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Cycling Strategies At The Tour De France
By Rooster B

To the casual observer, the Tour De France is just a bicycle
race, a feat of strength and endurance, participated in by teams
of men from around the world. But winning this almost century
old race has more to do with mental toughness and team strategy
than one would imagine. Lance Armstrong recognizes this better
than anybody, as evidenced by his long string of consecutive
Tour De France victories. Of course, to win, you also need
incredible strength and stamina, several high dollar touring
bicycles, a multitude of bicycle accessories, years of course
preparation and the work ethic of an eighteenth century
immigrant.

To really have a chance to win the Tour De France takes more
than a year’s subscription to the Cycling News. You need more
than just the incredible strength of Lance Armstrong the leader
of the Discovery Pro Cycling Team, the ultra-rare combination of
slow and fast twitch muscles and an incredibly expensive
performance touring bike. You need to understand the peloton and
the role it plays in supporting the leader. You must understand
the importance of the time trial. You also have to understand
and embrace the chivalrous code of racing practiced by these
incredible athletes.

Limits of this Article

To cover bicycle racing strategy completely would fill volumes.
Bicycle racing is a science that has been researched for over
one hundred years by thousands of dedicated enthusiasts.
Therefore, to conform to the space and time constraints of this
article, I’ll mention just a couple of the major points.

Peaking at the Right Time

Pre race strategy is probably the most important ingredient in
the formula to win a Tour de France. Competitors arrive in
France weeks, sometimes months in advance to train on the
course. For them, this is no casual European bicycle tour.

Riders and coaches evaluate every variable. Heart rates are
measured and recovery rates are scrutinized. Blood samples are
taken on training days and then again on days off to measure
glycogen and lactic acid. Nutrition is a science for these
dedicated athletes and their coaches. Food is analyzed at the
molecular level; menus are planned months in advance and
adjusted according to humidity and temperature. All the while
the athletes and coaches are trying to accomplish one simple
goal. They want the competitor to be at his physical peak on the
day of the start of the Tour de France.

Race Strategy

The first race strategy you’ll probably witness in the Tour De
France is the Peloton. Peloton is a French term that means
rolled up in a ball. In a mass-start race, most of the field
winds up in one or two large pelotons for a large part of the
race. The drivers use the Peloton to shelter in each others’
draft. Weaker team members sometimes bolt to the front of the
Peloton to shelter their team leader from the headwind.

In the time trials, the competitors start separately, usually
at 30 second or one minute intervals. Drafting is not allowed
in an individual time trial so there are no team tactics. It’s
just the cyclist against the clock. Hence, time trials are
referred to by the competitors as “the race of truth” Racing
strategy reappears during the team trials. Competitors take
turns leading the pack and drafting off of each other. This
complicated dance requires great precision in rotating position
within the team.

This Years Tour de France
The 2005 Tour de France is made up of 21 stages and covers a
total of 3500 kilometers. These 21 stages include 9 flat stages,
3 medium mountain stages, 6 mountain stages, 2 individual time
trial stages and1 team time trial stage. Some of the distinctive
aspects of this, the 92nd running of the Tour de France include
3 mountain finishes, 2 rest days, 74 kilometers of individual
time trials, 66 kilometers of team time trials, a transfer by
plane and another by train. This year 20 Category 1, Category 2
and highest level passes will be climbed. There are nine new
stop over towns, including Fromentine, Noirmoutier-en-‘Ile. Les
Essarts, La Chataigneraie, Chambord, Gerardmer, Miramas and Agde
et Lezat-sur-Leze.

It’s easy to see, especially in this years 2005 running of the
Tour de France, that strategy will play important part in
determining the Champion.

About the Author: Article Submitted by Rooster: Rooster
privately runs several News and Blog sites related to Cycling
and Bicycle Racing and Touring. Interested in the latest Cycling
and Bicycle related new visit http://www.touringbybicycle.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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