Tour De France Blog

i love watching the tour de france, tour of california and olympics every year, but i want to know if there are any other bike races on tv in america

bq-who is your favorite for stage 2 of the tour de france

bq2-who is your favorite to win these catagories?
overall-
mountain-
sprint-
rookie-
team-
any others i forgot?

I’m not in the USA so I don’t know what races they air… In the UK we get the Tour, The Giro D’Italia (The tour of Italy), The Vuelta Espagne (The tour of Spain) and the Dauphine Librere (The mini Tour De France) on Eurosport. I’m sure they must be shown in America too as they’re all pretty big races.

My favourite for stage 2 is Mark Cavendish if he can get to the front of the bunch.

I’d like to see Cadel Evans win overall I think – out of the favourites at least. King of the Mountains is a tough one to call because they tend to appear from nowhere (like Kohl last year). Maybe David Moncoutie? Sprinter (and probably green jersey) should be Cavendish. It’d be nice to see Nicholas Roche in the white jersey as the best young rider.
Garmin Slipstream are my favourite team – with Bradley Wiggins, David Millar, Dave Zabriskie and Christian Vandevelde, they hold a good chance of being the most succesful team.

David Millar is my favourite rider by far, so I’d love to see him do something, but I think he’ll be working for Vandevelde instead.

What about you?

Every business needs to do everything it can to stand out from the crowd, to differentiate itself from the competition. This is a major challenge for companies that sell substantially the same thing as their competitors.

The average business does not have the resources of a multinational corporation that often uses its substantial marketing muscle to buy market share or to drive competition out of the marketplace. Big business also uses its deep pockets to flood various media with advertising, making them a pervasive presence.

The Web has always been an egalitarian environment where smaller companies could present themselves using the same techniques as the big boys, and if these companies did it well they could stand side-by-side with their competitive behemoths.

One thing that small and medium sized businesses should take some comfort in is that many large corporations are notoriously poorly run, relying on brawn rather than brain to get the job done. Many survive because over time they have acquired huge resources, become oligopolies, or they use predatory marketing practices to stifle competition.

As the Web becomes more and more a multimedia environment, corporations are starting to use their financial resources, and inventory of commercial assets and programming (not to be confused with computer programming), to deliver their marketing messages. The question is can smaller businesses compete, and if so, how?

Slipstream Marketing

Dr. Max Sutherland, a Marketing Psychologist and Professor at Bond University, has written about a concept he refers to as ‘slipstreaming.’ Anyone who is familiar with motor racing or even bicycle racing understands that slipstreaming is a drafting method where a racer tucks behind a front-running rival reducing wind resistance and saving fuel and energy, and with a quick move, the challenger can slingshot past the race leader.

The clever implementation of slipstream style marketing campaigns can allow you to blow by your competition by using the momentum of well-known and instantly recognizable campaigns.

Slipstreaming references a collective audience memory, a kind of shared consciousness. Skillful execution draws instant recognition and an “Oh I Get It!” reaction without a lot of wasted setup or groundwork.

“Give Me The Same Thing, But Different!”

The key of course is how you make your version different. What’s the twist? Blake Snyder, a Hollywood screenwriter and author, writes about entertainment executives’ constant refrain, “Get me the same thing, but different.” What Snyder has learned and what he preaches is that movie moguls understand it’s easier to get people to go to a movie they understand and that was already a success, but the trick is making the new version different, that is different but the same.

If you think slipstreaming is an easy way to be creative you’re wrong. Being different but the same is not as simple as it sounds, but success can depend on it. Done poorly slipstreaming comes off as lame and imitative, but done correctly you appear clever and cutting-edge, and more importantly you deliver the marketing message in a way your audience will remember.

There are an endless variety of things you can slipstream: personalities, icons, slogans, music, advertisements, news events, pop culture phenomena, movies, television shows, commercials, and sporting events.

Personalities

One of our favorite personality slipstreaming techniques is the use of voice-over. It can be implemented as part of a video campaign or as a stand-alone feature. We have used sound-alike actors to portray Rod Serling, Sam Elliot, Steve Irwin, Paul Winfield, Tom Brokaw, and many others.

What makes this approach so valuable is that most people will relate to the voice as someone they know, or are familiar with, but not immediately recognize.

