Tour de france down hills

[captainhastings]

When these chaps are belting down hills at god knows what speed don't they worry about pot holes and things ? I get stressed when I have to get over a cats eye at 14mph
They just seem fearless apart from the one chap the other day who kept sticking his foot out but with that whooping great drop on his right I don't blame him

 

[rich p]

They are pretty good at it and well practised but I'm sure there's an element of nervous tension in there too. The potholes will have been sorted out ahead of the race though!

 

[Ludwig]

Yes it is very scary the speed the tour riders go downhill at. Occasionally one or two go over the edge. In 1960 Roger Riviere went over a steep precipice, broke his back and never raced again. Sadly he spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair and died at 40. You can read about him on Wiki

 

[biking_fox]

Wasn't this Boardman's (?) comment on why the English riders weren't so good at the Tour - they didn't have the mountains to practise on. Somethign about seperates the men from the boys descending at x mph, middle of the peleton. He's deathgrip on the bars brikking it. Frenchie next to him, hands off the bars eating away quite happily.

 

[benb]

Wasn't this Boardman's (?) comment on why the English riders weren't so good at the Tour - they didn't have the mountains to practise on. Somethign about seperates the men from the boys descending at x mph, middle of the peleton. He's deathgrip on the bars brikking it. Frenchie next to him, hands off the bars eating away quite happily.

Yeah, because it's impossible to go to France to practice!

 

[biking_fox]

Yeah, because it's impossible to go to France to practice!

Not the same as living there!

 

[benb]

Not the same as living there!

You're right, the food's better here!!

 

[yello]

Commentary today suggested they were hitting speeds of "around 100kph"!

I briefly did some training for motorcycle marshalling of cycle races. We were told to keep out of their way because they'd be quicker downhill and through some bends! Frightening!!

 

[walker]

don't forget that the teams go over these hills before races too sometimes to check for these things and to figure the best lines

 

[Scoosh]

Wasn't this Boardman's (?) comment on why the English riders weren't so good at the Tour - they didn't have the mountains to practise on. Somethign about seperates the men from the boys descending at x mph, middle of the peleton. He's deathgrip on the bars brikking it. Frenchie next to him, hands off the bars eating away quite happily.

Which is worse:

- someone doing the above ....

... or ...

- someone sitting up eating/texting when you are puffing your lungs out going UP a hill ?

 

[trj977]

Commentary today suggested they were hitting speeds of "around 100kph"!

I briefly did some training for motorcycle marshalling of cycle races. We were told to keep out of their way because they'd be quicker downhill and through some bends! Frightening!!

I once met a chap who either rode, or was the cameraman on, one of the tour motorbikes.

He explained how they went down the descents the night before figuring out for how long they thought they could stay ahead and finding suitable places to pull out of the way. There was no way they could be beat them down! Apparently the speed through the bends is frightening to watch and you don't get a real feel for it on TV.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It was either Kelly or Yates who was clocked at 73mph on a descent.

 

[CounterfeitKelly]

Which is worse:

- someone doing the above ....

... or ...

- someone sitting up eating/texting when you are puffing your lungs out going UP a hill ?

It must help to know no-ones going to come up the hill towards you. Have a look at The High Life, the documentary about Robert Millar from the eighties. Theres film of him on a training rfde in The Pyrenees (I think) and as he sweeps round a bend a van comes round towards him... looks close.
A friend of mine was riding in The Alps one year and overcooked it going round a blind bend down The Izoard, as he came round the corner there was a group of old French club riders line abreast in front of him, they just parted and let him scream past (literally) as if nothing was happening.