Tour de France Coverage

Published by

Adam Tow

July 3, 2006

With the Tour de France underway, it’s time to list out the best sites on the Web covering the event. I’ve been reading:

New sites that I’ve found include:

VeloGal

What else is there?

I think they did this last year, but one thing they are showing more and more are the heart rates for the riders during the race. It’s interesting to see how close they are to the limit during sprints and breakaways. I wonder if all of the teams are mandated that they release heart rate information for each of their riders. I think back to the 1989 Tour when LeMond and Fignon battled it out:

Seven kilometers from the top, halfway up L’Alpe d’Huez, LeMond began running out of energy. When he is truly laboring, as he was now, LeMond’s shoulders start to bob back and forth. Fignon’s coach, Cyrille Guimard, recognized the signs immediately. In 1980, Guimard, then with the Renault team, had signed LeMond to his first European contract. So Guimard sped his car up to Fignon and shouted to him, in French, “You’ve got to go now! Right now!”

LeMond, just ahead, could hear every word, but he resisted the urge to look back lest Fignon recognize the look of panic on his face. “I can’t do it,” Fignon replied. “I can’t.”

Guimard’s car dropped back. The pace continued as before. LeMond’s shoulders continued to rock. Four kilometers before the finish Guimard drove up to Fignon again and yelled, “Attack him now! You’ve got to go now!”

Fignon went bolting past LeMond and Delgado.

Unless you’re Snake-Eyes or a highly trained monk, you can’t so easily fake your heart rate in a race. No more pretending that you’re having problems like Lance did against Ullrich and Telekom back in 2001.

One response to “Tour de France Coverage”

AnnH

June 28, 2007

World No. 1 Cycle Racing Photographer Englishman Graham Watson helps Welcome the Tour de France to London with 30 Year Retrospective Exhibition!

Born in London in 1956, Graham Watson took his first steps in photography in 1972, working as an assistant to a London society photographer whose clients included British aristocracy and foreign royal families. Commuting to and from London each day by bicycle drew Watsonâ€™s attention to the sport of cycle racing and, eventually, to see the Tour de France in Paris in 1977. Smitten by this sighting of â€˜Le Tourâ€™, Watson focussed all his energies on photographing what he considered to be a â€˜beautifulâ€™ sport â€“ to the point, in the early 1980s, where he was a regular feature at European races, and soon gained access to the inner-sanctum of cycling photographers â€“ a largely Belgian/French/Italian clan.

Three decades later, Graham Watson, known and admired the world over, will celebrate the London Grand DÃ©part of the 2007 Tour de France with an exhibition of over 200 of his finest Tour de France photographs from the past 30 years.

The Eyes On The Tour de France Exhibition will be held from July 1-9 at County Hall Gallery in Londonâ€™s vibrant South Bank, next to the London Eye overlooking the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. Visitors will be able to purchase framed archival Lambda Photographic Prints from the Exhibition.

The Exhibition runs from July 1-9 and is open daily from 10am – 6.30pm (except 5th July: 10am – 5pm). ENTRY IS FREE!!

For more information visit:
http://www.countyhallgallery.com/exhibitions/graham-watson.html

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Adam, here

Welcome to tow.com, my home on the internet since 1995. I’m an indie software artist and creator of apps such as MixEffect, MsgFiler, AlbumFiler, Wipe My Screen, and more. I’m also the producer and co-director of Autumn Gem. Enjoy your visit here!