This method captures people’s attention with the familiar sound of a famous voice but without the cost of hiring the celebrity. Often the voice does not even have to be that close to the original, it’s the cadence, deliver, tone, and script that makes people sit-up and take notice.

Cutting through the jungle of advertising noise is a challenge for everyone in business and this technique is a very effective method of getting heard and being remembered.

Television Shows

Another slipstream technique we’ve used is to play upon the audience’s knowledge and familiarity with certain television shows. We have created Web-videos, written scripts, added dialogue and composed music that reminds people of the old ‘Twilight Zone’ series and the popular A&E show, ‘City Confidential.’

Commercials

One of our most successful Web-promotion campaigns was the ‘Multimedia Versus SEO Campaign’ (http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads) where we took advantage of the well know Macintosh Versus PC television commercials. Nobody needed an explanation or setup to understand what was going on in the commercials. We basically slipstreamed Apple’s television campaign.

Slogans

Slogans are another resource for slipstreaming and if you think only small companies slipstream, think again. The A&E Network used the slogan “Time Well Spent” for many years, while The Comedy Network slipstreamed it with their own twisted version “Time Well Wasted” – the same thing, but different.

Music

With the popularity of Hip Hop music, the milk marketing board developed a series of commercials with diary farmers rapping to a catchy Hip Hop tune well prancing around their farm animals. Hip Hop was also slipstreamed by Smirnoff in their Raw Tea campaign and ‘Tea Partay’ viral video.

Pop Culture

With the popularity of poker and the World Poker Tour, we developed a Mike Sexton style character, host of the television show, for one of our projects. We’ve even created nostalgia radio-style audio pitches that hark back to the olden age of radio plays.

Movies

We created an entire campaign for a client based on the idea, “Life Deserves A Sound Track” where everyday situations were described in dramatic style with familiar voice-over announcers, which was our take on Will Ferrell’s hit movie ‘Stranger Than Fiction.’

Sports

We’ve created presentations using the personas of famous sports figures like Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster Dizzy Dean and Mel Allan. We created scenarios and scripts using the voices and personas of World Champion racecar driver Jackie Stewart and one crazy script fashioned in the style of college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.

Conclusion

As you can see from these examples, there are an endless number of ways to take advantage of the public’s shared experience. So the next time you need to come up with a new Web marketing campaign for your company, think like a Hollywood mogul: Come Up With Something That’s The Same, But Different.

Jerry Bader
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/how-to-compete-with-the-big-boys-140102.html

Ettore Bugatti born in 1881 in Italy designed Bugatti. His father was an artist as well as a famous sculptor. Due to his fine carpentry work, he earned reputation in Italy and other countries. Ettore Bugatti cleared his education in 1897 and joined an arts academy. There he participated in bicycle manufacture and repair processes. While in the academy, he gained valuable skills, which helped him, progress in the motor industry. At the age of 17, he designed a tricycle and fixed it with a motor. DeDion motors powered the tricycle. Prior to the century ending, Ettore Bugatti participated in motor race using the earliest Bugatti model. In 1901, Ettore Bugatti improved the appearance of the automobile with help of the Gulinelli brothers. This occurred before they presented the automobile in an international automobile exhibition held in Milan. During the exhibition, the automobile scooped the T2 prize offered by the French Automobile Club. This popularized the automobile model all around the world.

By 1911, Ettore Bugatti had developed a couple of Bugatti models used in the racing sports. Many sports drivers preferred Bugatti automobile because it had high speed. It also consumed fuel sparingly thus was economical. In the period of 1914-1918, Ettore Bugatti developed airplane engines used in the First World War. The engines had concepts used by both French as well as Americans in the construction of airplanes. Using this blend, he came up with cost effective engines. His industry expanded and employed hundreds of workers. As time passed by, he developed new Bugatti models, which had new body as well as engine designs.

In 1927, Ettore Bugatti thought of a luxurious model after introduction of Royale luxury model in 1926. Royale model was very expensive and only the affluent afforded it. It had eight-cylinder engine as well as 12.7-liter capacity. Its engine had a 300-horse power. Introduction of Royale in the market was wrongly timed because at that time, the world experienced the Great Depression. Many economies had collapsed therefore only very few people had ability of purchasing this automobile. Since a lot of capital was invested in development of Royale Bugatti model, the company faced heavy losses due to poor sales margin associated with Great Depression.

