Tour de France

Jeeze, great roads but 187km in a day. On a push bike. On mountains. -
I've been knackered after less than that with petrol providing the
power...

http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/060718/2/ljcv.html

 

A bit much, I agree. Although a few years back I'd happily do 60-80
miles on a ride, just for pleasure like.

But not on mountains, I must admit.

More importantly, I'd be averaging about 15mph (including rests)
whereas they'll be up close to double that, I imagine. Respect.

Actually, you're talking about the Alpe d'Huez section, right? So they
won't be _that_ fast up there.


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..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
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I don't know the Alpe d'Huez road - it's a dead end and I don't do dead
ends. [2] However I do know Izoard and du Lautaret, so I'm talking
about them, I guess. Agony.

Mind you the drugs those boys are on probably dull any sense of pain.

[2] ...but I might nip up there this summer now I've seen the road. [3]

[3] Yeah, there's no [1]. Fooled you, eh!

 

Really? Here's the record ...

Marco Pantini - 36 minutes, 50 seconds. 13.8km at an average gradient of
8.1% with 21 hairpin bends, 1850 metres (6,069 ft) high.

I'm sure some of you maths monkeys can work this out, but I'm thinking his
average up the Alp de Huez is faster than your average on the flat.

 

Just over 20km/h innit.

Call it 12mph.

If you assume I'd be a girl on the hairpins it's _just_ possible that
they could go up faster than I could go down.

 

He may have been fast but he was also a cheat.

 

22.38 kph = 13.91 mph

Oh, I dunno, my fastest down the road from Ditchling Beacon on a mountain
bike is 53.3mph .. yes, the .3 is important.

 

You clearly can't. It's 14mph over a short distance. Hell of a climb,
sure, and as I said, respect is due. But nothing like their average
speed over the longer distance.

You're wrong then. And while I was never a racer and I wouldn't dream
of comparing myself to these gods in any way, my quoted 'average' on
the flat was over a full day _including_stops_. I'd normally have been
cycling at about 18mph, or 20mph for a shorter (1 hour) stint.

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..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

**** me.

In the alps I've seen push bikes that gave me a run for my money
downhill (Overtaking a push bike at 60mph+ is a bit weird - especially
when I brake for hairpins and they don't seem to) but I always got past
soon enough. However, I can safely say down that shitty gravel strewn
twisty down from Ditchling Beacon you'd be quicker on a pushbike than
me on a B12.

Of course, you'd get your arse kicked by me on the A23 going home.

 

They all are. At the pace it's done at today without the drugs there
would simply be no finishers. Or so I read. Somewhere.

 

Aha, this was down the main road on the London to Brighton bike ride. I want
to do it on a race bike with bigger gears. Reckon I could 70mph down there.

 

Forunate that I did post it before you posted this then. Couldn't be arsed
before.

I thought you said 15 mph .. As he's averaging near 14mph I think that's
"close enough".

 

Being a cyclist I'm a fan of the TDF and I'd like to believe that they
are making in-roads into the doping that has been rife in road racing.
Certainly this years event seems to be taking it pretty seriously by
booting out riders who there is even the slightest bit of suspicion.

The speeds they do are possible by normal training, but like any sport
there will always be someone who will cheat to get ahead.

 

FFS can't you read?

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..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

It's been the same since day 1, so why do people make such an issue of it?
Pantani was never proved, although there were suspicious red blood cell
counts. No denying drug abuse on the last day though, bearing in mind he
took half of Columbia with him.

 

"I'd be averaging about 15mph". I can cut and paste too. What's your fucking
problem anyway?

 

Bloke was done (or maybe just severely ticked off) some years ago for going
significantly over 70mph on his pushbike somewhere up in north of Scotland.

 

..

When I did the London to Brighton bike ride this year everyone I saw
was going UP Ditchling Beacon. Bet it was a bit hairy going down with
26,999 other riders coming towards you. I managed to get up without
stopping but nowhere near 53.3 mph.

 

"over a full day _including_stops_"

Your comprehension.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

According to this article the problem isn't speed, it's the fact they
do it day after day after day.

It argued that you simlpy couldn't do it _without_ drug assistance and
the past attidude of the sport to dope testing suggests that's the case.