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I Love Bicycling

I Love Bicycling is a website that is geared towards cycling for beginners with road cycling tips, training articles, nutrition tips, weight loss, how to’s and bike repair articles.

Peter Sagan’s “Life is Like A Movie” Video

July 6, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

never give up
Definitely a Rocky influence in this video but still a great take away of never give up. Peter Sagan’s hard work paid off with wearing the Yellow Jersey for the past 3 days in the Tour de France. He wanted to win big races since he was a kid and he wrote the script to his own movie, his life. Whatever it is that you want to do, be it on the bike or life in general, do it and do it they way you want to. An additional take away form this video is that with cycling you don’t have to just ride but can do other things to stay fit and get strong.

Peter Sagan *sunroot movie part. 1Život je ako film… Niekedy ťažký, inokedy sladký 😉

Life is like a movie…sometimes sweet, sometimes hard. Remember that you´re the main character in your life and you´re filming your story right now. Never give up and cheer up your life with *sunroot.

Posted by Peter Sagan on Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Tour de France Facts

July 1, 2016 by Josh Friedman

tour de france facts

With the Tour de France on, you should catch up on your history of La Gran Boucle (the nickname of the Tour, French for The Great Circuit). The race is rich with tradition, stemming from its long history starting in 1903 as a publicity stunt for a sports newspaper, L’Auto, and running every year except during the two World Wars. The leader’s jersey of the race is yellow because that is color of newsprint in L’Auto. The newspaper is long gone, but the Tour continues on. This list of Tour de France facts will help you understand the race.

The Winners

Winning the overall classification in the Tour de France immortalizes a rider. Winning it five times makes a rider a legend. Four riders have done it – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Lance Armstrong won seven times but was stripped of his victories because he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs to fuel his victories.

Winning the overall classification entails a rider covering the twenty or so stages of the Tour in the least time. Each stage is timed – the officials add the time together from each of the twenty or so stages. The number of stages depends on the route of the race.

There are also many other opportunities to win. Riders can win the stage each day, along with:

  • The most aggressive rider, awarded to the rider that animated the race the most each day.
  • The sprinter’s jersey, based on points on intermediate sprints and stage finished.
  • The king of the mountains jersey, based on points awarded at the top of climbs.
  • The young rider’s jersey, like the general classification, but for riders under twenty five.

Winning any of these competitions can be a tremendous boost to a riders career and is often a life-long dream of many cyclists.

The Losers

Cycling is full of failure. Only one person wins (on the backs of his teammates) and when a race is as big as the Tour, about one hundred eighty people lose. But there is an informal competition in the general classification for last place, called the Lantern Rouge, or red lamp. It refers to the red light at the end of a train.

Tour Teams

A Tour team comprises of nine riders, based on the team’s goal’s in the race. Some teams go for the general classification, some shoot for stage wins, others the green jersey. Each team wants to get good results so they can be invited back to the biggest stage in the cycling world. It is very good for the team’s sponsors, who foot the bill for the teams. Racing at the Tour means excellent exposure for the sponsors. Getting good results is even better for the sponsors.

Team directors are like the in-game coaches at the Tour. They drive the team car and support the riders throughout the race with tactics, equipment and nutrition. There are also mechanics in the car, along with mechanics that go ahead to the hotel at the end of the stage. Soigneurs prepare food, give massages and are generally available for the riders needs so they can focus on riding and recovering after the stage. Teams also have cooks preparing nutritious meals and doctors to take care of any medical concerns.

Vehicles at the Tour

During the Tour, each team has two cars in the caravan which escorts the riders. One car stays with the main group of riders, the peloton and the other is available to go with the breakaway up the road.In the team car there are spare wheels, spare bikes, extra clothing, water and food for the riders. The team directors drive the cars with a mechanic in the back seat.

In addition to the team cars in the caravan, there are many other vehicles:

  • Race officials and judges are in cars and on motorcycles monitoring the race.
  • Neutral service motorcycles and cars can help riders with mechanical failures if their team cars are not there.
  • There is a car for the race doctor, along with ambulances for the inevitable crashes.
  • Media cars, motorcycles and helicopters, with print, photographic and video reporters mix in with the peloton to give fans at home a close look at the race.
  • Preceding the race, there is a promotional caravan with cars advertising the race sponsors, often throwing free merchandise to the fans lining the course.