In 1932, the Bugatti Company stood again after being given a contract to build train engines by the French government. These engines were meant for high-speed trains. Using the same technology, Ettore Bugatti developed new Bugatti models used as railcars. In the twentieth century, more models have cropped up due to an advance in automobile technology. There are several Bugatti models available today. They include racing cars and luxurious cars.

Many motorists, due to its economical fuel consumption prefer Bugatti. Today, Volkswagen AG owns the brand name. Following astute management displayed by this company, many models have been developed. These models have also performed exceptionally in international automobile exhibitions. Bugatti automobile has a long history in vehicle production. This has created a strong foundation for development. Proper management and hard work has also contributed in its success.

Levi Quinn
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/the-history-of-bugatti-715461.html

I heard about it today, and I have to say it is one of the stupidest things ever! What part of Tour De FRANCE do they not understand?

What’s next? The Wimbledon Tennis Championship in Belgium? The British Grand Prix in New York?

What hair-brained pillock thought of that one?

Damn Invasions.

Here we go again.

The 2008 Tour de France starts on Saturday 5th July. Recent years have seen an increase in doping scandals, with 2006 winner Floyd Landis testing positive for testosterone, and many teams being pulled out in 2007 as riders tested positive for banned substances. The 2007 winner Alberto Cantador is unable to defend his title as his new team is banned from this years event.
So can we hope to see a race this year that is scandal free? Or will the problems continue?

If it is cycling there will be scandals. It seems that the teams will go to any length to win the TDF. Do they really believe they will not get caught.

I am off to Paris in a couple of days to watch the final stage of the Tour. I have seen it about 3 times before, always from 3/4 of the way up the Champs Eleysee (The side the riders come down). Does anyone have any good tips as to where to watch the action from?

Close to the podium or the finish line. it will be a very tight finish, so u may wanna see the action from 5 metres out

I want to know how I can get to the caliber of racing done in the tour de france, like how to get picked up by teams and stuff liket that.

Train, join an amateur cycling club (see your local cyclery for pointers to clubs) As you get stronger, go out with the clubs that take the hardest, fastest, longest rides. Enter some amateur races (your club will probably be able to point you to them). Train, train. Do lots of hills. If you are good enough, you’ll start winning races. Then get your license, cat 3, cat 2, cat 1. If you’re good enough by then you’ll know what the next step is.

Lance Armstrong as won more Tours (and consecutive Tours) than any other. Does that make him the greatest? He used to concentrate on just wining the Tour whilst others competed in the Giro d’Italia or la Vuelta de España. Does that disqualify him?

The answer to greatest Tour winner is a devided answer based upon what your criteria, best overall or best single race. Both of which are won by Merckx. Lance set his whole season to winning the tour. Lance rode in specified events that would prepare him for the tour. Lance’s cycling career was to win the tour. Lance although does not have the most days in yellow or stage wins. Lance by trying to go solely for the win can not be considered the greatest tour winner. Lance has only 22 stage wins, less than that of Merckx and less days in yellow (83). Merckx won more stages (34) and had more days in yellow (96). Merckx also would have won 6 tours but was the victum of violence. (a french spectator attacked him wishing to keep Anquitels 5 wins as tied for the best. This occured on stage 14, and he was leading. Then in 73 he was not invited to ride in the Tour because of the same anti-Merckx sentiments, so he could have won 7. In 73 he rode in the Vuelta, wining it and three other Classifications.) Merckx also won 2 King of the Mountain classifications and 3 points classifications in the tour. Merckx also has the record for stage wins in a single tour, 8. Merckx even though winning less tours won more stages, had more days in yelloe and won the KoM and Points classification, something Lance never did. Therefore Merckx is the greatest Tour rider.

Now on to best ride in a single tour. Eddy Merckx’s ride in 1969 was the greatest ride ever. Merckx won the overall classification, the points classification and the King of the Mountians classification. If there was a best young rider he would have won that as well. His preformance has been unmatched in tour history and the only other Grand Tour that this was accomplished in was the Vuetla, which is the least prestigous of the tours.

