TDF - Beginners Guide?
- Thread starter Jezston
- Start date
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What about a book. I've never read this but it seems to get good reviews
http://www.tdfblog.com/2003/07/beginners_guide.html
A quick google also brings up a few links with guides to the strategy in.
Asking specifically about what confuses you will enable people to respond as well.
http://www.tdfblog.com/2003/07/beginners_guide.html
A quick google also brings up a few links with guides to the strategy in.
Asking specifically about what confuses you will enable people to respond as well.
Like this one http://www.pbkblog.com/?p=6832
Thanks!
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
If you can go to Eurosport coverage. Harmon/Kelly commentary and filling in details excellent. Plus you can tweet away and ask questions, and they don't take the mick but simply explain.
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
This might help:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knowing-some-important-tour-de-france-regulations.html There's a book, too.
It helped me a few years ago!
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knowing-some-important-tour-de-france-regulations.html There's a book, too.
It helped me a few years ago!
andrew_s
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gloucester
Rule 1: In all matters, the judges decision is final.
Rule 2: Each rider is allocated an arrival time at the end of each stage, and the rider with the lowest total time is the overall winner (yellow jersey).
Rule 3: Everybody arriving in the same group is allocated the same time as the first person in the group. As to what constitutes a group, see rule 1 (generally a 1 second or 20m gap will constitute a second group).
Rule 4: The first person over the line at the end of each stage wins the stage. This is a significant minor prize, much the same as winning a decent 1 day race such as Ghent-Wevelgem or Paris-Tours, or a minor stage race such as the Tour of Britain.
Rule 5: The first riders across the line at the end of each stage, and a nominated mid-stage line, are awarded points according to the order in which they cross the line, the stage, and whether it's the end of the stage or mid-stage. The rider with the most points gets a significant minor prize (the green jersey)
Rule 6: The first riders across the line at the top of a major hill are awarded mountain points. The bigger the hill the more points are on offer. The rider with most points wins a significant minor prize (the spotty jersey, polka dot in English).
Rule 7: If you are a naughty boy, the judges can impose penalties. These may be additional time to be added to your overall time, loss of green jersey or mountain points, or financial (fines). As to what constitutes being naughty, see rule 1 (examples: headbutting or barging another rider, slipstreaming a car, holding on to a car to get a tow, wearing the wrong kit).
Rule 8: The 3km rule. On most stages, if you are held up by a crash in the last 3km, you get the same time as the group you were with at the time you were held up. This does not apply on stages that are not expected (before the start of the Tour) to end in a bunch sprint. Reason: if this did not apply, not only would all the sprinters and their lead-out trains be trying to be at the front, but also all of the overall contenders and their minders. The additional pressure to be at the front at the end of the stage would result in more crashes. With the rule, everyone not involved in trying to win the stage can drop to the back of the group after the 3km flag, where they are out of the way without penalty.
(see stage 1 this year)**
All the rest is tactics.
It's a matter of weighing up your abilities and picking a target to aim for. If you climb and time trial, go for yellow; if you are a sprinter, go for stages and the green jersey; if you climb but don't time trial, go for the mountain prize; otherwise try for a stage.
** Stage 1
There was a crash at about 7km out, Contador and 50 or so riders at the back of the peloton were held up to the tune of about 35sec.
There was another crash just under the 2km banner. This stopped everyone except the first 40 or so riders. The judges decided that the remains of the peloton as it was at the time of the crash were Thor Hushovd and the riders with him, behind Gilbert and Evans who had gone off the front of the peloton. So, under the 3km rule, everyone who was in the peloton at the 2km crash and was held up got the same time as Hushovd (+6sec). They would have known that, and not rushed to pick themselves up, hence Matt Goss finishing 5 minutes after the stage winner but still being allocated a +6sec time.
The judges decided that it wasn't fair to position people who were with Hushovd at the crash and didn't get delayed, but got tailed off between there and the finish, after those riders who did get stopped by the crash, so they all got the same +6sec time too.