All of these vehicles hold the people that make the Tour happen. The total is around four thousand, making for an economic boon at each stop of the Tour. It also requires that each stage has the capacity to house this rolling carnival.

Fun Tour de France Facts

The rider with the most Tour starts is George Hincapie with seventeen. The rider with the most Tour finishes is Joop Joetemelk with sixteen.

Greg LeMond won the Tour on the last day by eight seconds in 1990. He came into the final stage with a fifty second deficit to Laurent Fignon. He used aerobars, an unprecedented (at the time) piece of equipment that allowed to be more aerodynamic. It helped carry LeMond to his slim victory. He was also the first non-European winner of the Tour.

The first Tour in 1903 was only five stages and only had fifteen riders. Early Tours required that riders support themselves – they had to get their own food and water and do their own repairs, no matter how mangled their bikes may have been.

The editor of L’Auto and founder of the Tour was Henri Desgrange.

There are a few different kinds of Tour stages:

  • Time trials: Each rider races against the clock individually. These can be decisive in the overall classification.
  • Team time trials: Each team races together against the clock.
  • Flat stages: These stages usually end in a group sprint.
  • Medium mountain stages: Usually rolling stages that lead to breakaways but do not have much impact on the overall classification.
  • High mountain stages: This is where the biggest battles of the Tour happen. The stages go over the biggest mountains in the tour, making big time gaps in the race and having a big impact on the overall classification.

The individual time trial was stage one of the 2015 Tour when Rohan Dennis won the stage at 55.446 kilometers per hour. The fastest stage ever was Team Orica/Greenedge in a team time trial on stage five in 2013 at 57.8 kilometers per hour. The fastest mass start stage was Mario Cippollini’s victory in 1999 on stage four at 50.4 kilometers per hour.

Watch This Year’s Tour

With a new understanding of the Tour de France, you can follow the action more closely. Each year, historic moments happen. See what you can spot in the 2016 edition.

Giro Rosa – The Other Big Race In July You Should Be Watching

July 1, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

giro rosa

Whether you’re a cyclist or not, you have probably heard of the Tour de France. It’s one of the world’s largest sporting events and is the biggest cycling event on the planet. The race you probably have not heard of however but should, is the Giro Rosa. It is the largest women’s cycling stage race in the world and this year marks its 27th edition. The Giro Rosa is a race you should follow along with the Tour. It’s just as exciting and offers a different perspective on racing. And if you have a daughter, get them into it to show them that there’s more than just men racing at the top level of the sport. July is a month of bike racing for all to enjoy.

What is The Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa is a ten day stage race in Italy which is part of the Women’s World Tour. It also is the only Grand Tour left on the women’s calendar which used to include the Women’s Tour de France.

Where is the Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa takes place in Italy starting in Gaiarine which lies about fifty kilometers north of Venice. The race then travels into the Alps in the northeast of Italy for a number of mountain stages. The race then moves toward the flatter lands of noth-central Italy before moving along the coast of the Mediterranean. The race then heads to the outskirts of Milan and then finishes back in the Alps in the town of Verbania which is situated on Lago Maggiore, a lake with stunning views into the mountains.

Who is Racing in the Giro Rosa?

23 teams are racing in this years Giro Rosa of which the majority are from Italy and Europe but include riders from all over the world. Three teams to note are the Wiggle-High5 Team from Great Britian, the Cylance Pro Cycling Team, and Hagens Berman-Supermint both out of the US. Here is a full list of teams by nation.

Italy
Alè Cipollini
Aromitalia – Vaiano
Bepink
Inpa – Bianchi
Servetto – Footon
S.C. Michela Fanini
Top Girls Fassa Bortolo

The Netherlands
Boels Dolmans
Rabo – Liv
Liv – Plantur

Germany
Canyon – SRAM
Cervelo – Bigla

USA
Cylance Pro Cycling
Hagens Berman – Supermint

Belgium
Lensworld Zannata
Lotto – Soudal Ladies

Spain
Bizkaia – Durango
Lointek

Slovenia
BTC City Ljubljana

Great Britain
Wiggle – High5

Kazakhstan
Astana Women’s Team

Norway
Hitec-Products

France
Poitou – Charentes.Futuroscope.86)

Argentina
Xirayas de San Luis Team

When is the Giro Rosa?