Now onto best cyclist overall, once again Merckx takes the cake. He has 525 total wins, 54 coming in one season, 5 Tours, 5 Giros and 1 vuetla. Merckx has 34 tour stage wins. 24 giro stage wins. 2 Paris-Nice. And a win overall in the Dauphine, Tour de Swisse and the Tour of Romandie. That is just his stage races. This track record vastly out does Lance. But we have yet to include his classic rides. He has won every classic except Paris-Tours. No one is this close to winning all of the classic. He has one all of the Monumet classics. He holds the most wins in a classic at 7, of the Milan-SanRemo, the sprinters classic. He won the hilly classic Liege-Bastonge-Liege 5 times, show he can win in hills and in sprints. Finally he won the World Championship 3 times plus a win in the Amatuer World Championship.

Now lets use the UCI current methid of tracking points to determine whose better. Merckx-950 points from Monuments, 320 from Other One days, 1010 from winning grand Tours, 300 from other stage races. That 2580 already. Lance has 130 points from one day races and lesser stage races and 920 from the Tour (including stage wins) This is just a rough estimate i’ve put together but as you can seen Merckx has a much better record than Lance. Merckx is the greatest cyclist the world has given us and one can not come close to disproving this fact, even with the question of, "Who is the greatest Tour de France winner?"

Edit-Disproving Indurain. Indurain only won 12 stage wins, which is 10 less than Lance and 24 less than Merckx. Of these 12 wins, only 2 came on non Time-Trial Stages. Mean that 10 of his stage wins came during ITT’s. Indurain was the greatest Tour Time-Trialist but he was in no way the best tour rider. he was not the best climber and relied on his ITT abilites to win him the Tour. He was also in Yellow for only 60 days. Out of the 5, 5+ winners, he came in fourth in days in yellow and last in number of stage wins.

It’s not exactly in France, at least not at this point in history.

It’s not the first nor last time the Tour has started in another country. In addition, the Tour goes into other countries (besides France) just about every year. I guess they hold the prologue outside of France every once in awhile to promote international interest in the event.

Did you know that they’ve actually talked about doing the prologue in New York City? Now that would be interesting…….

Did you know that there are nine categories that mountain biking can be split into? Each category offers the rider a different experience either as a hobby or as a sport. The different mountain bike reviews are broken down into these categories:

1. Dirt Jumping

This style of mountain biking is known for the high jumps over manmade dirt hills. While in the air, tricks are done on the bike. Six or more jumps are usually done in one run and the jumps are close together so that the biker can get a flow going with their trick riding.

2. Cross country
In this style of mountain biking, you ride your bike up and down hills. It is not the most extreme form in the mountain biking world, but most of this type of ride is in great shape due to the long rides.

3. Cyclo cross
This biking category is a cross between mountain and road biking. The riders learn how to race on and off the course, ride obstacles, and go through rivers.

4. Downhill Biking

Racing downhill the fastest is the goal of downhill mountain bikers. The name of the game is extreme and intense riding, to help give the riders maximum excitement and thrills.

5. BMX
This style of mountain biking uses 20-inch wheels. You can very commonly see this kind of bikes at skate parks or areas with dirt jumps. These BMX bikes are made for performing tricks and doing stunts because they have a shorter wheel base and smaller wheels.

6. Trials
The bicycles used in trials do not look anything like mountain bikes. They have 20 or 26-inch wheels and they have smaller, lower frames than mountain bikes. In trials, riders jump their bikes over different obstacles. This kind of biking takes a great deal of practice, focus, and balance.

7. Freeride Biking

This type of mountain biking involves finding a path down the side of the mountain where you can use all of the terrain to do tricks, stunts, etc. This is a very popular competition, because the riders can express themselves.

8. Street and Urban Biking
Manmade obstacles, ledges, and other urban areas are what this type of biking revolves around. They will do great stunts and tricks on these manmade items, too, including grinds and stalls.

9. Single Speed
This kind of biking is done on a bicycle with only one gear and few other components. This is not to be confused with a fixed gear bicycle. The basis behind this kind of biking is simplicity. This helps the pedaling to be more efficient and the bicycle is lighter and has fewer problems mechanically.

Alastair Hamilton
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/nine-types-of-mountain-biking-99060.html