorsports has something even better for you super pocket bike. Their specially designed clutch springs are high tension and geared specifically toward racing. It allows the engine to rev to an increased RPM before you engage your drive train. This super pocket bike upgrade equals out to a faster beginning when starting off the race.

nlwest21
http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/must-have-upgrades-for-your-super-pocket-bike-737427.html

when the tour de france participants are not biking, what are they doing? do they sleep in tents? do they have to cook for themselves and camp out? are they all sleeping in the same place each night, or do they just stop when they feel tired and "rough it" till the next day. How exactly does it work?

Each team has it’s own cook and when they stop in each town or city they stay in hotels or other similar accommodations. Each stage of the race has a start and finish location and a time window that each competitor must finish with in.
you can find out more info here;

http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_horscourseTDF.html

Super pocket bikes were produced in Japan where they were predominantly used for racing. As with any automotive type racing teams they created performance upgrades for the bikes that would make them go faster and have better handling (among other thing).

These parts and bikes are available to anyone across the world that are forming their own teams or just having fun. Below is a list of some of the best and most popular upgrades that you can find.

Redline Motorsports Cone Air Filter

The cone air filter from Redline Motorsports will increase the horsepower as well as the performance of your pocket bike. The filter performance kit will also give your engine the chance to breathe easier. The filter is in the shape of a cone so that it can cover a larger area and deliver more air. This is one of the best performance filters that comes available with high speed velocity stack and mounting hardware.

Aluminum Pull Starter

This upgrade is a lightweight direct OEM replacement part. It is produced with a heat resistant outer casing making it more durable and able to withstand high speeds. This part is connected to the side of your pocket bike giving it a sporty look and better function.

Redline Motorosports Exhaust System

This exhaust system that has been designed and produced by Redline Motorsports is chrome plates and one of the highest output exhaust system that you will find. It offers your bike to reach higher speeds. Because of its longer and wider expansion chamber the exhaust system has a decreased amount of back pressure that let’s the engine work more easily. This in turn gives the bike a higher top speed.

NGK High Discharge Spark Plug

This specially designed spark plug gives your super pocket bike the ability to race faster and more efficiently than before. The spark plug is designed to ignite the fuel and the air mixture contained within the bike’s cylinder. This pocket bike upgrade will offer faster acceleration and top speed.

Redline Motorsports Clutch Springs

Get rid of your old stock clutch springs because Redline Motorsports has something even better for you super pocket bike. Their specially designed clutch springs are high tension and geared specifically toward racing. It allows the engine to rev to an increased RPM before you engage your drive train. This super pocket bike upgrade equals out to a faster beginning when starting off the race.

nlwest21
http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/must-have-upgrades-for-your-super-pocket-bike-737427.html

Polka dot? I don’t get it… And what countries does Le Tour de France go into this year?

Yellow jersey goes to the overall winner, based on total time it took to finish race. It has been given since 1914 and is that color because the original sponsor of the tour was a newspaper L’Auto. The pages of that paper were yellow.

The White jersey is given to the best rider, based again on total time, who is under 25 years of age.

The Polka-dot jersey is given to the King o the Mountains,
Points are awarded to riders who cross over the top of each climb first. The harder the climb the more points are awarded. Easier climbs pts go to first 3 over. the hard climbs pts are given to first 10. Points are doubled if that stage ends on top of a climb.

Green jersey is given to the best sprinters. On flat stages points are given at various spots along the route. First three at these spots earn points. At the filnish the first 25 over the receive points. 35 to the winner and a decreasing scale down to 1 pt. for 25th place.

During the Tour the best team wears a yellow number on their back.
Each day a rider is chosen as the most aggressive of that stage and he wears a red number on his back for the next stage.

This year Italy was the only other country the Tour entered.

So Saturdays stage was final day to determine the Yellow Jersey and 2nd and 3rd place finishes on podium. As today the riders agree not to race for position.

How was this agreement decided and was it always this way in the history of Tour de France?

they do race but only when they get into Paris

a few years ago, we saw Raimondas Rumsas who was 3rtd overall try to attack the 2nd ioverall Joseba Beloki in 2002 or so

it’ll get serious in paris and you’ll see alot of breakaways trying to get away.

but for the first part of stage, they’ve raced for 3 weeks, they are tired so they deserve a preccession