2010 Tour de France: Stage 8, Station des Rousses - Morzine-Avoriaz, 189 km

[Andrija]

Here is a tip how to spend rest day.

Anquetil was also a known partier and consumer of fine wines and fine foods, as the next story illustrates.
On the rest day in Andorra during the 1964 Tour de France, Anquetil feasted on a slab of roast lamb while the other riders were out for an easy ride and a day of rest.

The next day Anquetil was dropped on the first climb and was behind the leaders of the stage by over four minutes. Only after drinking a champagne-filled water bottle did his stomach troubles subside and allow him to rejoin the leaders after a considerable chase.

Cycling Hall of Fame.com

 

[Andrija]

And here are Sky's rest day activities:

"I'm feeling good today. We got quite organised, and the whole team went out for a decent ride. We're trying not to treat it like a rest day but an easier day. We're trying not to switch off too much with the stage coming tomorrow. We did three hours and included a good climb in there,"

Wiggo sounds motivated. Maybe tomorrow Sky sets tempo on Madeleine just like they did on Ramaz. Madeleine is even better for tempo ride with it's mild gradient and long ascent. It's not likely that he'll jump in GC, but it would be good for his moral to be at the front with his team.

 

[Ted B]

And for Cadel Evans:

What is your rest day program?

"I'm going to try and take it as easy as possible and do a lot of physical therapy on the left arm."


Clearly what happens on rest day varies among 150+ riders, but I certainly don't believe anyone sits still. It seems that the most typical program involves some sort of tempo ride in the am before the heat comes on, followed by leisure, media, etc.

As for Wiggins, I expected him to do a little better on Stg 8. It will be interesting to see what he does from here forward.

 

[slovakguy]

No disrespect to the brilliance of Poulidor but I think Evans would probably prefer a better precursor than a guy known as "The Eternal Second."


Definitely. I'd have no problem with a rider of Evans' demeanor winning the Tour. He's a little idiosyncratic but overall a pretty class rider.

no disrespect to either popo or evans, but actual praise for them. but that is what i'm driving at. both leave their hearts out on the road and for whatever reason, the three sisters always seem to trim their yarns a bit short of the great glories. perpetual also-rans who never -never- give up. (did i mention i am a red sox fan, so i know about climbing heights and seeing the fall.) these two are the beauty of tragedy, the panache of efforts unrewarded except in the mind of the competitor who fought to the last. it's hector against the enraged achilles. it's cool hand luke against dragline. that's the spirit i celebrate.

 

[Chavez]

no disrespect to either popo or evans, but actual praise for them. but that is what i'm driving at. both leave their hearts out on the road and for whatever reason, the three sisters always seem to trim their yarns a bit short of the great glories. perpetual also-rans who never -never- give up. (did i mention i am a red sox fan, so i know about climbing heights and seeing the fall.) these two are the beauty of tragedy, the panache of efforts unrewarded except in the mind of the competitor who fought to the last. it's hector against the enraged achilles. it's cool hand luke against dragline. that's the spirit i celebrate.

Ah, I get it. Very cool.

 

[minty95]

Hi all
 
A newbie here : I have just bought a 2011 Specialzed Langster steel for playing around in the countryside around my home, I don't live in a town, this is only for road riding not town riding.
 
I am only using the bike for fitness purposes or riding to work, as it's only a 20km ride from home.
 
I am starting to get used to the position, the bike, the 1 gear (42/16) ... etc.
 
As I only ride MTBs normally, the only thing that I don't like with this setup are the brakes as they are ****, I'm used to XTR disc brakes,
 
Not being used to singlespeeds or roadies bikes, I haven't a clue what to brakes I could buy to replace the original ones, I can live with the brakes on the top of the drop bars, I would just like some real stopping power.
 
Any suggestions would be really nice, many thanks
 
For info, these are fitted for the moment - Light dual pivot brake, Teflon pivots, forged alloy, w/ standard angle adjustable pads

 

[Jovamac]

Hi in once sense I'm jumping in on your thread with my own thing. I am mainly a MTB person myself and know about disc and v brakes they are better than calipers.
You could maybe put a disc brake on your bike but more than likely that would involve changing your wheel(s) and front fork.

Now what I am after is, I wish to put some mag wheels on my fixie, there are some great one on ebay for around £160 a pair. They are flip flop fixed and freewheel, BUT the sad fact is their 26".

I have used these mags (composite) before on a mountain bike, but wish to purchase the fixed gear version. The axle on the rear is 120mm wide which is perfect for single speed bikes, but the wheels are 26" which is fine if you don't want to have brakes, but if you are going to use the bike in freewheel mode than you must put brakes on them.

Without changing the forks (also the front wheel is not disc compatible) can I buy a extra long reach caliper that would drop low enough to catch the rim of a 26" wheel?

 

[pTricky]

Originally Posted by minty95 .

Hi all

A newbie here : I have just bought a 2011 Specialzed Langster steel for playing around in the countryside around my home, I don't live in a town, this is only for road riding not town riding.

I am only using the bike for fitness purposes or riding to work, as it's only a 20km ride from home.

I am starting to get used to the position, the bike, the 1 gear (42/16) ... etc.

As I only ride MTBs normally, the only thing that I don't like with this setup are the brakes as they are ****, I'm used to XTR disc brakes,

Not being used to singlespeeds or roadies bikes, I haven't a clue what to brakes I could buy to replace the original ones, I can live with the brakes on the top of the drop bars, I would just like some real stopping power.

Any suggestions would be really nice, many thanks

For info, these are fitted for the moment - Light dual pivot brake, Teflon pivots, forged alloy, w/ standard angle adjustable pads

The biggest thing you can do to improve braking performance is to upgrade the pads. I personally recommend Kool-Stop Salmons, but there are many fine choices out there.

If you have your heart set on disc brakes, you can use them in the front, but only if you get a new fork (probably one designed for cyclocross) and a new front hub. Using a disc brake in the rear would be very difficult as you would need to modify the frame and ultimately pointless since almost all your stopping power comes from the front.

Originally Posted by Jovamac .

Hi in once sense I'm jumping in on your thread with my own thing. I am mainly a MTB person myself and know about disc and v brakes they are better than calipers.
You could maybe put a disc brake on your bike but more than likely that would involve changing your wheel(s) and front fork.

Now what I am after is, I wish to put some mag wheels on my fixie, there are some great one on ebay for around £160 a pair. They are flip flop fixed and freewheel, BUT the sad fact is their 26".

I have used these mags (composite) before on a mountain bike, but wish to purchase the fixed gear version. The axle on the rear is 120mm wide which is perfect for single speed bikes, but the wheels are 26" which is fine if you don't want to have brakes, but if you are going to use the bike in freewheel mode than you must put brakes on them.

Without changing the forks (also the front wheel is not disc compatible) can I buy a extra long reach caliper that would drop low enough to catch the rim of a 26" wheel?

There are brake calipers available that will accommodate this. Look for Shimano Nexus or Tektro R-556 calipers. I would not recommend going 26," though, because doing so will dramatically lower your bottom bracket height (a major problem for a fixed gear since you don't get to choose the placement of your pedals when turning) and limit your appropriate tire choices.