The Giro Rosa starts on Friday, July 1st and runs through July 10th.

The Jersey’s of the Giro Rosa

When you tune into the Giro Rosa, you will see a few different colors from that of that other race in France. Instead of a yellow jersey, pink is worn by the leader of the race which is also Italy’s color. Purple is the sprinters jersey which is awarded to the rider accumulating the most points at designated sprint lines and finishes. The green jersey is for the QOM or the Queen of the Mountain and is awarded to the rider who receives the most points from designated mountain top sprint lines. The white jersey is for the best overall young rider who was born on or after January 1st, of 1993. The blue jersey is for the best overall Italian rider.

How to Watch the Giro Rosa

Unfortunately the coverage options for the Giro Rosa aren’t as great as the Tour de France but there are still ways to watch and follow. Rai Sport in Italy will have some coverage of the race which can typically be found on CyclingFans.com. Additionally, you can follow the race live on twitter @GiroRosaCycling with hashtags of:#GiroRosa and #UCIWWT. Here is a short video of the race from last year although it is in Italian.

How To Watch The Tour de France

June 27, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

how to watch the tour de france

The Tour de France starts on Saturday, July 2nd in the Northern part of France in Normandy on the island of Mont Saint Michel with a 188 kilometer (117 mile) flat opening road stage. The first week starts with flat to medium mountain stages but ends with two mountain days before the race’s first rest day. Riders will traverse the eastern and central part of the country on their way south to the Pyrenees and into Spain for a day. The race heads into Andorra, a tiny country nestled between Spain and France in the heart of the Pyrenees. The race then travels across the south of France toward the Alps with a mix of flat days, medium mountain days, and mountain days along with the first individual time trial. The race then heads into Switzerland with the second rest day in Bern. The final week of racing stays in the same area of the country in the Alps with three mountain days and an individual time trial plus the last flat stage into Paris.

The tour is always an incredible spectacle to watch whether you’re lucky enough to be in France or watching from half a world away. There are a number of ways to catch highlights or to see every minute of the race. Knowing how to watch the Tour de France before it starts will help to make sure you don’t miss any of the action.

In Person Of Course

What better way is there to watch a sport? In person of course. If you ever get the chance to go and watch a race such as the Tour, do it. It will be amazing and something you remember the rest of your life. When you’re not in France however there are still a host of ways to watch.

How To Watch the Tour De France on TV

The oldest way to watch a sporting event without actually being there is via the television of course. Due to the length of time its been around, sports coverage on television tends to be the best way to take in a race because they know the ins and outs of what’s going on and often have exclusive interviews with key people in the race, both riders and team directors.

In the US – NBC Sports – In the US, NBC has exclusive rights to the race so you won’t find it on any other sports network. The channel is not the standard NBC channel but rather their NBCSN channel. They may have abbreviated coverage or highlights on their main channel which is much more readily available than the sports channel. If you have a subscription you can also watch the race again on-demand online if you miss it during the day.

In Canada – SportsNet1 – If you’re in Canada you can watch the Tour de France live on SportsNet1.

In Europe – EuroSport – If you’re in Europe, coverage is always provided by EuroSport which is much more standard than NBC Sports is in the US.

In the UK – EuroSport and ITV4 – In the UK you have two coverage options to watch on TV: EuroSport and ITV4.

Online – Paid

In addition to NBC’s television coverage, they also have a tour tracker app that allows you to watch via the internet. The pricing and details will come out just before the race starts but in 2015 in was $19.99 for the whole race. In addition to the desktop app they also have a mobile app.

Online – Free

As with any TV show or event, you can find pirated feeds of the race whether it’s the EuroSport broadcast, which is very popular, or the NBC Sports feed. With these however, the quality is often times much less than the above options and typically has a lot of pop-up ads not to mention the issue of legality. Three popular websites are: CyclingHub.tv, steephill.tv, and cyclingfans.com.

A Local Establishment

Because of the popularity of the race and the general camaraderie the sport brings, many places such as bike shops, fitness studios, bars, and restaurants, will show the race. At these place you won’t only be able to watch the race but also mingle with other like-minded fans.

A Friends Place

Like going to a local establishment, going to a friends place to watch the race is also a great option as watching a race with someone is always a lot more fun. A good option for this is to watch the prime-time replay in the evening as in North America the coverage is always during the morning.

Nairo Quintana Documentary – A Rider From Humble Beginnings in Colombia

June 23, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

nairo quintana

With the Tour de France so close, the favorites are starting to fall into the spotlight. One of the young favorites and arguably the best climber in the world is Nairo Quintana from Tunja, Colombia, the highest town in the country at 2820 meters (9250 feet). This EuroSport Documentary shows where he comes from in Colombia and just how big cycling is there. It then follows his track into racing and how he found a bit of success early and then started to get really good while still at a very young age. As one of the sports top riders he is a well respected and loved national icon in Colombia. (You know someone is a national hero when they have songs after them.) He gives hope to the people of Colombia who are seeking peace. His track is what people dream of and want to emulate. The documentary is one to watch before the Tour sets off. Knowing who the actual riders are makes for greater viewing as it’s not just people riding bikes, its individuals from all sorts of backgrounds the world over with incredible stories of how they reached the pinnacle of the sport. Let us know what you think of the documentary and how you think he will do in the Tour.



Winners Of The Tour de France

June 23, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

winners of the tour de france

The Tour de France, held every year in the month of July, is considered the sports greatest spectacle. The winners of the Tour de France are regarded as the best of their time and are remembered long after their day on the podium on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. A number of the winners in the past twenty years have been stripped of their titles due to doping. This includes Lance Armstrong who was revered as one of the greatest cyclists of all time. The titles were not passed on to the next rider as many of the riders were doping also.

A Brief History of the Tour de France

The Tour was first held in 1903 as a way to increase viewership of the newspaper L’auto. The event was not held during World Wars I and II but has been held every other year. The modern-day race consists of three weeks covering 21 stages with two rest days. The distance varies but is about 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers). Older editions were considerably longer.

How the Tour de France is Won

The race is run in a stage race format where riders all start each day together and the time of each rider is taken when they cross the finish line on that day. The rider with the lowest cumulative time is the overall winner. Because of the selection process of riding a bike uphill, the winners of the Tour de France are often very good climbers where time gaps are largest. Flatter stages keep the riders closer together due to the effects of drafting and energy savings.

Winners Of The Tour de France

Year Winner Team Country
2015 Chris Froome Team Sky United Kingdom
2014 Vincenzo Nibali Astana Pro Team Italy
2013 Chris Froome Team Sky United Kingdom
2012 Bradley Wiggins Team Sky United Kingdom
2011 Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team Australia
2010 Andy Schleck * (Alberto Contador was disqualified) Team Saxo Bank Luxembourg
2009 Alberto Contador Astana Spain
2008 Carlos Sastre Team CSC Saxo Bank Spain
2007 Alberto Contador Discovery Channel Spain
2006 Óscar Pereiro  (Floyd Landis was disqualified) Caisse d’Epargne Spain
2005 Lance Armstrong was disqualified Team Discovery Channel United States
2004 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
2003 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
2002 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
2001 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
2000 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
1999 Lance Armstrong was disqualified United States Postal Service United States
1998 Marco Pantani Mercatone Uno Italy
1997 Jan Ullrich Telekom Germany
1996 Bjarne Riis * (confessed to doping) Telekom Denmark
1995 Miguel Induráin Banesto Spain
1994 Miguel Induráin Banesto Spain
1993 Miguel Induráin Banesto Spain
1992 Miguel Induráin Banesto Spain
1991 Miguel Induráin Banesto Spain
1990 Greg LeMond Z United States
1989 Greg LeMond ADR United States
1988 Pedro Delgado Reynolds Spain
1987 Stephen Roche Carrera Ireland
1986 Greg LeMond La Vie Claire United States
1985 Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire France
1984 Laurent Fignon Renault France
1983 Laurent Fignon Renault France
1982 Bernard Hinault Renault France
1981 Bernard Hinault Renault France
1980 Joop Zoetemelk TI Raleigh Netherlands
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