Bike Ping
...and speaking of Chris Horner. He still hasn't joined a new team. But I know he'll be back and I'm betting top five.
Posted on 11/23/2013 8:56:12 AM PST by Baynative
Five summit finishes, the winding roads of Yorkshire, cobbles in northern France and just the one individual time trial - the 2014 Tour de France route couldn't be more different from this year's centenary Grande Boucle. Blazin' Saddles takes a closer look...~snip~
Seeing that the centenary Tour was very much a celebration of iconic Alpine climbs, next summer's route will only feature a brief foray into the Alps - but will include the classic ascent of the Col d'Izoard, overlooked in recent years.
Instead - and following some champagne cork-popping in Reims and Epernay - the race will enjoy a trifecta of stages in the Vosges mountains of north-east France as Tour director Christian Prudhomme puts into action his desire "to find climbs, but not just 'les grands cols'."
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.eurosport.yahoo.com ...
This article is a bit of a hoot because of the way Euro-journalists write. They are as much concerned (at times) with a rider's new hair cut or what he wears. They treat sports commentary with a combination of Phil Liggett and Mr. Blackwell.
I always enjoy the offhanded humor that comes out in lines like this: "Jens Voigt was typically verbose about the prospect of riding a 17th consecutive TDF next summer. The veteran domestique - who is old enough to be Chris Horner's twin brother -"
...and speaking of Chris Horner. He still hasn't joined a new team. But I know he'll be back and I'm betting top five.
Every dang one of them is on some kind of drug.
I didn’t know FR had a bicycle ping list! Please add me.
Ride Hard!
The route is announced early for a couple of reasons. 1st it allows the roads along the route to be upgraded - except the cobblestone parts :-)and second lots of hotel reservations and other travel arraignments need to be made for those planning on watching at least part of it.
Thanks for the ping Baynative
Tour Ping!
I thought he said that 2013 was his retirement year but perhaps winning the Vuelta changed his mind! That was a GRAND WIN indeed!
Oh my, I never heard the retirement remark. I certainly hope not. I’ve known him through local competitions since the 90s and I’d love to see him take a few more big credits with him into retirement. He’s truly one of the good guys.
“I didn’t know FR had a bicycle ping list! Please add me.
Ride Hard!”
Ditto
I used to train with a couple of guys who bought condos in France in a very old building along a river at the base of one of the famous climbs. (for the life of me I can't remember which town but I remember watching the tour stage that went through there a year or two later)
Anyway, he told me the little village swelled from about 1,500 to 10 or 20 thousand with people camping all up and down the valley. In a couple of little taverns they had televised tour coverage and people would congregate there to watch the stages after doing their own rides in the morning.
On the day that the tour came through the valley everyone was crammed into the taverns and around different video stations that had been set up. They monitored the progress of the peloton and about five minutes before they hit town everyone ran to the roadsides and as soon as the bunch went by they all scrambled back into the taverns to watch the summit finish.
...very fun and festive.
I'm hoping that he signs with RS again. It would be great watching Jens pulling for him as a GC.
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