Contador et al arrived at the 2km crash, and were held up trying to get past it, losing another 35sec or so. Because they weren't part of the crash peloton, they were treated as a separate group, and were all allocated the same time as the first part of the group they were in on arriving at the 2km crash. So, Contador got the same time as himself (+1m20s), and anyone who was with Contador on arrival at the 2km crash but arrived at the finish later would have got the same time as Contador.
(The Contador group had lost about another 10sec on the peloton between the 7km crash and the 2km crash)
Rule 2: Each rider is allocated an arrival time at the end of each stage, and the rider with the lowest total time is the overall winner (yellow jersey).
Rule 3: Everybody arriving in the same group is allocated the same time as the first person in the group. As to what constitutes a group, see rule 1 (generally a 1 second or 20m gap will constitute a second group).
Rule 4: The first person over the line at the end of each stage wins the stage. This is a significant minor prize, much the same as winning a decent 1 day race such as Ghent-Wevelgem or Paris-Tours, or a minor stage race such as the Tour of Britain.
Rule 5: The first riders across the line at the end of each stage, and a nominated mid-stage line, are awarded points according to the order in which they cross the line, the stage, and whether it's the end of the stage or mid-stage. The rider with the most points gets a significant minor prize (the green jersey)
Rule 6: The first riders across the line at the top of a major hill are awarded mountain points. The bigger the hill the more points are on offer. The rider with most points wins a significant minor prize (the spotty jersey, polka dot in English).
Rule 7: If you are a naughty boy, the judges can impose penalties. These may be additional time to be added to your overall time, loss of green jersey or mountain points, or financial (fines). As to what constitutes being naughty, see rule 1 (examples: headbutting or barging another rider, slipstreaming a car, holding on to a car to get a tow, wearing the wrong kit).
Rule 8: The 3km rule. On most stages, if you are held up by a crash in the last 3km, you get the same time as the group you were with at the time you were held up. This does not apply on stages that are not expected (before the start of the Tour) to end in a bunch sprint. Reason: if this did not apply, not only would all the sprinters and their lead-out trains be trying to be at the front, but also all of the overall contenders and their minders. The additional pressure to be at the front at the end of the stage would result in more crashes. With the rule, everyone not involved in trying to win the stage can drop to the back of the group after the 3km flag, where they are out of the way without penalty.
(see stage 1 this year)**
All the rest is tactics.
It's a matter of weighing up your abilities and picking a target to aim for. If you climb and time trial, go for yellow; if you are a sprinter, go for stages and the green jersey; if you climb but don't time trial, go for the mountain prize; otherwise try for a stage.
** Stage 1
There was a crash at about 7km out, Contador and 50 or so riders at the back of the peloton were held up to the tune of about 35sec.
There was another crash just under the 2km banner. This stopped everyone except the first 40 or so riders. The judges decided that the remains of the peloton as it was at the time of the crash were Thor Hushovd and the riders with him, behind Gilbert and Evans who had gone off the front of the peloton. So, under the 3km rule, everyone who was in the peloton at the 2km crash and was held up got the same time as Hushovd (+6sec). They would have known that, and not rushed to pick themselves up, hence Matt Goss finishing 5 minutes after the stage winner but still being allocated a +6sec time.
The judges decided that it wasn't fair to position people who were with Hushovd at the crash and didn't get delayed, but got tailed off between there and the finish, after those riders who did get stopped by the crash, so they all got the same +6sec time too.
Contador et al arrived at the 2km crash, and were held up trying to get past it, losing another 35sec or so. Because they weren't part of the crash peloton, they were treated as a separate group, and were all allocated the same time as the first part of the group they were in on arriving at the 2km crash. So, Contador got the same time as himself (+1m20s), and anyone who was with Contador on arrival at the 2km crash but arrived at the finish later would have got the same time as Contador.
(The Contador group had lost about another 10sec on the peloton between the 7km crash and the 2km crash)
Keith Oates
Janner
- Location
- Penarth, Wales
Thanks for that andrew_s, it is very clear and should help many of the members who either don't know or are hazy on some of the rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John the Monkey
Frivolous Cyclist
- Location
- Crewe
Matt Rendell's "A Significant Other" has great explanations of tactics in the race & the formations the riders ride in - well worth reading.
