Tour De France For Dummies

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

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ISBN: 9780764584497 | 0764584499
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 5/27/2005

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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.

Foreword

xvii

Introduction

(6)

About This Book

(1)

Conventions Used in This Book

(1)

What You're Not to Read

(1)

Foolish Assumptions

(1)

How This Book Is Organized

(3)

Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other

(1)

Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won

(1)

Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike

(1)

Part IV: Watching the Race

(1)

Part V: The Part of Tens

(1)

Icons Used in This Book

(1)

Where to Go from Here

(2)

Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other

(40)

Chapter 1: Answering All Your Tour Questions

(6)

Understanding the Race and the Strategies

(1)

Working together

(1)

Winning individually

(1)

Understanding Those Colored Jerseys

(2)

Choosing the Right Stuff: From Bikes to Snacks

(1)

Spectating During the Tour

(2)

Watching the Tour from home

(1)

Searching for Tour information

(1)

Making the trip to the Tour

(1)

Chapter 2: Understanding the Tour de France Race Routes

(14)

What's a Stage, How Many Are There, and How Long Are They?

(1)

Choosing the Route and Stage Each Year

(2)

Figuring Out Where to Start

(2)

Time Trials, Mountains Stages, Prologues, and More

(7)

Prologues and high speeds

(1)

Flat and rolling stages

(1)

Making the grade: Mountain stages

(2)

Individual time trials

(1)

Team time trials

(1)

Scouting the New Route: Practice Makes Perfect

(2)

Chapter 3: The Races within the Race

(18)

Timing: Every Second Counts

(1)

Getting sprints, points, and bonus seconds

(1)

Winning stages doesn't equal winning the Tour

(1)

Getting to Know Jerseys

(2)

What's a jersey and why not just wear a T-shirt?

(1)

How did this jersey thing start anyway?

(1)

How many jerseys are used during the race?

(1)

Showing sponsors' logos

(1)

Explaining the Overall General Classification

(7)

The yellow jersey

(1)

The polka-dot jersey for climbing

(2)

The green jersey for sprinting

(2)

Being young has its advantages: The white jersey

(1)

Standing on the Podium (and Kissing the Podium Girls)

(2)

Receiving awards and accolades

(1)

Giving flowers and stuffed lions

(1)

The Honor of the Lanterne Rouge

(1)

From shame to glory

(1)

Working hard to keep last place

(1)

Riding in the Broom Wagon

(6)

Abandoning the race - and why

(1)

Meeting time limits

(1)

Surrendering a race number

(2)

Part II: Haul the Race Is Run and Won

(42)

Chapter 4: It's All about the Team

(16)

What's Team Got to Do with It?

(2)

Does the guy in yellow win every stage?

(1)

Riding for dollars

(1)

Selecting a Team - All Shapes, Sizes, and Skills

(7)

The team leader

(1)

The climbers

(1)

The sprinters

(2)

The rouleurs

(1)

The time trial specialists

(2)

Recognizing the Team Behind the Team

(6)

The directeur sportif (team manager)

(1)

The team mechanics (a.k.a. wrenches)

(1)

The soigneurs (all-around assistants)

(1)

The masseurs

(1)

The drivers: Skills, stamina, and street smarts

(3)

Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know

(12)

Knowing Some Important Tour de France Regulations

(7)

Helmets: Mandatory, dude!

(1)

Oh, no, we're wearing the same outfit

(1)

Riding by numbers

(1)

Sign on the line, or you don't pass start

(1)

Feed zone and feeding rules

(1)

Team cars: Position and passing

(1)

Staying within the time limit

(1)

Drug testing at every stage

(1)

Who's Keeping Score and Why?

(5)

Photo finishes and split seconds

(1)

Staying in the know

(1)

Starting orders and paying fines

(3)

Chapter 6: Understanding Race Strategies

(12)

Here's the Plan, Man!

(5)

Protecting the race leader

(1)

Chasing down the competition

(1)

Pulling and sacrificing

(2)

Attacking and breakaways

(1)

Miles to Go Before I Sleep

(5)

Domestiques: Delivering news and other stuff

(2)

The peloton: Stuck in the middle with you

(2)

Heeding Nature's Call While Riding

(2)

Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike

(44)

Chapter 7: Who Are These Guys and How Do They Do It?

(10)

Two Hundred Cyclists: Maintaining Their Bodies

(1)

Shaving legs and getting road rash

(1)

You are what you eat

(2)

Hydrating - or else

(1)

What's Up, Doc?

(1)

Things That Go Bump in the Day

(5)

Singing in the rain

(1)

Dealing with mechanical failures

(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

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Tour De France For Dummies

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials