For the Love of Bikes has Moved.... www.loveofbikes.com

New Home

2010-10-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Bikes is moving! You can find FTLOB at: http://www.loveofbikes.com/

Although, I haven't worked out all the kinks yet at the new site, things are in pretty good shape and ready for close friends to drop by. ;)

Besides, I am unable to import the posts I did there over here - having more than one home can be a pain.

I hope you'll follow me over! This site will stay up indefinitely - unless Blogger dumps me once they know I switched to Wordpress.

Why I Ride

2010-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Remember what it felt like when you rode your bike as a kid?

It still feels that way.

I want everyone to rediscover the fun and joy of riding a bike.

Bike enthusiasts and advocates often try to promote bicycling by pointing out the health benefits or the benefits to the health of our planet.

Both of those things are true - riding a bike improves your fitness, so consequently it improves you health.

Riding a bike instead of taking a car is good for the envioronment.

Why I ride has little to do with either of those things.

Basically I ride because it is fun. Pure and simple fun.

Why do you ride?

.

Country Roads

2010-10-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

We took a ride east yesterday at an easy pace and just enjoyed the weather and the views.

When you are on a bike you see everything.

You talk to a lot of it too - cows, horses, a rabbit. You stop to take pictures of things you wouldn't even notice in a car, much less want a picture of.

Like this grass - which I thought was beautiful.

Not to mention the beautiful blue sky.

Leaves that haven't turned are on the ground - if you're lucky they fall around you as you're riding by. I love that - raining leaves. We had such a hot and dry summer I'm afraid we may be seeing all the fall foliage we are going to get.

At least we still get the other parts of autumn - cooler temps and beautiful sunlight and that sky.

Maybe the sky always looks like this, but here in the heat belt, the sun is so hot and BRIGHT for so many months you actually can't look up at the sky until mid-late September.

The grasses, like buffalo grass and the native grasses that grow along the roads, also change color. The color change is more subtle, but it's there. At least to my eye.

Bike Like a Driver

2010-10-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

"The number of kids who bike or walk to school in the US has fallen from nearly 50 percent in 1969 to 13 percent today", according to an article by Amy Pearl.

Brooklyn Kids Learn to 'Bike Like Drivers' to School - WNYC Culture

To increase the number of students riding, and more importantly, teach them to ride predictably and safely, a NY bike group held a clinic for local middle schoolers entitled, "Bike Like a Driver".

Bike like a driver is a concept all bike riders need to know and practice.

An equally pressing question is, how do we get more kids on bikes?

One program designed to do just that is the Safe Routes to School program.

Use Full Lane

2010-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

In Oklahoma City there are plans underway for "Use Full Lane" signage to be installed along 70 miles of designated bike route. This is a huge step forward for our bicycling community toward making the roads safer and more rideable.

Photo provided by Mike Flenniken, Team Bike Buddies

Unfortunately, when you have progress you sometimes encounter opposition to that progress.

Mike Flenniken,Team Bike Buddies, notified TBB members this morning that someone had vandalized by running over the very recently installed "Bicycles Use Full Lane" signage installed on a four mile section of Hefner Road between Morgan Road and Cemetary road in Oklahoma City.

Flenniken reported that the signs were singled out as it appeared the driver had to cross from one side of the road to the other to take them all out.

No good deed goes unpunished as they say.

No bad deed should go unpunished either.

In an effort to apprehend the person or persons who destroyed the signage, a fund has been established for a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

To donate to the reward fund, please contact Mike Flenniken at mike@alethosconsulting.com or call him at (405) 613-9767.

Mark and I donated to the fund this morning, hopefully the biking community will contribute what they can, and with any luck the person(s) that did this will be caught and convicted.

Until then, ride safely and take satisfaction in the fact that here in Oklahoma City, we are getting signage installed along 70 miles of designated bike route that spell out our legal right to use the road.

.

CicLAvia

2010-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

We need more events like this one.

(Gina Ferazzi, Los Angeles Times / October 11, 2010)

In Los Angeles Sunday, an estimated 100,000 bicyclists, runners, walkers, skateboarders, rollerbladers - all turned out for the city's first CicLAvia - a bike festival focused on fitness, alternative means of transportation and just plain ol' outdoor fun.

According to Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, CicLAvia was far more successful than organizers expected. The event took place on a 7.5 mile stretch of streets in East Hollywood - an area reported as generally jammed up with motorists.

Participants at CicLAvia - commented that the city felt smaller and more manageable. That is exactly what happens when you slow down and walk, bike or even run through an area - you see it, you feel it.

Governments at all levels should take notice. People of all ages, shapes and sizes want to be able to bike, walk and run safely in their cities and neighborhoods.

We need to have the room and the means to get outside, together in a safe and protected environment. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.

People in cities and towns across the country want their streets to belong to them - not just cars/trucks.

It is past time to transform our streets - and make them work for everyone.

I like the way these participants explained it:

"We're alone in our cars. We pass above whole neighborhoods on freeways and never actually see them. Today, I've seen buildings I never took the time to lay eyes on before. Today gave people a chance to just slow down and it connected the neighborhoods of the city in a new way. That's important," said Rafael Navar, 32, who was taking a break on the 4th Street Bridge with his brother, sister-in-law and their three young kids." (L.A. Times, Joel Rubin)

It was not lost on Cyndi Hubach, 49, and Kevin Mulcahy, 45, that the 45 minutes or so they took to cover the route may have been faster than what it would have taken in typical stop-and-go traffic. For them, and many others, that realization led to musings of what life could be like in Los Angeles — a city inhospitable to cyclists.

"Being able to ride freely and safely right through what you knew were usually really dangerous intersections, it got you thinking about what it could be like if the city created a network of dedicated bike routes. Getting from place to place would take on a whole new light," Mulcahy, an architect, said. (L.A. Times, Joel Rubin)

Read article: "An estimated 100,000 turn out for L.A.'s inaugural CicLAvia event"

.

Two Blogs

2010-10-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

My one year anniversary of blogging is just a few weeks away.

This time last year, I had no blogs - now I have two.

They seem to multiply, god I hope not like rabbits.

Two Blogs - two loves - too much work?

We'll have to see, but I hope not. I like them both.

I ended up using my original url, http://susanlash.blogspot.com/ for my For the Love of Bikes blog and will use http://lifelovespursuits.blogspot.com/ for my Life ~ Loves ~ Pursuits blog.

There is overlap and crossover - there always is - don't you think?

Remember, I'm only talking about my blogs...

New Roads

2010-10-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mark and I rode with a couple we met last weekend from the local club, Team Bike Buddies.

The route they took us on had our favorite bike route quality - light traffic. Another plus, was the route was almost entirely on well maintained roads.

It honestly doesn't take much more than that to satisfy a cyclist.

It was a beautiful day with that wonderful autumn sunlight hitting the trees and meadows and wildflowers along the road. Another one of those bucolic days. There was a section of hills for several miles, but otherwise nice and relatively flat.

We rode 38 miles and probably encountered less than 20 vehicles. Whatever the number they just sort of faded into the background - not often the case when you ride.

Another great thing about riding in this "new to us" area, is the number of other people on bikes we saw! We have seen more bicyclists in the last two weeks, then we saw in the past year on our previous routes.

This area south and east of where we live attracts many bicyclists because of the light traffic, good roads and mix of flat terrain and hills. It is well known and well-utilized.

Besides it just being nice to see other friendly faces on bikes, riding in an area known to have a high number of bike riders means drivers are more aware than the drivers in the areas less frequented by cyclists. Overall, more awareness by drivers - means more safety for cyclists.

Another plus, the routes are well marked by Team Bike Buddies. Glad we "discovered" this better area to ride before fall is behind us.

There isn't a better time of year to ride - at least to me; and now we have better routes to explore and more nice weather ahead to do it.

Bike Friendly New Orleans

2010-10-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about New Orleans, you probably think "bike friendly" is one serious typo.

Photo by Rusty Costanza, The Times-Picayune

According to Kari Dequine, of the Times Picayune, New Orleans ranks sixth among cities with populations greater than 250,000, of the number of workers who primarily use a bicycle to get to work. This accounts for 2.4% of New Orleans' commuters; for comparison, Portland, OR ranks 1st with nearly 6% of workers commuting by bike.

Ms. Dequine reported in her article today, that prior to Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans had only seven miles of bike network (bike lanes, shared lanes and paths). There are now 30 miles of bike network with 14 more scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

Thirty miles may not sound like a lot, but they have more than quadrupled their network for bicycling in just five years - that's impressive! Plus, with almost 50% more by the end of the year. That is a sea change in attitude and more importantly, commitment to bicycling as a bona fide means of transportation.

These improvements have come from state and federal recovery cash and thus have not had to be pulled from other needs according to Dequine.

How did all this happen and why did New Orleans commit to investing in bicycling infrastructure? The article indicates in part it was because of the economic downturn and need for cheaper transportation, as well as growing environmental concerns.

It seems to me, the framework or driver (no pun intended) for the change was the commitment by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development when they adopted a policy last July that requires each state road construction project to consider the best design for accommodating all forms of transportation - including bicycles, public transit and pedestrians.

Sounds like to me that Louisiana DODT adopted the Complete Streets philosophy. Without that shift in policy, I doubt that many of these changes would have happened. In my mind it is the single most important thing a state can do. One I would love to see Oklahoma and all other states do!

Complete Streets provides a comprehensive framework for the types of improvements needed for safe bicycle riding to occur, as well as various resources to help states pull it off without reinventing the wheel - another pun, sorry.

If Louisiana did in fact adopt the Complete Street policy, I would love to know how the bicycling community worked to get it adopted.

Photo by Rusty Costanza, The Times-Picayune

It was just yesterday I posted about the growth of cycle tourism in Europe, and now today I read that New Orleans has made great strides in increasing their network of lanes, paths shared roads for bicyclists.

One can only hope other cities/states take notice and make the same commitment and policy changes. The Secretary of Transportation, Ray Lahood, certainly is committed to it and issued a statement this past March specifying that pedestrians and bicyclists were to be considered equals as modes of transportation to motorized transportation. (Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation)

Suffice it to say, as Velo Hobo pointed out to me in his comment yesterday to the Cycle Tourism post, there is an increase in bicycle touring in the U.S. and an increase in cyclists as a whole.

We are a growing presence and a growing force.

The tide may turn slowly, but improvements are being made. I will continue to look for examples of improvements and positive changes for the bicycling community and post about them. Let me know of any you are aware of in your area or if you would want to do a guest post about it.

Wishing you safe riding.

Cycle Tourism

2010-10-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

According to one of my new favorite websites, Copenhagenize, many European countries like Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic are investing beaucoup dollars and resources to increase cycle tourism.

In the U.S. we haven't accepted cyclists yet as bona fide partners on the road, nor do we have the infrastructure to support cycle tourism in a broad sense. We can dream though....

From Copenhagenize:

"While most of my work deals with increasing bicycle traffic in cities through infrastructure and positive marketing, I have been in the loop about cycle tourism on many of the visits I've made to other cities and regions. It's an interesting area of growth. Some countries are investing heavily in cycle tourism and Germany is the grand old man in the industry. Czech Republic and Hungary, too, are focusing on getting more cycle tourists to visit their regions."

Read the full article - Cycle Touring Film Festival

Don't Twive

2010-10-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Now following @dontTwive - Don't Tweet and Drive - on Twitter. Check out their blog:

http://www.donttwive.blogspot.com/

From @DontTwive website

From Another Blog~

2010-10-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you that bike, you've probably heard of Bike Shop Girl. She was hit by a car recently - she is okay physically, but understandably (at least to me) she isn't doing as well mentally and emotionally.

The post quoted below by Kent's Bike Blog, speaks to the risks of riding and not riding. It's excellent, I hope you'll visit his website and read the full post.

Life'll Kill Ya (Excerpt from Kent's Bike Blog)

My Twitter friend Arleigh (aka Bike Shop Girl aka @arsbars) was hit by a car last week. Prior to being wisely "advised not to write, blog, tweet or facebook update until things get settled," she shared these thoughts on Twitter:

"Mentally I am really screwed up. I'm a safe rider and this was a calm afternoon and bike commute. Nothing I could have done different. Scary."

and

"Bicycling, commuting & encouraging others to do the same is my life. I was just hurt badly by that lifestyle..not sure how to swallow that."

I've never met Arleigh in the real world (the one with bikes and cars and roads and traffic) but we've traded bits and bytes and thoughts and pictures and I think of her as a kindred spirit, a fellow rider and a friend. I wanted to write a "it'll be OK, get back in the saddle, keep 'em rolling" kind of thing but as Arleigh noted, things like this are scary. Damn scary. (Read More)

Who Knew?

2010-10-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Next time you have a bottle of wine and no corkscrew, go to the garage and get your bike pump.

Yes, your bike pump.

Autumn Riding

2010-10-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Autumn is the best time of year to bike, at least in Oklahoma - and I would imagine, in most places.

The winds are lighter, the weather is less stormy and one of my favorite things - the sunlight has a golden hue.

I refer to it as Tuscan sunlight because it reminds me of the sunlit villages in Tuscany when we were there several years ago.

Cetona, Italy

I loved the way the sunlight lit up everything - with warmth, not harshness.

This time of year in Oklahoma is as close as we get to that. It's truly beautiful and something I appreciate and try to take advantage of before the harsher weather of winter is here.

We rode out in the country today, with very little traffic. It was peaceful and pleasant - a great way to spend an autumn day.

Nathaniel Hawthorne on Autumn

Test Post

2010-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Changing your blog is a pain in the ass.

Bike Beauty

2010-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Bicycle Law

2010-10-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from the website "Bicycling Law" maintained by attorney, Bob Mionske.

"A week after Bradley Walck killed Ardie Lewis in Oklahoma, Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed Matt’s Law—named for cyclist Matt Wilhelm, who was killed in that state by a texting driver—which bans composing, sending and reading any “electronic message” while driving. In Utah, drivers who kill while texting face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine; in Alaska, the sentence can be as much as 20 years.

Still, only a handful of states have banned texting. What’s most remarkable is that 20 states, including Oklahoma, have considered texting legislation, but have failed to act."

(Mionske article continued here).

For the Love of Bikes~

2010-10-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

I've changed ~~I'm changing~~ the name of my blog from "Life ~ Loves ~ Pursuits" to "For the Love of Bikes".

I love the name, it fits my blog (and me) perfectly. Can't believe it wasn't taken already. Lucky me.

I was able to get the Blogspot url for "love of bikes" and have copied over what I can. I'm playing around with a new format. Check it out and let me know what you think- : http://loveofbikes.blogspot.com/

I'm also creating a Facebook page and Twitter page for "For the Love of Bikes" so I can post blog articles there instead of my personal FB page. Trying to keep personal stuff and work separate... Big Laugh!

Go Bicycle Before It’s Too Late

2010-10-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Once again I found something cool on the Copenhagenize.com site.

Aren't those cool? I love them all, but especially the first one.

These posters are part of an exhibition of the London Design Festival.

Copenhagenizing the World

2010-10-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

"All around the world we're in a race against time to get people onto bicycles. For the public health, for the common good, for rebuilding liveable cities.

Each and every day roughly 500,000 citizens choose the bicycle in Greater Copenhagen. This blog highlights who they are, why they do and how it was made possible.

Forty yars ago Copenhagen was jus as car-clogged as anywhere else but now 37% of commuters crossing the city boundary ride bicycles each day. That number rises to 55% in the city proper. Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere." ~

Copenhagenize

We Love Bikes - Denmark

2010-10-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

From Copenhagenize -

Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec

2010-10-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

If you have spent any time at all on this blog you know I like bikes.

If you were around last July or if you have scrolled down and noticed the many blog posts I did on the Tour de France - you would conclude I must love bike racing.

Race day - Hotel Frontenac

Put those two things together, mix in our bike trip to Quebec City - add the first ever North American UCI Pro Tour race in Quebec City - and wallah - you've got it!

After our bike ride from Vermont to Quebec City we stayed on to watch the top professionals in the world, many of whom raced in this year's Tour, compete in Quebec City Friday, September 10, 2010 in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec.

The riders came into Quebec Tuesday before the race via a charter jet from Paris. We saw them several times riding the course and at the Hotel Frontenac before Friday's race.

Training on Côte de la Montagne

10 - 13 % gradient on the Côte de la Montagne

Damn, this hurts!

One evening we went to dinner near the Frontenac so walked to the hotel afterwards. We saw these two young guys with Footon - Servetto also hanging out in the lobby -

Pro bike racers are such nice guys - can you see a pro football player doing this?

Favored Canadian and very nice guy, Ryder Hesjedal (finished 4th in TDF)

On race day, like every other day in Quebec City we walked - no need for a car here. And, like nearly every day in Quebec, that walk took us up the la Montagne - 345 miles on the bike, then 25 miles plus walking around the hilly Old Quebec - my calves - and feet - thighs - had frankly had enough, but we persevered.

We walked to the Hotel Frontenac, where all the teams and entourage of the race stayed. All the team cars were parked and loaded up with bikes (drool). There were several riders inside the large tent warming up and getting ready. It was a sight!

Toy Store!

All the bikes were beautiful - we could get as close as we wanted - it was cool to see the frames and gruppo of each bike. There were people everywhere and a lot of excitment in the air.

Quebec is so geared toward cycling, we expected them to come out to watch and they had. As we walked on past the Frontenac toward the start line there were people starting to congregate. The streets were barricaded and police were onhand. It was still hours until race time so not too many people to wade through.

Like us, most of the crowd seemed headed for the start - although when we walked up the la Montagne quite a few people were already starting to congregate. It was still a couple of hours until start time.

Ready for the race!

There were lots of people along the barricade but it was easy for us to find a spot right at the front, reasonably close to the start and stage where the teams and riders would be announced.

Shortly before the start of the race.

Although it had been very cloudy and cool, the sky was starting to brighten and it was warming up a bit. There was a lot going on - racers riding by, race officials on motorbikes and in cars staging, SRAM was there as were other sponsors.

Will Swetnam, photographer, works for Graham Watson.

Race official telling me to get back!

I want her job!

When certain riders rode by the crowd would cheer and bang hands against the signs on the barricades - clapping. The people standing next to us were fans of Tommy Voeckler, as am I.

Tommy Voeckler, French Champion, riding for Bbox.

When Canadian, Ryder Hesjedahl rode by everyone cheered loudly - including me - I like him too - what a Tour he had! George Hincapie, another class act, decked out in his stars and stripes US national champion's kit rode by.

Americans, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner of Team Radio Shack, also rode by warming up and we cheered loudly. Horner smiled. Neat guy.

The extra cool thing about this event, is that it was a criterium race; meaning the racers did 15 laps of a 12.6 km circuit in Old Quebec (hilly Old Quebec) - 189 km - approximately 4.5 hours of racing.

We had options watching a race of this type (circuit). We could hunker down in one spot (start/finish) or move around the course to get a different vantage point of the race - say watch them struggle up the very steep (13% grade in sections) Côte de la Montagne ("Hill of the Mountain").

Photo by Francois Thevenin

Training ride.

George Hincapie in the stars and stripes.

Or we could do both - guess which we did.

At the start-

And they're off!

At the finish

In the middle

Outside a bistro during the middle of the race where we enjoyed;

Brick oven pizza and local beer

When we heard the motorbikes approach, we would get up from our table, walk a few feet outside to the street and watch the lead group race by, then the peloton, then the stragglers, then go back inside for about 20 minutes until they would come by again.

Another good cappuccino

It worked out perfectly. Pizza, beer, coffee and bike racing - OMG - a perfect day.

It was a lively crowd down at this end. Instead of cowbells, they banged on a large pan and hooped and hollered every time the racers went by.

Don't see that at a football or baseball game!

It was an exciting race. I love the fact that it was criterium race, we had a chance to see the riders go by 15 times, and when we were at the start/finish we could watch all the action on large screens. We got to see most of the race (we watched it replayed on Versus the weekend we got home).

I will tell you nothing comes close to capturing the SPEED these guys ride at. Seriously, they go by in a blur. When we were at the finish, up against the barriers, the last 3 or 4 laps they came so close to the barrier I couldn't believe it.

When we would see them approaching, I would take my camera and reach over the barrier to take pictures. Moments, really just a couple of seconds before they approached I would jerk my hand and body back. If I hadn't god knows what would have happened - I might have lost an arm. Or worse, they would have made me leave for endangering the riders!

They rode right up against them. Some of the pictures give you an idea, sort of, but not really.

It was a great race and an obviously difficult one. I think it would be fair to say a surprisingly difficult race from the riders standpoint. We saw riders dropping (out) like flies. Before the race was over 63 riders would drop out - about 1/3rd of the number that started - an unusually high number for any race. It was obviously a grueling course.

When the race started, there was a break almost immediately of about 13 riders. A core group of riders stayed away until the last lap.

We watched the break survive lap after lap.

Just about the time they were caught, Ryder Hesjedal attacked, Damiano Cunego attacked on the leg killing Côte de la Montagne - the same place the 1st attack occurred that resulted in the 13 rider break.

It was a punishing attack by Hesjedal to try and claim a victory and fell just short. He was doing all the work and simply couldn't maintain the brutal pace. When the group slowed down momentarily. Thomas Voeckler shot off the front at a turn and because of the indecision and/or fatigue of the group, by the time they reacted - it was too late.

Photo by Francois Thevenin

Here he comes - we were maybe 50 meters from the finish!

The French Champion claimed the win by just 1 second over the chasing group. Edvald Boasson-Hagen came in second, Robert Gesink was third, and Ryder Hesjedal fourth.

Velo News photo

The evening before the race, who should Mark and I run into at the Chateau Frontenac - but Thomas Voeckler. Voeckler is one of my favorite racers and has been ever since I first saw him race in 2004. He is gutsy and as tough as they come. His first year in the TDF (2004) he held the yellow jersey for 10 days, 9 days longer than anyone expected when he captured it.

No one counts him out any longer. He won Stage 15 in this year's Tour (my post on stage 15). He is tenacious and one smart bike racer. I was so happy to get my picture taken with him - he even had to wait until Mark could fix the camera after I inadvertently pushed a wrong button. Instead of getting frustrated and walking off he smiled and waited.

Thomas Voeckler, Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec Champion, 2010

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 6/Part II

2010-09-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 6: Trois-Rivières to Quebec City ~ 85 miles

We left our lunch stop at Deschambault committed to riding the rest of the way to Quebec City - about 45 miles. Committed, and excited.

Some of you are probably thinking we should be committed for riding 85 miles!

When we rolled away from Angelus Bistro it was just the two of us. A few of the group were in front and others hadn't left yet. In discussions at lunch, arrangements were made for a few options of catching the van - around 45 miles and 70 mile points (right before the first ginormously steep hill).

After a few miles, the ride instructions directed us to the Rue de Quai, the longest qaui (pier) in Canada, toward Portneuf Maritime Terminal. There was a restaurant there that a couple of the group lunched at. Reading on we could see that once you got to the end of the pier you simply turned around and got back on the road/bike pathway we were on. We decided to skip the pier and continue on with our ride to Quebec City.

It would save us two miles - hey, two miles is two miles.

Before long we were on Route 138, the Chemin du Roy, "Kings Higway", one of the oldest highways in Canada. It follows the north shore of the Saint Lawrence. Although we could not see it all the time, we knew the Saint Lawrence was just to our right as we headed towards Quebec City. The route was definitely starting to get a little hillier, but nothing like the 10%+ grade climbs we would see later on.

At mile 50 we turned off the Chemin du Roy to see the Cap Sante' (Cape Health) historic church.

Cap Sante church

Bienvenue - Welcome!

We didn't get off our bikes, just stopping long enough to take a few pictures. The best thing about our stop was it gave Deena a chance to catch up (she had biked to the Portneuf pier). I was glad to have her riding with us. It was best, IMO, if no one had to ride alone. There is safety in numbers and just having someone else to keep you company is nice. Maybe that comes from years and years of solo riding, but for a tour like this - where you are riding in unknown territory - it's best to have at least one other person with you. Besides Deena was a strong rider and could take some turns pulling at the front.

We all took off again on the Chemin du Roy rolling along at a moderate pace, but dealing with strong headwinds. I continued to feel better and stronger and enjoyed just powering along.

We came to the first of the three steep hills at mile 54. This hill was relatively short, just over .5 mile and was the least steep of the three. We did it without any problem.

At mile 61 we turned left off of Route 138 the Chemin du Roy on to the rue des Erables. We rode on Erables for two miles - a steady and sometimes steep climb through a small village with lots of quaint and unique houses. No cookie cutter homes here, thank you.

About the time we thought it had leveled off, it continued to climb. None of these climbs were "categorized" in that they were not singled out on our route directions. Just a warm up climb that didn't deserve a mention when compared to what lay ahead. Oh boy.

We got back on to Route 138/Chemin du Roy and followed the Route Verte 5. We stopped for a bit to refuel with energy bars and add electrolyte tablets to the water we had left in our bottles. We couldn't afford to bonk so it was important to continue to take in nutrition.

We also joked about calling our team, Team Estrogen, and making Mark a full member. He was unclear about whether he would wear the TE shirt.

The closer we got to Quebec City the more varied the terrain got. At mile 65 we were warned to watch our speed on a steep downhill which flattened on a wooden bridge. The next couple of miles were easy with virtually no traffic and very bucolic.

Another picturesque home in Quebec. No for sale sign though.

Google Earth photo

Gorgeous Google Earth photo

Once again, I was amazed at the Route Verte and the quality of bike roads available. So amazed, I had to stop and take a picture. Deena and Mark wait for me just up the road. This picture epitomized Quebec's attitude and commitment to cyclists and the use of bikes as transportation.

Route Verte 5 Quebec

We were getting excited as we got closer to Quebec City. Earlier in the day the first mileage sign we saw for Quebec City showed 122 km to Quebec City. Over the miles/kilometers we watched them go down - now we were at about 25 km.

Just before mile 70 who should we see, but our fellow Sojourners! They had pulled off the road to wait for us so we could refill water bottles and grab something to eat. It was so neat, before I saw them, I heard them clapping and cheering us on. It was great to see them and gave us a boost to keep going. We stopped only for a few minutes and then got back on the bikes before our legs started to cramp or stiffen.

While stopped, Montreal Mark warned us the 1st of the really steep climbs (10 - 15% grade) was just up ahead. We hadn't been on the bikes a mile when we saw it. It looked to be a short, but HC (hors catégorie) level climb in steepness. All three of us - Deena, Mark and I - clipped out and walked up the *hill*. All three of us made the comment that riding up it couldn't have been any harder than walking - talk about "feel the burn"!

One down - one to go. Once it flattened a bit we remounted and rode on. It felt good to have one out of the way and it was every bit as steep as we had been told. Ouch.

We continued on Chemin du Roy/Route Verte 5 through an area that was part farmland/part suburbia. Within a mile or so we were back on bike path; sure enough, I can see the path on Google Earth using the data collected on our ride from our Garmin Edge - WOW.

We went from bike path to roadways marked for bikes throughout the rest of the ride in. You gotta love Quebec's bikeability. I do!

We were in what looked to be an affluent suburb of Quebec City making our way towards our next and LAST killer hill - Cap Rouge. We knew we were almost at it when we passed under the railroad trestle bridge, the Tracel. It was built in 1907 and is still in use today. Gustave Eiffel was involved in the building of the Tracel.

Le Tracel, Cap Rouge (Google Earth/A. Konig)

We got to the Cap Rouge hill and started our climb clipped in. The road wasn't real wide and there was traffic. There was also a sidewalk if we needed to bail. The fear when you are clipped in and your legs are feeling less than dependable, is that you will not be able to maintain enough momentum to keep going, and not being able to unclip you fall over (picture "Laugh In", the guy on the tricycle falling over). Every cyclist knows what I'm talking about. If you ride with clipless pedals chances are you've done it at one time or another - it's not fun and something to be avoided. And yes, I speak from experience.

We all came to the same conclusion at almost the same instant and pulled over and unclipped. We walked our bikes up the hill on the sidewalk - I'm sure Betty was happy for the break. My legs were not. Walking up that hill hurt my legs less than ginormous hill #1, but more than riding would have. Oh well, we got past it - that's what was important.

We continued on following the Route Verte 5 signs as we rode through a beautiful, heavily treed residential area. There were lots of turns the latter part of the ride, it was great to have Navigator Mark calling them out.

At about 75 miles we started to feel giddy. I know I was. Excitement or lack of oxygen to the brain I'm not sure - but who cared. We were 10 miles away!

The hard part/parts were over - 6 days of riding were coming to a close and we were flying. We rode along this busy street, backed up with traffic as people were trying to leave Quebec City and we were just arriving. They were stuck in rush hour traffic going nowhere and we were speeding along almost effortlessly. I was grinning from ear to ear.

On bikes. Having ridden all the way from Burlington, Vermont. Yes, I had a big smile on my face.

The ride continued on like that until we came to a descent we had been forewarned about. Again, no exaggeration here. We rode through the first part of the descent, stopping just in time before we crashed into the cars that were stopped waiting to go.

That got our attention, so we stopped just before the railroad tracks so we could check out the second part of the descent.

What was tricky about this descent was: 1) it was steep, 2) you had to stop at the bottom because there was a traffic light and it probably would be red (Murphy's Law impacts cyclists too), 3) there were cars coming in from side streets, 4) it was a twisty/winding descent, 5) did I mention it was very steep and you had to STOP or you would end up crashing into a car waiting at the light or end up in the middle of the road.

I wish I had a picture, but I don't. I think I was the most nervous about the descent, in part, because I don't like to crash (and have), hate getting hit by car (and have) and also because I hated the brakes on my bike. I had to squeeze the brakes so hard to come to a stop my forearms would have looked like Popeye's if there had been many descents like this one. I haven't always been so skittish about descending, in my earlier days of riding I would hit 45mph on my 23c tires. That was before thousands of dollars of dental work though.

While still at the top, we waited for traffic to clear at the bottom of the hill so we would have more room to stop. Here we go.

Feathering brakes - so far - so good. Controlled descent - always what I'm after.

Oops, cars getting in line at light from those side streets that we couldn't see well from the top.

Light turns red - knew it would.

Squeezed those brakes as hard as I could, I slowed and got into the left hand turn lane to cross the road and get on to the Quebec City/St. Lawrence river bike path. We were in Quebec City!

A piece of cake. Ha!

We had headwinds most of the day, but the wind along the bike path in Quebec City made the other pale in comparison.

But we were almost finished, having ridden 80 miles at this point. All we had to do was follow the path to our hotel, Auberge St. Pierre, and keep from getting blown backwards.

All the other cyclists were headed toward us because of that massive wind which was at their backs and were flying effortlessly. Show-offs.

We rode along on the bike path, taking in the buildings of Old Quebec to our left and the majestic St. Lawrence to our right.

We stopped so we could capture the moment and while we were stopped who should ride up but our Sojourn buds, Jeff and Joshua! It was great to see them.

Deena, me, Mark, Jeff aka Team Blue.

The smiles lasted for days and days.

With Joshua in the lead, we rode a few more miles to the Auberge St. Pierre. We had done it!

85 miles

345 miles in 6 days

Burlington, VT to Quebec City, CA

Joshua, Mark, Susan, Deena & Jeff/Sojourn photo by Montreal Mark

For the day, I rode 84.97 miles, avg. speed 12.6, 6 hrs-44min on bike, 2,175 ft. elevation gain, avg. heart rate 108 bpm.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip, I've enjoyed writing about it. You think when you take such a memorable trip that the memories won't fade, but they do. I like that I can go back and reread these posts or look at the pictures from time to time. I wish I had done this when we went to Italy several years ago so I could go back and relive the experience. Guess we will have to go back so I can blog about it!

Beside the 8 posts about the bike tour, check out my other posts about Quebec City too, Quebec City and Québécoise Locavores

Also, Sojourners by Bike ~ Au Revoir

Still to come, my post about the first ever North American UCI Pro Tour bike race, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec which we were fortunate enough to watch in beautiful Old Quebec City September 10th 2010.

It was an awesome experience and a great race: 189km race, won by 1 second by the great French Champion, and my new friend, Tommy Voeckler.

The day before the race at the Hotel Frontenac.

Sojourners by Bike~Day 6 (Part I)

2010-09-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 6: Trois-Rivières to Quebec City ~ 85 miles

When I woke up Friday morning, I was too busy thinking about the 90% chance of rain predicted and how to dress for it, to focus much on the miles (85, 70, 45), or to be nostalgic about it being our last day and how quickly in one way (but certainly not in all) the week had gone.

Today was the Queen stage of our Vermont to Quebec City Tour - the most difficult day of the tour.

Just as the group was rolling away from the Hotel Gouverneur, Mark and I decided to get our rain jackets out of the backpack in the van so we could carry them on the bike. That done, we hurried through a residential area to catch up to the group.

This time getting out of town was more difficult than getting in. Catching up to the group, we rolled through heavy morning commuter traffic, plus construction that required us to cross the road a couple of times. Not easy getting 16 people on bikes across busy roads with morning traffic, but with our usual finesse, we did it. It was a lot of stop and go and breathing of car fumes.

We walked our bikes across the sidewalk on the bridge with all the construction (and thanks to my Garmin Edge 305 and Google Earth I see it was actually 2 bridges - separated by a small island). After getting across the bridges we all stopped and discussed which way we were to go.

Since most of us had taken a wrong turn yesterday we didn't want to repeat it - no extra miles today, thank you. About that time - like a knight on a white horse, Joshua on his Cannondale stead, raced by, turning on to a side street and waiting for the herd of cats to get in line. Excuse the mixed metaphor.

The first hard part was over. Now we knew why one of the options for the day was to shuttle the first 7 miles out of Trois-Rivières!

When things had settled down I started thinking about whether I would go for the full 85 miles or something shorter. Mark seemed up for the full 85 - although neither of us knew how we would do once we came to the 3 ominous sounding climbs going into Quebec City. We had ridden every mile thus far and being who we are we wanted to ride all the way into Quebec City - even if it meant walking up the hills. One positive thing - there was no rain and the temperatures were cool - humid - but cool.

A neat thing happened as we were riding down this long stretch of road just outside of Trois-Rivières. As we were riding we passed a yard sale, and as we did someone shouted at us and waved. We quickly recognized her as the woman that had checked us in at the Hotel Gouverneur - and waved back - amazed that she recognized us! Another nice/friendly Quebecer!

At our first stop with Montreal Mark, we refilled bottles with water topped off with Gatorade mix, plus a few granola bars and fruit, then we were off. By this time the group had splintered into smaller groups; Mark, Lisa and I rode together. Not to be gross, but the eggs (which appeared to be powdered eggs) I had at breakfast were continuing to make their presence known - and I'm not talking about fueling my legs. Nausea and bike riding are not a good combo. At the rest stop I took a couple of tums and hoped that the eggs would fade into the background.

What I have noticed over the years on multi-day rides is you can feel great one day (me yesterday) and feel the polar opposite the next day - me today. The eggs didn't help. Anyway, it was a pleasant ride as we rode an easy pace. There was really not much wind to speak of and still no rain - more than we could have hoped for given the forecast.

We rode along the mighty St. Lawrence river often being able to see it from the road. I loved riding alongside water.

Today's route took us through farmland, villages, quaint houses, large churches or small cathedrals and basically, one bucolic scene after another.

Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade

At first glance it looks like a pilgrim riding a broom.

Betty either taking a break or having a tantrum.

After crossing the Riviere St. Anne, the van was waiting at the Fromagerie FX Pichet, an organic cheese producer. We had the choice doing a tour and tasting or riding on. We decided to ride on but refilled our bottles and chatted for a few minutes. This was about at mile 25 so if we were going to ride the full 85 we still had 60 to go. My body didn't feel like it had 30 let alone 60 miles of riding in it!

Before going very far it quickly became obvious that we now had a head to cross wind. Oh boy - now we didn't just have 85 miles to ride but we were going to ride it against the wind too!

As we rode on, the stronger the wind got - plus it was more of a straight headwind. It also seemed like we were gradually climbing. I rode in front and put my head down and pedaled. I was feeling not so good and as we rode along heading to Deschambault for lunch I was coming to the conclusion that I probably wasn't going to ride the full 85. Even though it wasn't the best of conditions for riding a bike - sailing, maybe - it was still nice to be out there riding. It was our last day, and it was still fun - hell, we were in Quebec riding bikes! Hard yes, but fun, definitely.

We eased the pace some and pedaled on toward lunch. The closer we got to Deschambault the hungrier I got. Lisa was in front of us and when we got to Deschambault she was waiting at the the recommended lunch stop, L' Angélus Bistro.

My day turned at L' Angélus Bistro. As the saying goes, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. We were the first ones of the group there, and the place was empty. As we were looking over the menu others from our group arrived.

It was a neat restaurant so I went around with my camera taking pictures.

Angélus Bistro

While we decided on lunch we ordered the requisite cappuccino and orange San Pellegrino. We took pictures of Jerry & Lisa and they took pictures of us. We were all happy to be off the bike and out of the wind for awhile.

Yep, I get that excited over cappuccino.

And San Pelligrino

A few slices of life + look at that salad!

More bike racks in front of the bistro than the town we live in.

After the delicous pizza and salad, 2 Pelligrinos and cappuccino, I felt like I had had a blood transfusion - seriously, like I had engaged in a little blood doping or something. It was amazing, really, I couldn't believe the difference in how I felt going into Angélus Bistro and I felt leaving. Nothing short of a miracle.

I didn't realize it at the time, (duh), but I had been riding on an empty tank. Not only had I not eaten much at breakfast, but I had not had much to eat at dinner the night before either. I didn't like what I ordered - pasta and shrimp but with a heavy cream sauce which I didn't like and ate little of. When you are doing these kind of miles you have to eat (damn ;) - no food = no fuel. Refueled, I was ready to go. I also started thinking about those last 3 hills into Quebec City we had heard so much about.

Halfway to QC - only 45 miles to go!

The sun was out and it was warming up - things were definitely looking up. I ignored the wind, okay, you couldn't really ignore it, but I didn't focus on it as we headed away from Deschambault.

Read on: Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 6 (Part II)

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 5

2010-09-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 5: Sorel-Tracy to Trois-Rivières - 54 miles

Today brought something I have been looking forward to - cloud cover and a little cooler temperature. My skin needed both.

Looking out the window of our hotel room you could see the St. Lawrence river. We would be following the St. Lawrence as we headed toward and into Quebec City.

St. Lawrence River from Auberge de la Rive

We rode just a short way before we caught a ferry to take us across the St. Lawrence. We loaded our bikes and went to the top so we could enjoy the nice view and take pictures.

Deena & Suzy, waiting our turn to board.

Squaring our bikes away.

Mark was the only one of us to take off his helmet - never know about rough water.

Today was the best I had felt all week and I was looking forward to the ride - from the description furnished it sounded like it would be a scenic day of riding. Plus, I was excited that we were going to be riding on the Route Verte.

I had read about the Route Verte before coming on the tour. The Route Verte is a 4,000 km plus, network of bike ways - bike paths, shared marked roadways, paved shoulders, etc. What a resource! It is the largest network of bike paths/roadways in North America, I can't imagine there are too many anywhere that are as extensive.

Route Verte 5 sign

The other noteworthy road we would be riding was the Le Chemin du Roy (Kings Road). We learned from Montreal Mark (aka Headmaster Mark :) that it was the first road between Montreal and Quebec City, built in the 1700's. Mark was a wealth of information about Quebec, particularly the history of Quebec's attempts to gain independence from Canada.

Shortly after leaving the ferry we were riding once again in bucolic (great word, Joshua) surroundings following the Chemin du Roy & Route Verte 5 signs. There were several turns in quick succession, the group had split into a few smaller groups and we were all visiting and looking at one cute/quaint house after another.

I love this one!

Before long, Navigator Mark (aka the hubs) said to me that we were going the wrong way. I didn't normally pay a lot of attention to the detailed play by play of our daily route (since Navigator Mark was usually close by), but I had noticed that we hadn't made a turn in awhile and according to the directions and the mileage, we should have. I swear he has built in GPS (he does in fact own 2 GPS devices, plus has it on his phone), anyway, when he said we were headed in the wrong direction I stopped too.

He had noticed that there was someone outside at one of the houses we passed so he headed back there to get directions. Joni, Don and Barbara were nearby so they waited too while Mark was attempting to get directions from this very nice French (only) speaking gentleman and his equally nice French (only) speaking wife.

Parlez-vous Francais? Parlez-vous Anglais?

Who knew that 9th grade French would come in handy 40+ years later. Between words and gestures Mark established we had indeed missed our turn and needed to backtrack one mile.

The five of us turned around and headed back and sure enough the road we were looking for was right where it should be, we made a left and got back on track. We couldn't remember for sure who was in front of us, but hoped they too would realize they were headed in the wrong direction and turn around.

Before long, Joshua came by in the van and we were able to tell him about the other group.

We continued on in what was a perfect bike riding day. Cool temperatures, heavy clouds with an occasional sprinkle and light winds. Perfect.

To make it even better we had beaucoup bucolic scenery! Gorgeous stuff.

We took our time, stopped along the way to take a few pictures and stopped at a neat looking general store in the middle of nowhere.

A bucolic cemetery -

Look at that cloud cover!

General store - Quebec style

We went inside, I needed to visit "the big girl's room" and thought for sure they would have one. In another conversation with a French only speaking Quebecer, Navigator/9th grade French Mark managed to get that there was a bathroom just down the road. I thought it was odd they didn't have one, but guessed that it was just for employees and that there was a gas station or something down the road for sweaty people on bikes.

Don & Barbara stopped too (notice the old gramophones)

Part General Store - part Museum

We bought a few things, including a mango slushy type drink and headed outside to quickly finish our drinks and find that bathroom!

After several miles of riding and not seeing any other stores or gas stations, it hit us that what she must have said was - there was a bathroom around the back of the store! I really need to learn survival French!

We rode on looking at the bucolic beauty around us and my personal search for a place to take, in the words of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, a "naturale break".

This was the best day of riding we had thus far - it was beautiful, cool, cloudy and virtually, no wind.

We rode on until we came to our "lunch stop" town - Louiseville. Joshua and Mark had recommended a a couple of places, we saw Sojourn bikes at one so we parked our bikes and went inside (bathroom - yay!). I had crepes and the best cappuccino of our entire trip - and I had many. It was so delicious and pretty I took a picture.

A perfect cappuccino

While at lunch we met two men that were American expats. One had moved to Quebec in the late 1950's, the other didn't say, but told us he was a master wood carver (Roger Desjardins) and gave us two small replicas of the ducks he carves and paints. A woman from Louiseville that was also a cyclist asked us about our trip and wished us luck. Nice people in Quebec.

Cathedral in Louiseville/Sojourn photo

We took off with Patty and Dick (aka Richard) and talked as we covered the miles. Patty has done numerous bike tours across the country - she gave me some ideas for future tours. One of the things that was enjoyable about this tour, is that between riding and dining we had a chance to talk and get to know everyone in the group - including Joshua and Mark, the tour leaders. It was a very congenial group -and reconfirmed what I have found while biking over the years - people that ride bikes are almost always friendly and fun people!

At the 40 mile point some of the group took the van to our hotel in Trois-Rivières, others rode on. There was a lookout area to see the St. Lawrence - it was very wide at this location.

Pointe-du-lac/Google Earth photo (Claude Mongrain)

We passed the candy factory, Les Bonbon, considered stopping, but didn't. Although we had taken our time and enjoyed the sights along the way, at some point most rides you get to the stage where you just want to get to where you are going so you can stop and get off the bike. The fact that I passed a candy factory and didn't stop, is testament that I was at that point.

We got into Trois-Rivières and followed the Route Verte 5 signs on the sidewalk/bikepath. It was a busy area - the busiest we had been in thus far. There were lots of turns, stop lights and stop signs to negotiate as we made our way the the Hotel Gouverneur.

It was fun riding, I felt good, especially considering we were near the end of a 54 mile day. Mark, Joni and I meandered about Trois following the signs. We pedaled fast to get through the tunnel with no cars which was near the hotel. Once we saw the Ursulines Monastery we knew we were close. A quick stop to take a picture of the Notre-Dame Cathedral and on to the hotel.

La Cathedrale Notre Dame du Cap

Another great day of riding. We put away our bikes, relaxed for a little, cleaned up, then off to dinner at Bistro L'Ancetre just a few blocks away.

Bistro L' Ancetre (Wikipedia)

By the time we left the restaurant it was raining, the forecast for Day 6 - our ride into Quebec City - called for a 90% chance of rain - our longest day on the bike - and it might be rainy. Ugh. I went to sleep expecting to wake up to rain, but remembering how inaccurate most weather forecasts are, gave me peace of mind and I slept well.

For the day, I rode 54 miles, avg. speed of 12.8, avg. heart rate 97 - proof it was a leisurely day of riding.

Read on: Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 6 (Part I)

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 4

2010-09-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 4: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Sorel-Tracy - 61 miles

Today, we leave Auberge Harris and Madame Boutin behind. Madame came out to see us off and to give us a map of cycling in the area, and a map case which attaches to the handlebar of the bike. A nice souvenir and very thoughtful of her. She is an icon in bicycling advocacy here, I wish we had someone like her in my area.

Madame Boutin, Auberge Harris

Getting out of town was easier than getting in yesterday. The traffic was light and the temperatures cool. I should mention that we rode in and out on marked bike paths which are part of the street - i.e., a complete street. Complete Streets is a program in the U.S. aimed at getting our roads to work for everyone - young and old, cyclists, pedestrians, the disabled and drivers. What I realized as we rode from town to town this week, is that Quebec is one big example of the complete street philosophy.

This is about the time I started noticing for sale signs on homes and thinking as we rode by cute and quaint house after house, I could live here. Turns out Mark was doing the same thing.

We made our way along the bike path that follows the Chambly Canal just as we did yesterday afternoon. It was even more picturesque today since the sun wasn't beating down and the wind wasn't blowing.

The bike path also takes you past several locks on the way to Fort Chambly.

Lock along Chambly Canal (Google Earth-wimzip)

We arrived at Fort Chambly at 31 miles. It had been an easy ride thus far - we even had a nice tailwind. Much deserved after yesterday! We parked our bikes and took a quick look inside the Fort. Fort Chambly was built in 1711 to serve as protection against British invasion.

Fort Chambly (HistoricLakes.org)

We posed for a group picture (taken multiple times - with every one's cameras) and individual/couple pictures. What a photogenic group!

Still smiling and having fun!

Joshua & Mark - our fearless leaders!

The Richelieu River is wide and fast at Fort Chambly.

Richelieu River at Fort Chambly

We refilled our water bottles, stocked up on goodies, then headed to a local bike shop for socks for me. I still had the sun rash despite all the sunscreen I was using. Jeff in our group had loaned me a pair of his socks which were longer than mine and came up high enough to cover the rash around my lower legs - thanks Jeff.

Still smiling.. still standing.

I picked up a pair of socks and more sunscreen and we were off. The bike shop didn't sell sunscreen but the guy that worked there gave me lots of sample sized tubes - what a nice guy - cool bikes too. I love bike shops - my favorite kind of shopping. No time for that now, there were miles to cover.

We may look lost, but we're not. Really.

Our ride took us along the river and through small villages and towns, it was a pretty ride. We stopped for a Sojourn picnic lunch at Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu.

Lunch stop along the Richelieu River

I was slowly learning not to eat so much at lunch because it made the afternoon ride too hard. Overall the days got easier the more we rode. Strangely, I felt better after day 4 for instance, then I did after days 1 and 2. I could tell from the information from the Garmin Edge that I wasn't working too hard - at least cardiovascular wise - my legs and butt had a different opinion.

Today was another day of riding through quaint towns and beautiful scenery - bucolic you might say. Although we didn't stop often to take pictures, I couldn't pass this one by.

The Chateau Saint Antoine

Susan & Bruce

Lisa & Jerry

Just before we got into Sorel, we stopped for ice cream. Nothing like ice cream, raspberry sorbet for me, to cool you off. It was delicious - and an unexpected treat from our tour leader Joshua. Thanks Joshua! We would use this tomorrow to try and get something similar out of Mark - but alas, to no avail.

It was so nice to ride from town to town in Quebec. The majority of time we were on good roads, often on marked paths, but whether we were on a path or on the road the drivers accommodated us. No horns, no yelling, only waves. Even in the larger towns or cities like Sorel it didn't feel dangerous to ride. It was busy and there was a lot of traffic, but drivers accommodated cyclists. There are lots of reasons it would be nice to live in Canada, the ease and civility toward cyclists is just another.

For the day, I rode 61 miles, avg. speed of 15.1 (Hello tailwind!). Another fun day on the bike!

Read on: Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 5

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 3

2010-09-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 3: Loop Ride from Saint- Jean - sur - Richelieu - 58 miles

Today, we had the extra bonus of not having to pack up all of our stuff - we were staying at the Auberge Harris for two nights. A big deal, let me tell you.

On typical days, we had to have our luggage down and meet for breakfast at 8am. We would meet for our morning pre-ride briefing - describing where the most bucolic parts of the ride would be that day - about 8:45am. We would get on the road, generally around 9:15am.

There was a lot to do to get a group of our size and our stuff, plus our bikes and needs for the ride (energy drinks, bars, and god knows what else) together each day. The phrase herding cats comes to mind. Kudos to Joshua and Mark for making everything but the pedaling - painless.

Back to the ride. Today was a loop ride, we left the Auberge and returned to the Auberge 58 miles/6 hours later.

Madame Boutin, Auberge Harris

The morning ride was very pleasant as most of it was off road on cinder bike path; once we were out of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The temperatures were mild and a good part of the bike path, Le Monterigiade, was shaded. It reminded me, in parts, of the Katy Trail.

From Google Earth (Michel Rochette)

Le Monterigiade bike path.

We rode easily along the path which passed through lots of farmland - i.e., more cornfields. We did enjoy the shade and the quiet of the trail.

Are we in Kansas?

Every day the van, driven by whichever of the guys not on the bike with us, would stop so we could refuel. It was always nice to see the van waiting.

Time to refuel.

A highlight of the day was lunch - actually a highlight nearly every day was lunch. Lunch was "on our own" today which meant Mark and Joshua didn't have to prepare it and we would just eat where ever we chose. They had recommended a small cafe in St. Cesaire where we stopped for lunch.

We rode into St. Cesaire looking for a small cafe called, "P Munier & Fille" - a bakery that served sandwiches and espresso. Several of us stopped on the main street to figure out where the bakery was. Much discussion and looking around ensued - still not seeing it - several minutes later someone recognized that lo and behold we were standing maybe 100 feet from it! It was so funny! We have come to refer to those types of moments as a "bike coma".

Notice the name prominently displayed.

A seriously hungry group.

This was a very small place and we completely overwhelmed them. Except for Mark (Montreal Mark) and Joshua our French was pretty limited, as was the proprietor's English, so it took awhile to order and get our food.

It was worth the wait - not your run-of-the-mill ham sandwich - it was delicious. Better yet, look at this picture of Mark eyeing his ham sandwich adoringly.

Yummmm

It was another hot day and part of the crew decided to skip the Michel Jodoin Cidrerie, but about half the group rode on. The miles just before the Cidrerie were hilly - my Garmin Edge said we climbed 1,019 feet Day 3 - most of that was in the miles to and from the Cidrerie. The wind was also picking up, unfortunately for us it was a headwind. The miles of apple orchards were beautiful.

Apple Orchard of Michel Jodoin

Once we got to the Cidrerie Michel Jodoin, we parked our bikes and walked inside to the coldest air I had felt in forever. I was happy - restrooms with running water and air conditioning - what more could you ask for. Maybe a little cold cider?

Betty and the bikes.

We toured the area where the apple ciders and spirits are made then lined up for the tasting. Let's face it, that's why we were there.

Michel Jodoin Winery

The apples they use to make some of their products were beautiful. I can't recall the name of them, but they were even red on the inside.

Apple from MJ Orchard

The sparkling rose' cider was excellent, my favorite that we tried. The Michel Jodoin story is impressive and if interested, you can read about it on their website Cidrerie Michel Jodoin.

We left the cool and dark of Michel Jodoin's and walked out into a bright, hot oven. A few of the group took the van back to the Auberge Harris, a few of us headed back on our bikes. Betty was not happy.

The hills we climbed to get to the Cidrerie we had to climb again. Hot, windy and hilly - three words cyclists hate to hear - much less do. The hilly section ended quickly but the heat and wind continued. We rode through flat farmland with nothing to block the wind. Did I mention that the roads were terrible.

Many in the group would later say this was the hardest day. There were lots of turns, we were either going into the wind or with a crosswind. Never a tailwind. If there had been a tailwind we would have flown - but it was not to be.

Mark and I ended up by ourselves and even though we had filled our bottles up at the Cidrerie, we were quickly emptying them. We rode slowly and on the rare occasion we saw shade we would stop for a few minutes. It was brutal.

Miles later, looking up the road we saw what appeared to be a mirage - the Sojourn van. Lucky for us it was no mirage, it was Joshua and he had ICE COLD WATER. He had dropped the group off at the Auberge and then came back to make sure we were okay and refill our bottles with ICE COLD WATER. What a guy!

He sympathetically cursed the headwinds with us, asked us if we wanted a lift then went off to find the others.

Refueled we were ready to take the heat and wind back on. The views started to improve as we rode through the Chambly Basin and then along the Chambly Canal.

I was too tired and too focused on getting to the Auberge as quickly as I could (imagining the taste of that ice cold beer) to stop and take any pictures as we rode along the canal. It was beautiful! The canal, beautiful homes and magnificently paved (and wide) bike path was like something out of a cyclist's dream. It was simply gorgeous.

We rode alongside the Chambly Canal for around 10 miles then caught the bike path in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu for a few miles and back to the Auberge.

As we were getting off the bikes (Betty was dusty and tired) we caught a glimpse of the group that had either ridden back directly from lunch or taken the van back from the Cidrerie, at the pool looking cool and refreshed. We cursed them under our breath and went inside in search of Madame Boutin and her cold beer!

For the day, I rode 58 miles, avg. speed 12.3.

Read On: Sojourners by Bike - Day 4

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 2

2010-09-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a six day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 2: Lake Champlain Islands to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu - 52 miles

A great breakfast to start the day, a few adjustments to Betty (I always name my bikes - and she was a Betty) and we were set to go. Feeling better today so looking forward to a good day of riding - beautiful morning in North Hero.

First, a quick meeting about the route and a few words of wisdom from Mark and Joshua. - then mount up and we're off.

Today was especially exciting because we crossed the border into Quebec, Canada!

My pictures from crossing the border (and the rest of the ride that day) have vanished. How I don't know, but they aren't on the card. Sometimes I miss film, rarely, but now is one of those times. Fortunately, Mark had this picture of the border, plus I got a few from our route on Google Earth.

It was as a quiet a border crossing as you are apt to find anywhere - no one there, but our group. The border guard asked Mark and I how long we would be in Canada, when we replied 2 weeks, he looked at the small trunk on the bike and asked, "and that's all you're bringing for your visit?" We managed not to laugh since border guards aren't allowed to have a sense of humor, and pointed to leader Mark and the Sojourn trailer - he looked us over and let us in.

Once we crossed the border it immediately felt different being in Canada - the fact that we got there on our bikes made it even more so. The area was still rural and agricultural - boatloads of cornfields.

Google Earth photo

We stopped for lunch at Fort Lennox - another great meal by Sojourn - complements to Mark and Joshua. One thing is for sure, you do not go hungry on bike tours.

No info on Fort Lennox because we didn't stay for the tour, opting to ride on to try and beat the heat of the late afternoon. A good decision because it was a very hot day.

Google Earth photo

We rode 52 miles today, with the final 33 or so after lunch being tough because of the heat and headwind. I'm not sure what the temperature actually was, but the sun felt very hot. It must have been, because I ended up with a heat rash/sun/wind burn on my legs - despite using gobs of sunscreen.

Fellow rider, Deena was at the Auberge Harris when we arrived and showed us where to store our bikes. We went inside to check in and were greeted by Quebec's grand dame of cycling, Madame Boutin. She was just as Joshua and Mark described her - full of energy and excitement about biking, and making sure we had everything we needed. She was most gracious. Auberge Harris is a haven for bike riders, everything seems geared toward cyclists - I assure you, none of us are used to that!

Madame Boutin quickly became my best friend when she offered us a complementary ice cold beer. Delirious from the beer and the heat, we wandered around the Auberge and enjoyed looking at all the art (especially the Toutain pieces) that she had throughout the hotel.

from Toutain art website

Dinner at Le Bleumarin overlooking the Richelieu River. Good times.

For the day, I rode 52 miles, avg speed of 14.1.

Read on: Sojourners by Bike - Day 3

Sojourners by Bike ~ Intro

2010-09-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

"The Good Life, by Bike"

Sojourn Bike Tours Slogan

Late last year, the Hubs and I started talking/looking into a bike vacation. We had planned a bike tour to the Cape Ann area in Massachusetts, but Mark's appendix decided it had to come out a couple of weeks before we were to leave, so we had to cancel.

We wanted a bike tour that offered daily rides on average of about 50 miles, plus we wanted a trip that was in a beautiful part of the country and on good roads (light traffic) - didn't seem like too much to ask - Ha.

We found two tours that appealed to us. The first was a tour on the Katy Trail in Missouri that would allow us to ride across the state, on trail - no cars/trucks - but with someone to transport our "stuff" daily, plus take care of lodging, etc. We decided to do that tour in May, before school was out and temps got too warm. The Katy Trail trip was everything and more we had hoped for. For more information about it, read my Katy Trail trip report.

There was another bike tour that caught our eye, a bike tour which would take riders from Burlington, VT to Quebec City, Canada. There were mileage options on most days, but if the maximum miles offered were ridden, it would be about a 350 mile trip.

The description said it was mostly flat and on lightly traveled roads. Beautiful scenery, good roads, small groups and a part of the U.S. and Canada neither of us had ever been - sounded perfect. The trip was filling up so we had to make a quick decision - we did, we booked it in January, anticipating/hoping that all would be well for a bike tour in late August/early September. Mark's appendix was already out so no worries!

Vermont - Quebec City Bike Tour:

We flew into Manchester, NH on Southwest - that was as close to Vermont as we could get on Southwest (free tickets). We flew there on Friday, August 27, 2010 spent the night in Concord, NH, then drove the next morning to Burlington.

We arrived in Burlington the same day, and time it seemed, as hoards of freshman college kids. Bad timing. Once we made it to our B & B, One of a Kind B & B, we decided we would walk to dinner, no more traffic jams for us, thank you. Plus, I seemed to be coming down with the same virus that Mark had just recovered from - sore throat, headache, upset stomach... so I wanted to rest and continue to chugalug Airbornne.

Burlington is beautiful, it reminded me of Austin (must be the college kids), only it was prettier, greener, hillier and had the humongous Lake Champlain. I'd love to go back during the summer, before freshman orientation.

We decided not to let the beautiful view we had go to waste, so had dinner in the garden at the B & B and watched the sun go down.

We woke up early Sunday morning and I felt worse. Today was D-day or R-day for Ride, so I couldn't be sick. More Airbornne, plus a perfect breakfast by Maggie, and we were off to meet our fellow sojourners.

More bike tour success with our Vermont to Quebec City bike tour. Different than the Katy Trail trip, but like it in that the Quebec tour exceeded any and all hopes/expectations we allowed ourselves to have.

Read about it ~ Sojourners by Bike - Day One

Quebec City

2010-09-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

We just got in from our last evening in Quebec City. There is so much I love about this city, and Quebec as a whole.

We had dinner at the Cafe du Monde on the St. Lawrence, a wonderful meal and a waiter that went out of his way to take care of us.

After dinner we strolled around the city, dropped by the Hotel Frontenac for one last visit and finally saw the rooftop garden and art display that was right across from our hotel.

We saw the spectacular Image Mill one last time;

The Image Mill

and, took pictures of the buildings all aglow.

I love the European feel of Quebec City.

I love the friendliness and warmth of the people. I love their genuineness.

I love the pace of life here.

I love the gardens and unique plants and flowers.

I love (and envy) the respect that drivers show cyclists and the civility and equality between them.

I covet the bikeability of the entire provence of Quebec - the 4000 km Route Verte!

I love the walkability of the city (albeit steep at times) and the abundance of bike paths.

I love the abundance of fresh and locally grown fruits, vegetables and cheeses;

and, the beautiful farms and fields on the Isle of Orleans that produce them.

I love the narrow cobblestone streets and the many cafes and bistros that line them.

and especially the bistro where we were able to have pizza and beer and watch the bike race.

I love the café magnifique of Quebec-

I love Quebec City, I want to go back!

*Pictures added 9/15/10

Québécoise Locavores

2010-09-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Among other things yesterday, we visited the Marche de Vieux Port, the farmers market in Old Quebec.

If I said, "look at the size of those .." (fill in the blank), or something about the beauty, variety and price of the fruits, vegetables, oils, vinegars, cheese, bread, candy, cakes, etc., I said it a thousand times yesterday.

The quality and quantity of it all is unbelievable!

Much of what is sold at the Market is grown on the Ile d' Orleans, the agri-center of Quebec City. We visited the Ile d' Orleans and saw mile after mile of farms, apple, raspberry and strawberry stands along the mighty St. Lawrence river.

This area is abundant in good soil and moisture and the results are impressive. Everywhere you go, restaurants use the local fruits and vegetables grown.

Seriously, you can't imagine. A bag of beautiful and locally grown apples that had to have been 20lbs, possibly 25, sold for $8. As did a comparable bag of carrots and cucumbers.

You have no excuse not to eat your fruits and veggies if you live in this area.

Sojourners by Bike ~ Au Revoir

2010-09-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our last night together at a restaurant in Old Quebec, Pain Béni, where we had an excellent dinner and a lot of laughs reminiscing about our great week. Unfortunately, I have no pictures other than the one Margie took of us - even though I brought my camera.

Too busy talking.

Looking like a couple of goofy kids.

Then yesterday morning we said au revoir to our bike tour buddies, we were sad to see them go.

Sojourners aka Studs

Mark & Joshua, our fearless leaders

We biked, ate, slept, packed - and repeated - for six days - Sunday, August 29, 2010 - Friday, September 3, 2010.

Six glorious days of riding - 345 miles - ending with an epic ride into Quebec City of 85 miles (6.5 hours on the bike) fighting head and cross winds, walking up the final (10% +) two *hills* we (4 of us, plus our leader) rode in along the bike path to our hotel.

It should be duly noted, that Jeff was the only one of the four to ride up all the hills - a tip of the helmet to Jeff.

Team Blue

With no prior plan to, Mark and I rode every single mile of the bike tour. Just ask my butt, she'll tell you.

On Saturday - we (all 16 of our bike tour, plus our 2 leaders) took a *hilly* walking tour around Quebec City - just to make sure we weren't starting to feel too good on our first day off the bike.

To say our Vermont to Quebec City bike tour was phenomenal is an understatement. The scenery was beyond belief, - our fellow tour riders and leaders became fast friends - and the riding was a blast.

Pictures and report to follow, but for now we start part deux of our vacation in Quebec- jusqu'à la prochaine fois!

Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 1

2010-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~

Day 1: Burlington, VT to North Hero, Lake Champlain Islands - 33 miles

So far, so good. Today was a good start. A relatively short day, a little hectic getting out of Burlington, but beautiful views of Lake Champlain throughout the day's ride.

Met our fellow sojourners at 10am, got a quick fit on bikes (they had previously obtained measurements and did a good job of guesstimating fit with that info). There are 16 of us, a nice and fun group of people. The tour leaders, Mark and Joshua, plus Susan, president of Sojourn Bike Tours all seem committed to making sure we all have what we need and that we have a good experience.

Following the bike path (another rails to trails conversion) we rode north through and out of Burlington. We took a bike ferry to cross Lake Champlain. The bike ferry is operated by a great local bicycling/pedestrian organization, Local Motion.

While we waited for our turn on the ferry we saw lots of boats using "the cut" too.

Joni and Barbara with their steeds, ready to go.

Mark thinking, "this is pretty easy so far".

You always notice things on a bike you would never pay attention to in a car. Part of what I love most about riding.

Stopped at Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery for lunch and a wine tour. Snow Farm was Vermont's first vineyard and winery which sprung out of a desire to keep the land agricultural. They have a very interesting story you can read about on their website.

Tonight we are at the North Hero House after an easy and enjoyable day on the bike. For the day, I rode 33 miles, avg speed of 12.3.

We had a great dinner here as a group, will meet for breakfast at 8am then head out for 52 miles (or less if we choose).

Onward.

Read On~ Sojourners by Bike - Day 2

New Hampshire to Vermont

2010-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today we drove the back roads from Concord, NH to Burlington, VT. We had beautiful weather and drove much of the way with the windows down.

Burlington was busy and hectic with hoards of college kids settling in to the local university here.

We are staying at the One of a Kind B & B, the name aptly describes it because of its one of a kind view.

I can’t do it justice, so you’ll have to look at the pictures to get an idea of the one of a kind view - not today though. *I'm not able to upload any more pictures tonight. Bummer. I'll have to wait until I get a wifi connection. Hopefully tomorrow night.

We had a pizza delivered (some habits are hard to shake) and enjoyed it in the back garden as we watched the sun set. We decided no restaurant could offer us a better view or ambience than what we had in the garden.

The pizza wasn’t bad either.

Tomorrow is the big day! We meet our fellow bike travelers and guides at 10am then ride 32 miles to the North Hero House Inn.

The Adventure Begins

2010-08-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

We’re in the air, complements of Southwest (love those reward tickets), somewhere over the eastern part of the country.

We’ll be in Baltimore soon, then on to Manchester, NH. I’ve never been to this part of the country before.

To say I’m excited is an understatement.

We’ll spend the night in Concord (the capitol of NH), and then drive (150 miles) to Burlington, VT Saturday. We have all day to get there - so plenty of time to stop along the way. Not much time in Burlington, but that could be for a future trip, if we want. Our B & B there is near the water, looks pretty and peaceful.

The serious excitement starts Sunday, when we meet our fellow tour participants and two Sojourn guides in downtown Burlington. We’ll get our bikes, get fitted and hopefully be on the road before too long.

Sunday’s mileage is easy – 32 miles for the day.

Sunday's Tour Itinerary:

Lake Champlain & Valley Farmland – Meet your tour leaders at the airport in Burlington at 10:00 or in downtown Burlington where the first ride will begin. Cycle north out of Burlington on the splendid Island Line. This rail trail parallels the shores of Lake Champlain and leads to a bike ferry used to cross “the cut” to the Champlain Islands. The cut was left so that boats could pass in and out of a large protected bay after the old railroad ceased to operate. Visit Vermont’s first vineyard and winery for a tour and tasting, followed by a picnic lunch. Cycle through patchwork farmland. Much of the region retains its agricultural heritage firmly rooted in apples and dairy. After settling into your room at the North Hero House, take a dip in the lake, soak in the hot tub or visit the local general store for a taste of Americana. Grab a local microbrew in the inn’s tavern before dinner in the inn’s dining room.

Outrage

2010-08-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

After learning of the conviction of the Seminole driver of Negligent Homicide, a misdemeanor, for killing a bicyclist on the road, I was outraged. Further outrageous was the fact that he could have been sentenced to a year in jail (or better yet, a year of community service), but instead he was placed on probation and 40 hours of community service. I could have accepted a year of community service (perhaps 10 hours a week) - it would have better fit the crime and produced a valuable service to the community.

In addition to rants on Facebook and Twitter, I wrote to my State Senator and Representative the following letter (I also copied Senator Andrew Rice, who announced yesterday he planned to introduce legislation to better protect bicyclists):

Dear Senator Jolley & Representative Moore,

My husband, Mark Lash, wrote to you last night about his concern over Dr. Bradley Walck's conviction of Negligent Homicide, a Misdemeanor, when Walck struck and killed 50-year-old bicyclist, Artie Lewis. I will not repeat the details of Mark's letter, suffice it to say, my feelings/thoughts are the same.

To say the bicycling community is outraged is an understatement. I have fellow bicyclist friends of the community as "friends" on Facebook and Twitter, and the anger and outrage expressed is very high.

We are also all waiting to see what charges, if any, are made in the two recent deaths of cyclists, Debra Miller and Clyde Riggs, where the drivers of the vehicles are known. What value will the lives of Miller and Riggs hold? Will the persons that killed them receive a similar slap on the wrist?

I am happy to learn that Senator Rice will be introducing legislation to better protect bicyclists. Senator Jolley and Representative Moore, I hope that you will be supportive of these efforts.

Having reviewed the Colorado Bicycle Safety Act summary, in my opinion, it is not strong enough. In Oklahoma, we currently have a “3-foot law” and bicyclists’ riding two abreast is legal. While the Colorado type law would make harassing a bicyclist a more serious offense, it did not appear to address instituting stiffer penalties for injury or death to a bicyclist by a driver.

I applaud Senator Rice's statement yesterday and his efforts to pursue legislation on behalf of every bicyclist (and pedestrians, runners, the disabled), young and old. It is my hope that new legislation will go further then what Oklahoma currently has.

Mark and I plan to research what other states have done and provide that information to the three of you as well as local bike organizations. Perhaps reviewing the best of what other states have done will help to insure that new Oklahoma legislation will go further than what is currently law to afford greater protection of bicyclists. When injury or death does occur, it is my hope that the new legislation will provide for an appropriate penalty.

In November 2007, I approached the City of Edmond about adopting the "3 foot" state law as a city ordinance. Working with the Edmond Bicycle Committee, it was adopted as a City Ordinance in January 2008.

If there is any way I can support you in this effort, please let me know.

Sincerely,

********************************************************

Age

2010-08-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Next month I will be 56 years old and I don't feel my age. That's a good thing - I'm definitely not complaining.

Which leads me to wonder how many people really do feel their age.

I may actually feel younger now than I did when I was, well, younger - like in my late 20's and 30's.

The people I know that are around age 70 or older, don't seem to me to be "that old" - i.e., what those of us that are younger think of. They are vibrant, engaged, sharp, funny, interesting... definitely, not old.

Conversely, people in their 20's or 30's may feel/act "old" or heavy with the many demands in their lives.

The older our bodies get, maybe the younger (lighter) our soul and heart gets?

I know this - when I look in the mirror sometimes I'm surprised at how old I look. I don't mean that I look old for my age, just that I don't feel the age I look.

Again, not a problem, in fact it's great. Hope it continues.

Us

2010-08-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today I rode my bike on the trails at Lake Hefner. Unbeknown to me, they were having an Iron Kids triathlon event there.

They allowed "non-Iron Kids" to ride on the trail and many of us did.

I have never seen more adorable athletes! I could not help but smile - the entire time. I'm sure I looked like a goof, but I didn't care. They were so cute and fun to watch. The youngest were 6 years old, the oldest were 12, I believe. As I rode along and passed these young athletes I would cheer them on. There were kids in all shapes, sizes and abilities. There were some kids that were pretty tentative as they rode their bikes and others who demonstrated the correct form and had a natural grace - pretty much just like us adults.

Every kid, or group of kids I passed, I offered up some encouragement. I couldn't help myself, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Being a cyclist myself might be part of it - the fact that I love bicycling and want others to. The fact that my grandchildren, Ethan and Isabel, are within the age range of the Iron Kids participants was a large part too -that grandmotherly "thing" coming out.

There was something else though.

Another part, less familiar to me, was the feeling that as an adult I needed to. I felt something akin to responsibility to make sure that I did what I could to help them along.

Some of the kids really struggled, their bikes wobbling, one young boy looked close to tears. So I did what I could to help, they smiled, many said "thanks" to my inane cheers ("way to go", "you're doing great", "you can do it", "just keep going you're almost finished") and I felt good about so many kids participating.

I know I'm not alone in feeling this way about children, I think it is that sort of "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality.

But, wouldn't it be great if we felt the same thing about our fellow adults? Cheering them on when they struggle, feeling some responsibility to make sure they are doing okay? Sure, we do this for our family and friends, but what about everyone else.

Why don't we have a similar feeling toward all the nameless people we see everyday struggling?

What do you think?

Save the Planet - Ride Your Bike~

2010-08-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

A cool video you should watch by Andrea Dorfman. See this and others at the Bicycle Film Festival.

Let Us Ride Our Bikes in Peace~

2010-08-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

Very sadly, we have had three cyclists killed here in recent weeks by inattentive drivers; consequently Mark and I have decided to take some time off from biking on public roads during the work week.

All three of these cyclists were killed doing what they love - bicycling - and doing it legally - supposedly protected by law.

Unfairly and unfortunately, it didn't matter. It affords a cyclist little or no safety that they ride legally and responsibly. All it takes is one negligent driver - reaching for coffee, their cell phone - or whatever - to take any cyclist's life. It makes me angry and incredibly sad that it is this way, but it is. Until the laws are changed and drivers accept that cyclists have every legal right to be on the road with them it will continue to be dangerous.

There is only one rule on the open road that counts when it comes to bikes and cars: Cars always win.
.

Regardless of how safely a cyclist rides or how carefully they follow every applicable law - a cyclist is still at the mercy of every passing motorist.

As I wrote about some months ago, all you have to do to realize just how dangerous biking is on public roads, is to Google "cyclist injured" or "cyclist killed". Actually, I know from personal experience that it is dangerous - in 1995 a car hit me. I was one of the fortunate few, suffering relatively minor injuries.
Another factor in our decision to ride the trails at Oklahoma City's Lake Hefner rather than the country roads near where we live, have been the very hot temperatures this summer. Because of the 100+ degree weather we have had to get out and ride early - early when people are trying to get to work. Cycling is dangerous enough with your typical run of the mill distracted driver - add to that a mix of aggression and impatience and you have a situation ripe for disaster.

We do have to drive about 30 minutes each way to get to Lake Hefner, but for greater peace of mind it's worth it. With school getting started and people resuming their harried schedules, there have been even more impatient drivers on the road - and driving more erratically than normal. When things quiet down we will probably go back to riding on the road during the week part of the time - but for now Monday - Friday you will find us on the trail. Our weekend rides, we plan to continue with our regular route either west or east of Edmond.

There is still risk because you do have to cross city streets in places, but it is safer than the open road. We are able to go out early and ride while people are on their way to work - and we can see them from our "protected trail" and smile to ourselves that not only are we not on our way to work - we are riding our bikes safely out of their reach.

Both today and Monday, we rode on the paved trail around Lake Hefner It is only 9.5 miles around so we have to ride it three times to equal our normal ride, but that's okay.

One thing we have noticed this week is our average speed is 1-2 mph higher than when we ride on public streets. Reason being - we don't have to stop and go as much. Riding on the open road there are frequent stop signs and some traffic lights that cause us to stop every mile for a good part of the ride - which doesn't happen on the Hefner trail as much.

It would be nice to be able to leave our house on our bikes and ride in our community safely. Doesn't seem like too much to ask, but for now, here, it is.

Please, when you drive, DRIVE. Don't talk on the phone, eat, put on make-up, watch a movie, text, clean your car, read, primp, discipline your kids or pet your dog.

Just drive and watch out for all cyclists (children ride bikes too - remember?) and pedestrians. And, when you do encounter them on the road, drive like it was your son or daughter or husband or wife. They, and their families, will appreciate it!

Our Next Adventure~

2010-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted lately because of a variety of things - one of which is getting ready for our next adventure!

In a few weeks we will be taking a bike tour from Burlington, VT to Quebec City, Quebec. I mentioned this trip in an earlier post - I can hardly believe it is almost here.

The tour is with a company, Sojourn Tours, and will be fully supported. The scenery should be incredible and the terrain will be mostly flat (until we get near Quebec City).

To make this sweet trip even sweeter, the first ever UCI Pro Tour bike race in North America, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, will be held in Quebec City September 10th and we are going!!! Most of the pro teams that were in the Tour de France will be there. The rider list isn't complete, but many of the riders that raced the TDF will be racing here.

It should be an awesome trip, blending two of our most favorite things - biking and traveling - into one incredible adventure!

My Main Squeeze

2010-07-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, Mark is my main squeeze,
but my main bike is my 2005 Scott CR1 Pro.

My Scott is the most expensive bike I have ever owned - also the best bike I've ever owned. I was able to afford her because I got a great deal on Ebay. It was a scary proposition buying a bike on Ebay, but it worked out as promised (a basically new bike with few miles owned by someone that the bike didn't quite fit). Thankfully, Rocket fit me perfectly and enabled me to get a good quality bike for $$ I could afford.

Did you say you would like to see pictures of her?

Look at that beautiful carbon fiber frame.

I just read an article about one of the bikes used at the Tour - a bike that cost upwards of $15,000! Can you imagine - me either!

Check out the bike: Trying out a £10,000 Tour de France dream machine

Learning to Love Pain: Life as a Tour de France Rider

2010-07-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Other duties call, so I have not been able to write my TDF recap or "Ode to the Tour de France". Until I do, here's something I read today that puts what we just witnessed at the Tour into some perspective. Click on the link for the full article.

From the Guardian Bike Blog:

"Let's start with the purely physical though, because the feats performed by the best riders are astonishing in any context. Over the full duration of the Tour de France, 2,263 miles this year, the winner will average around 26mph. That's faster than many club time triallists can manage for 10 miles."

"Cyclists talk about suffering a lot. There's honour in suffering, in digging deeper than you thought possible and carrying on against screams of protest from every part of your body. It shows rivals that you can't be broken and team-mates that their work and altruism was not in vain."

"Top riders make a lot of sacrifices. No boozy nights out, no cake for dessert, pasta for breakfast. They leave friends and family behind for months at a time even in the off-season."

"In rare free time you can't decide on a whim to head to the beach or take the kids to a theme park for the day, because you have to let the UCI know where you will be in advance so that the drugs testers can find you."

"This lifestyle isn't just during the season, it's permanent. It takes years to harden the body sufficiently to withstand a three-week race ridden flat out. Tales of talent gone begging litter the sport's history, serving as reminders that a dream job is far from an easy one."

TDF Stage 20

2010-07-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the final stage of the 2010 Tour de France. As I noted in my post yesterday, the final stage of the Tour is part processional, part bike race.

For the processional part of the stage, Alberto Contador and his Astana teammates enjoyed the fruits of their labor in the form of champagne. As is traditional, the yellow jersey winner and team rode together at the front of the peloton and toasted Contador on his victory.

Contador and his main rival, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) had a mock breakaway, taking off from the peloton. They had a good laugh, shook hands and then rejoined the group. The other excitement in the early part of the stage came from Team Radio Shack. They had new kits on with the Livestrong insignia and the number 28 on the back of each jersey. The number 28 signified the 28 million individuals living with cancer around the world. Unfortunately, Radio Shack didn’t get permission from the proper authorities (the UCI - sticklers for rules) beforehand, and were forced to remove the jersey or face disqualification. Radio Shack removed the jerseys until the stage was over, but then put them back on to go on to the podium to accept the Team Classification prize.

Once the peloton arrived on the Champs E’lyse, the racing began in earnest. There were two prizes still to be decided – the stage win and green jersey competition. After some false starts, a breakaway formed and managed to stay free for a while. Teams HTC-Columbia, Lampre, Team Sky and Cervelo worked successfully to bring the remaining riders in the break back so their respective sprinters could go for the stage win. Lampre had an interest in the stage win and protecting Allesandro Petacchi’s green jersey.

It was no contest – Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) easily won his fifth stage of this Tour and did it without a lead-out from his Team. In his three Tours, Cavendish has won 15 stages – incredible when you consider how many he may win in his career. He is the fastest sprinter in modern times and may be the fastest ever in the Tour de France. No one came close to matching his speed today - or any other day for that matter
.

Petacchi was able to hold on to the green jersey by finishing 2nd in the stage to Cavendish – collecting enough points to stay ahead of Cavendish in the green jersey competition. There was no racing today for the yellow jersey, green jersey or white jersey – another unwritten rule in the Tour de France.

The final stage is never the most exciting, but the camaraderie between the riders, plus the ride into Paris, makes it a very enjoyable stage to watch. Plus, it gave Lance Armstrong a chance to say goodbye.

The final podium:

1st Place - Alberto Contador (91h 58′ 48″)
2nd Place - Andy Schleck (00:39")
3rd Place - Denis Menchov (02':01")

Yellow Jersey - Alberto Contador (Overall Winner)
Green Jersey - Allesandro Petacchi (Points Competition)
Polka-Dot Jersey - Anthony Charteau (KOM Competition)
White Jersey - Andy Schleck (Best Young Rider)

I will post a recap of the 2010 Tour de France later on this week - so check back. Sleep calls now. Until then, read any of the 30 posts I did on the Tour - wow, that's a lot of writing for a lot of riding!

*Pictures are from Getty Images.

TDF Stage 19

2010-07-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

There is only one winner of the Tour de France, but we have two champions - Alberto Contador & Andy Schleck.

Schleck narrowly lost to Contador today, riding a better time trial than most thought possible. Schleck finishes the Tour de France in 2nd place to Contador - for the 2nd year in a row. This year he loses to Contador by a mere 39 seconds - the exact same time he lost in stage 15 due to the chain slip. That controversy will not go away any time soon.

The war waged today between Contador and Schleck was similar to the war waged between the two on the Col de Tourmalet in terms of the magnitude of the battle and the way each gave both stages everything he had. Contador was so spent both physically and emotionally, that he nearly passed out - and could not control the tears.

On the podium, accepting the overall leader's yellow jersey Contador seemed exhausted and sort of in shock. He knew without a doubt, that he came very close to losing the Tour de France today.

It wasn't that Contador fell short, but rather Schleck was that much better and maybe even more importantly, completely confident in his chances. He was not afraid of Contador at any time this Tour. Every time Schleck battled Contador and won (either time gained or an equal finish) he gained more confidence.

That confidence was on display today in the way Schleck rode the time trial. Contador, one of the best at time trials, beat him by only 31 seconds. If you have been watching the Tour, then you've heard Paul Sherwen, Phil Liggett, Bob Roll and others, all say that Schleck needed at least one minute, and preferably two, over Contador prior to the time trial, to have a legitimate chance at winning.

Few Tour de France victories have been this close - with two such evenly matched opponents. They are similar in age, personality, strengths and amazingly, are close friends. You don't see that very often in the world of competitive sports. Their relationship is refreshing and is a testament to the high standard in which they compete. We are fortunate to witness this intense, very top-level bicycle racing in the Tour de France this year - and hopefully, for many years to come.

Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) the time trial specialist finished first and took the stage win. No one, time trials better than Cancellara it’s a fact.

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) rode a very good time trial and took over the 3rd place podium finish that was held by Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) going into today. Menchov is one of the top time trial riders, so it was not a surprise that he beat out Sanchez. Canadian rider, Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) had another strong ride today - possibly the biggest surprise of this year's Tour - he will finish his first Tour in 6th place overall. American rider, Chris Horner (Team Radio Shack) a long time domestique, surprised everyone and took 10th place overall - the highest place of any of the Radio Shack riders.

Today lived up to all the billing and then some. Schleck almost pulled off the biggest upset since Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon in 1989 to win the Tour by a mere 8 seconds.

Contador showed how tough a competitor he is too. He knew he was behind Schleck at the first time check - many riders would have folded under the pressure. Not Contador, he rose to the occasion giving it everything he had - to beat his rival and friend - by 39 seconds.

It was an awesome finish, to an awesome Tour.

*Pictures are from Getty Images

Stage 20

Tomorrow's stage is more of a processional than a race - at least for the GC top finishers. Only the sprinters and the riders in contention for the Green Jersey will race tomorrow. It is every sprinter’s dream to win on the Champs E’lyse.

Contador and his teammates will enjoy a little champagne and accept the congratulations of the rest of the peloton. The last stage of the Tour is a time for riders to talk, enjoy the accolades of fans and relish in their achievement of finishing the Tour de France. Every rider finishing the Tour de France takes great pride in the fact that they finished the most grueling bike race - and in many people’s minds, (mine included) - the most grueling sporting event there is.

Vive le Tour!

TDF Stage 18/Stage 19 Preview

2010-07-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Tour de France is winding down. Today's stage was a good transition, for me at least, to take us down a notch or two from the excitement and heroics of Stage 17. Good preparation too to prepare me for no more Tour after Sunday - always difficult for a few days - withdrawal pains.

Back to the Tour - as predicted, today's stage ended in a bunch sprint and with no teammates around him, Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) took his fourth stage win of this year's Tour. It was a very impressive win by Cavendish - even if the stage lacked the drama of the previous four.

Stage 18 provided a day of rest for the riders - sorely needed (pun intended) - especially for the top five riders in the GC.

Stage 19

Tomorrow's stage is an individual time trial. Different then the prologue, the time trial tomorrow is 52km. Because of the length of the time trial and the fact of tired legs after three weeks of racing, it will not favor a time trial specialist like Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank).

Most people give 2nd place Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) very little chance of gaining 8 seconds on Tour leader Alberto Contador tomorrow. And, to be honest, the odds are against Schleck - but anything can happen – especially in the Tour. A flat tire, a crash, weather – any of which could affect the outcome of the time trial - and the outcome of the Tour de France.

Without something like that, it is likely Alberto Contador will keep or extend his lead - thus winning the Tour. Also likely, is that 4th place Denis Menchov (Rabobank) will take 3rd from Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi). Menchov is very good at time trials - Sanchez less so. Taking 3rd in the Tour de France is a huge prize for any rider so Sanchez will be highly motivated to keep his 21 second lead over Menchov.

Another thing to consider is Contador has not won a stage yet in the Tour de France this year. The expectation is that the Tour winner should win at least one stage - to honor the jersey and show he is a true champion. To survive the Tour de France and be in the top position should be proof enough that a rider is a champion, but because of this, I think Contador will ride lights out for the win tomorrow. Contador has become very proficient at time trials.

My hope is that Lady Karma will visit Contador, and Schleck will end up in that beautiful yellow jersey and win his first Tour de France.

One thing is for sure - tomorrow will be exciting.

*Pictures are from Getty Images

TDF Stage 17

2010-07-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of incredible bike racing between the two best riders in the Tour de France this year - Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Alberto Contador (Astana).

Schleck did everything he needed to do today, except take the yellow jersey back from Contador.

Despite attacking, changing his pedaling rhythm, changing speed, Schleck could not shake Contador off his wheel. The fact is, it is even more amazing Contador could not shake Schleck off his.

Last year when Contador attacked in the mountain stages, no one could stay with him. This year was different; Schleck is a much stronger rider than he was last year. If you look at all the mountain stages in this year's Tour, Schleck has proven he is on equal footing with Contador. One stage Schleck gained 10 seconds on Contador, another mountain stage Contador gained 10 seconds on Schleck.

If you take away the mechanical incident in Stage 15, you have a different race - and perhaps a different outcome. If Schleck had the yellow jersey going into the time trial, it is possible he could eke out a good enough performance to keep it.

In the 2007 Tour de France, Alberto Contador was expected to lose the Tour to Cadel Evans because Evan's was a superior time-trialest. Contador rode the time trial of his then young career, and hung on to his lead over Evans of 23 seconds to win his first Tour de France.

Contador went into that time trial with the yellow jersey. Something happens to riders when they have the yellow - "they ride like two men" (Phil Liggett) - they just refuse to lose.

Schleck has the climbing skills to challenge Contador for the win in future Tours de France, he just needs the time trialing skills. I believe he will develop them, and expect that he will ride a good time trial on Saturday. Most likely, not good enough to win, unless Contador has a puncture, falls of his bike, or in karmic fashion - his chain slips.

There are no miracles in cycling so his chances of winning are slim- but Schleck has nothing to feel badly about. His team, Saxo Bank, set a tortuous pace that eventually left Contador alone. When Schleck's last mate dropped off completely spent, Schleck attacked. Contador glued himself to Schleck’s wheel. They dropped everyone. They picked up the remains of the breakaway - and dropped them too. The only thing they could not shake was the crazy fans.

It was the two of them - mano a mano - for the last 10km of the race. Contador attacked with about 4km left, but Schleck responded quickly and without difficulty.

They rode the last 10km alone, alongside the craziest fans in all of sports, duking it out until the finish, when Contador sat up and Schleck took the win. Presumably, Contador did not challenge, because he did not need the win (no time bonuses) and because Schleck had done the work. Possibly too, because of the chain incident.

It was a good race on the toughest mountain stage of this year's Tour – and it ended in a draw. It has been years and years since the Tour has seen two riders, the key rivals, so evenly matched. Armstrong and Jan Ullrich were not - Ullrich often was in poor form and had not trained enough to challenge Armstrong at his best.

The clouds, fog and rain added to the dramatic battle between Contador and Schleck. Fortunately, it did not rain heavily so accidents were few.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) put in another very impressive ride today coming in 4th - he is exceeding all expectations. Chris Horner (Team Radio Shack) turned out to be the strongest rider for the team – and indeed the highest place American rider. Who knows what he would have done if the team had ridden for him and not Armstrong or Levi Leipheimer. Great ride today by Horner - the first opportunity this Tour he had to ride for himself. His 8th place finish shows what he was capable of.

There was no change in the top five positions in the general classification - although there were changes in time differences. The race for 3rd place on the podium is still very much up for grabs with just 21 seconds separating current 3rd place rider, Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi) and 4th placed, Denis Menchov (Rabobank).

Stage 18 is a stage for the sprinters, in fact it is a classic sprint stage - much like today's stage was a classic mountain stage. The sprinters are eager I'm sure; expect a lot of action tomorrow in spite of all the tired legs and bodies. If you are a betting person, put your money on Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) to win the stage.

I was not disappointed in the way the race unfolded between Schleck and Contador.

Schleck did all he could do, he rode a perfect race. Unfortunately for him, so did Contador.
*pictures are from Getty Images

“El Pistolero Is Strong, Huh?”

2010-07-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Stage 17 write-up to follow, first read Andy Schleck's comments on Stage 17 - Love the guy!

From LeTour: http://www.letour.fr/

Andy Schleck – “El Pistolero is strong, huh?”Only eight seconds separate first from second overall after 17 stages of the Tour de France. The climb up the col du Tourmalet was the platform for the best young rider to become the best in the Tour. Andy Schleck won the stage but Alberto Contador is winning the battle for the yellow jersey.

“I’m satisfied with the stage win but I also wanted to turn white into yellow but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. I really tried hard, you have to believe me about that. I changed rhythm and I tried everything but I think we’re on the same level on the climbs. Alberto attacked and I could go with him – it was a quick response – but in the end he didn’t sprint to win the stage because I did the most work. I have a lot of respect for that, it shows that he’s a great champion.

“I tried to find out how he was feeling. You need to look at someone to see how he was coping. I think you can find out a lot if you look someone in the eyes. He didn’t have the sunglasses on today so it was possible to see, that’s why I looked so many times. But he always looked good and that’s kind of what killed me.

“El Pistolero is strong, huh? I could no drop him. He was always there. I wanted to find out if he was getting weak but he didn’t succumb. He even attacked me to show, ‘Hey, listen young boy, I’m still here! You better stop playing these games with me.’

“I’m super happy to win this stage today – it’s the Queen stage of this year’s Tour. To win on the Tourmalet is like a win on Alpe d’Huez.

“When I turned to talk to him, I said: ‘You pass?’ And he didn’t. I would have done the same. Why should he pass me? In the end, he let me win the stage and I’m super happy.”

TDF Stage 17 D - Day

2010-07-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Stage 17 is the Queen stage of this year's Tour, but it is the do or die stage for Andy Schleck. To have any chance of winning in Paris, he has to take back the yellow jersey and the lead from rival Alberto Contador in Stage 17.

Consider this: Tour de France riders have completed 16 stages, ridden over 3,000km, in 78 hours + and only 8 seconds separates the top to riders. Amazing.

Stage 17 will have riders ascend the Col de Marie-Blanque, Col de Soulor, and the Col du Tourmalet. Although riders climbed the Col du Tourmalet just 2 days ago in Stage 16, Stage 17 marks the first ever summit finish on the Tourmalet.

The climb up the Tourmalet will decide everything for Schleck.  He must take back the yellow jersey on the Tourmalet to have any chance to win the Tour de France - unless something unforeseen (and unlikely) happens to Contador on or before Saturday's time trial.

Tomorrow is truly D-Day. Again, it is so unfortunate that Schleck had the mechanical when he did. He appeared to be stronger than Contador in Stage 15 and without a doubt Schleck had the psychological advantage.  He had Contador on the ropes - and his chain slips! I still can not believe it. Contador's quick decision to capitalize on Schleck's misfortune was proof positive that he was not sure he could beat Schleck.

If only Schleck had that 31 seconds on Contador going into tomorrow.  It might seem like nothing in terms of time, but it would have changed everything in terms of the race.

I am hoping for a miracle tomorrow - or just a little Karma!

TDF Stage 16

2010-07-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

I had high expectations for today, of the latest battle in Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador war that was supposed to happen in Stage 16 today - it didn't. They watched each other and waited.

I woke up just before 5am, could not go back to sleep so I got up to watch the stage. There was excitement from the start. For starters, there was the heated debate about between Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen about Contador’s decision to race on with Schleck unable to due to a problem with his bike. Bob Roll and Craig Hummer seemed sort of uncomfortable with the dissension, kind of like kids act when mom and dad argue.

Secondly, there was the racing - the racing definitely started out exciting. Riders started attacking as soon as the neutral zone was clear. Lance Armstrong was finally in a break, which was exciting.

In addition, I just knew as I watched Schleck that he was going to ride up to Contador and rip the yellow jersey off him – not really but I thought there might be something. Of course, that did not happen, in fact they rode along side each other and appeared to talk. Word has it that the feud is over; Schleck went so far as to ask fans to quit booing Contador. I have no doubt Schleck still feels Contador acted in an unsporting way, but maybe has decided to let his racing do his talking. We can only hope he has his best legs on Thursday.

Despite the hype, today’s stage was not expected to be the stage that Schleck attacked Contador because of the long descent. If either rider obtained a gain, it could have easily been made up on the descent. I did have my hopes up that the breakaway would make it and that if Armstrong was still there at the end - and he was - he would find a way to cross the finish line first. He did not.

I didn't understand Johan Bruynel's tactics, unless what we saw wasn't what he ordered - but was maybe all Armstrong could do. Quick Step had Carlos Barredo attack (although 40k out was too soon) and ride alone to about 1k from the finish, Chris Horner (Radio Shack) could have made a similar move for Radio Shack. In that case, Armstrong would not have had to work in the breakaway with his teammate up the road - he could have rested and waited.

Instead, Armstrong tried to out sprint a very fast Damiano Cunego (Lampre) and Pierrick Fedrigo (Bbox). He couldn't and Fedrigo took the win. It was a great ride today by Armstrong; he raced well and looked strong, particularly in the early climbs.

No way to know if it would have worked for them to send Horner alone (like Quick Step did with Barredo), but it would have had a better chance for success than to try and win a bunch sprint against Fedrigo and Cunego. Armstrong made such a strong effort; it would have been nice if he could have been rewarded with a final stage win.

As difficult as Stage 16 was, with over 13,000 feet of climbing, somehow green jersey hunter, Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) managed to finish with the main group and regain the green jersey. Hushovd sprinted to the finish, coming in 10th and gaining six points toward the green jersey. Enough points to give him a four-point edge in the competition for the green over Allesandro Petacchi (Lampre).

The race tightened for the climber's polka dot jersey as well with Christophe Moreau (Caisse d’Epargne) gaining ground on current jersey wearer, Anthony Charteau (Bbox).

Tomorrow is a rest day, with Thursday being D-Day. Do or Die for the Yellow Jersey.

*pictures are from Getty Images

TDF Stage 15 Winner

2010-07-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Although I wrote an earlier post on Stage 15, it would not be right to ignore the sensational ride today by Thomas Voeckler (Bbox).

Voeckler is one of my favorite riders because he rides with courage and tenacity. In the 2004 Tour de France, Voeckler held the yellow jersey for 10 days - when he was often referred to as "little" Tommy Voeckler. He quickly became a Tour favorite of both the fans and the riders.

Although other riders may have more outright talent, Voeckler makes up for it with his heart and craftiness – and he simply does not quit.

Voeckler got away in a ten man breakaway at about 100km out, including Johan Van Summeren (Garmin-Transitions), Sergei Ivanov (Katusha), Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Francesco Reda (Quick Step), Aitor Perez Arrieta (Footon), Lloyd Mondory (AG2R), Thomas Voeckler and Sebastian Turgot (both Bbox) and Alan Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) .

The breakaway had a gap of as much as 10:50 on the peloton, who after the tortuous pace of Stage 14, were happy to ride a moderate tempo. Once the breakaway was on the climb of the HC (beyond category) Port de Bales, riders started to drop.

Of the original ten riders, six continued to work together on the climb. Voeckler attacked in the steepest part - with gradients in excess of 10% - crossing the summit alone.

After the 20km descent, Voeckler, in his French champion's jersey, claimed his much deserved, second Tour stage win.

Overall, Stage 15 had plenty of exciting racing and tactical maneuvering. Saxo Bank was impressive with the tempo they maintained on the climb of the Port de Bales.

Schleck never seemed in danger, and in fact seemed in control of the race - until the "chain reaction".

Stage 16 will be a hotly contested stage. Both Schleck and Contador have something to prove and the other riders will be trying to do something positive with the stage too.

Tomorrow does not get any easier - there are two category 1 climbs and two HC (beyond category). No doubt, Stage 16 will be another exciting, suspenseful day of racing in the Pyrenees.

*pictures are from Getty Images

TDF Stage 15

2010-07-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today was an unfortunate day in the Tour de France. Regardless of whether you favor Andy Schleck or Alberto Contador, it is unfortunate that a mechanical problem was the deciding factor in which rider is now wearing the yellow jersey.

If you love the race more than you favor any one rider, which I do, then you want the riders alone to decide the outcome. Just as lovers of the Tour do not want unfair advantage gained by riders through drugs - a rider should not take the yellow jersey through unfair means or misfortune of a rival.

It is also unfortunate that we were deprived of seeing the race tactics of Schleck and Contador play out. Those tactics had just started when Schleck launched an attack against Contador and then the mechanical occurred.

Moreover, there is an unwritten code of honor - basic tenets - that professional cyclists compete by. The most basic of which are:

You don't take advantage of someone's bad luck
It is bad form to win because of another rider's misfortune.

There are plenty of examples in Tour de France history where this basic code was followed. One of the most memorable was in the 2003 Tour:

When Lance Armstrong was caught in the handle of a fan's bag, his closest rival, Germany's Jan Ullrich, who had trailed Armstrong by only 15 seconds at the day's start, slowed to wait for Armstrong to pick himself up and get back in the race.

To many U.S. sports fans, casual watchers of this extraordinary bike race, what happened (also Stage 15) caused a collective "huh?" But to Ullrich, who as a result fell to 1 minute 7 seconds behind Armstrong, speeding off while Armstrong was on the ground would have been wrong.

Ullrich said, "Of course, I would wait. If I would have won this race by taking advantage of someone's bad luck, then the race was not worth winning."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two years before, Armstrong waited on Ullrich when the German crashed on a mountain descent. "There's always been a predictable code of honor," said Bob Roll, four-time rider in the Tour and Tour commentator for Versus.

"When you ride with the same people for three weeks of a Tour or a whole season, it is a matter of respect. You don't take advantage of someone's bad luck."

Contador says that he did not know that Schleck had suffered a mechanical problem, we will never know whether that is true. It is hard to believe that he did not know that Schleck had incurred some type of problem when Schleck did not follow. Most importantly perhaps, Contador took the yellow jersey under very bad circumstances. If he goes on to win the Tour de France this year, Contador's victory will be suspect and will be tainted with bad feelings.

That is unfortunate for him, Andy Schleck and the Tour de France.

Update: Pictures that show the Schleck Attack Sequence, frame by frame.

Could it be Stage 15 for Lance

2010-07-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

In the 1995 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong's Motorola teammate, Fabio Casartelli, died from head injuries after crashing on the descent of the Col de Portet-Aspet.

Casartelli was a gifted cyclist winning the 1992 Olympic road race gold medal at the young age of 21.

Three days after Casartelli was killed, Lance Armstrong won Stage 18, dedicating the win to his teammate by pointing to the sky with arms outstretched as he crossed the line.

Tomorrow's stage will go across the Col de Portet-Aspet about midway in the route passing where Casartelli crashed.

Armstrong had hoped to win his 8th and final Tour, but that dream was over a week ago. His goal now is to win a stage - if he can. Tomorrow's stage 15 would seem to be the perfect ending to Armstrong's storybook Tour de France career.

Based on what we have seen thus far, it does not seem that Armstrong has the legs or maybe even the desire to win. He has been an emotional rider in the past, often using it to propel his efforts when the need arose.

Maybe the emotion of it being his last Tour, and his love for Casartelli, could fuel Armstrong to his final stage win of the Tour de France.

TDF Stage 14

2010-07-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Stage 14 brought a few punches between the top two riders in the GC, Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador - but no knockout punch. Or if you prefer football - it was a defensive battle with very little offense.

With that said, there was a lot of offense by riders that are not trying to win it all.

The breakaway du jour occurred at about the 25km mark of the stage. In the breakaway were riders; Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions), Stephane Auge (Cofidis), Amael Moinard (Cofidis), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ), Pavel Brutt (Team Katusha), Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Pierre Rolland (Bbox) and eventual Stage winner, Christophe Riblon (AG2R). Since none of the riders was a threat to the GC, they were allowed to go, eventually building a lead of around ten minutes.

Astana drilled the peloton today in what was an unexpectedly fast tempo. Typically, the yellow jersey leader’s team assumes this role. It is likely Contador sees himself as the leader-in-waiting – as evidenced by this move. Astana set the high-speed tempo long before the HC climb, Port de Pailheres, which affected the peloton significantly. Most riders assumed the real work would not begin until the climb of Pailheres. The peloton, instead of approaching the first climb in the characteristic mass, stretched into a long thin chain. A testament to just how fast the pace was. It was a clear and strong signal to all riders, but most especially Schleck and the Saxo Bank team, that Contador and Astana planned to attack.

By the time the breakaway was on the climb, Astana had cut the gap to four minutes. The breakaway started to shed riders, until just Van De Wall, Moinard and Riblon remained. Meanwhile, previous Tour winner, Carlos Sastre (Cervelo) took off from the main group, like the others not a threat to the GC so Astana did not attempt to chase him down.

Near the summit of Port de Pailheres, Riblon was able to break from Moinard. He crested the summit alone, descended, Moinard chased him, but was never able to catch.

Meanwhile back at the main group several riders jumped to try to catch the leaders. Rafael Valls (Footon), Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Vasil Kiryienka (Caisse d’Epargne), plus Sastre and the remaining riders from initial breakaway were between the leader Riblon and the main group with Schleck, Contador and other GC hopefuls.

Astana, with Stage 13 winner Alexandre Vinokourov on the front, continued to hammer the pace, dropping riders off the back and picking up breakaway riders on the front. Contador and Schleck were content to dance. Contador attacked at 5km from the finish, Schleck countered. They watched each other and waited – both content to play defense.

Schleck and Contador seemed oblivious to what the other riders were doing. Unchallenged by either Schleck or Contador, the two riders vying for third place, Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel) and Denis Menchov (Rabobank) rode aggressively fighting to gain time.

Stage winner Christophe Riblon put in the most impressive ride of the day. Menchov finished a strong 2nd, Sanchez 3rd, Schleck 4th and Contador 7th (same time as Schleck).

Although Schleck did not lose time to Contador, he also did not gain any. Schleck has to gain at least another minute, (preferably more), on Contador before the time-trial (TT) to have any chance at winning the Tour. Last year in the final TT Schleck lost 1:45 to Contador who won the TT and the Tour.

When interviewed Schleck said today's stage did not suit his climbing style as well as tomorrow’s. For his sake I hope it is true and that he can come out, attack Contador and gain time on him.

Contador holds almost all the cards it seems. He has the stronger team for the mountains, he is arguably the better climber of the two and without a doubt, Contador is much better at time-trials. Schleck could really use his brother, Frank Schleck, (out with a broken clavicle) who is a good climber but also is good tactically.

Andy seemed kind of lost today, unsure of what he should do. If Frank was with him as he was last year, he could also attack Contador and wear him down. It is not hopeless for Andy Schleck to win, but it is going to take him at his best – at his best physically and mentally.

There are three more stages in the Pyrenees, a rest day Wednesday, and the final mountain stage Thursday. Saxo Bank should have been able to gain a little rest today as they did yesterday. Maybe they can stay with Schleck longer and help him gain that much needed time on Contador.
*pictures are from Getty Images

Stage 15

Stage 15 looks a lot like Stage 14, but with one important exception. There is no mountain top finish. Mountain top finishes produce bigger time gaps than do steep descents such as this one. Time lost on the mountain can be regained on the descent - for those not faint of heart.

TDF Stage 13/Stage 14 Preview

2010-07-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Stage 13 covered some of the prettiest countryside of this year’s Tour. As far as the racing, it was sort of boring until the last climb when it was redeemed with an exciting and hard fought win by Tour veteran, Alexander Vinokourov (Astana).

Teams HTC-Colombia and Lampre did the work up front, keeping a fast tempo all day chasing back the 3-man breakaway - to give their sprinters, Mark Cavendish and Alessandro Petacchi respectively, a chance for a win in a bunch sprint.

The plan seemed to be working to perfection when at 10km the charging peloton caught the 3-man breakaway. However, on the last climb, a 1.9km category 3, Alessandro Ballan (BMC) attacked, riders Nicolas Roche (AG2R) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre) followed him but all 3 failed in their attack. Near the summit, Vinokourov attacked hard, Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne) and Tommy Voeckler (Bbox) pursued.

Sanchez cracked first, but Voeckler eventually cracked too under the vicious pace by Vinokourov as he continued to widen the gap on the chasing peloton. No team in the peloton took control to chase Vino down. Likely, by that time the sprinters teams having chased and caught the original breakaway, had nothing more to give.

Vinokourov with the red number on his back for most aggressive rider yesterday, took the stage win in dramatic fashion, fighting off the advancing sprinters and peloton.

Lance Armstrong always seemed to race better, when he was angry, and anger no doubt helped to fuel Vinokourov on his gutsy ride to the finish. Vinokourov narrowly lost the stage yesterday when his team leader, Alberto Contador and Joaquim Rodriguez, overtook him near the finish on the steepest climb of the Tour. To make matters worse for Vino, Rodriguez took the win. Vinokourov slammed his fist on his handlebar unable to contain his disappointment and anger.

After today's impressive win, Contador congratulated Vino and the two men hugged. There seemed to be no hard feelings over yesterday’s loss – all forgiven with the sweet win today.

Vinokourov has always been a strong rider and a rider that takes chances to go for wins – always fun to watch. Today was an impressive stage win for him.

As I stated earlier, Stage 13 was a boring stage, but don’t mistake that for easy – it wasn’t. With three strong riders in the breakaway – all previous Tour stage winners – HTC and Lampre had to drive the pace hard to chase them down. Fortunately, for Tour leader Andy Schleck, his Saxo Bank squad did not have to take the lead so got to “rest” a bit in the peloton.

There were no changes in the top of the GC because the main contenders all crossed the line together. Andy Schleck is still in Yellow and Contador is still just :31 back.

Mark Cavendish answered the question of whether he could still sprint without his ace lead-out man, Mark Renshaw. The answer is an emphatic yes! He seemed to have no trouble beating out the other sprinters to take 2nd place in the stage. Petacchi came in ahead of Green jersey wearer, Thor Hushovd, so Petacchi will be in green tomorrow. The Green jersey point’s competition will likely last until the final sprint on the Champs Elysees.
*pictures are from Getty Images

Stage 14

Tomorrow starts out flat and easy. As you can see by looking at the race profile - it doesn't end that way.

Stage 14 is the first of four stages in the Pyrenees. Generally speaking, the stages in the Pyrenees are more difficult than those in the Alps because the Pyrenees tend to be steeper. The climbs are steep, the descents are too. An arduous climb on HC category Port de Pailhères and then what will be a very fast descent before starting the last climb, the category 1 Ax-3-Domaines, where the stage will finish.

In keeping with their theme to make this Tour one of the most difficult in years, Tour organizers have saved the brutal Pyrenees for the last week - hoping to settle things once and for all between the contenders. Namely, between Schleck and Contador for the win, but also between a host of other's vying for the 3rd place podium.

Will Lance Armstrong manage to salvage something from his last Tour de France in the Pyrenees? Only time will tell, I would love to see it. Tomorrow's stage should suit Schleck well - and if it's steep it suits Contador. No doubt, Schleck and Contador will attack and counter attack all the way through the Pyrenees.

I can hardly believe we only have one week of the Tour left. It should be one hell of a week though with four back to back stages in the Pyrenees!

TDF Stage 12 Recap

2010-07-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

As expected Stage 12 was a difficult stage - actually brutal is more like it. Stage 12 had five categorized climbs, hot temperatures, a fast tempo and the steepest, albeit short, climb I recall ever seeing in the Tour.

Stage 12 began with a group of 18 riders getting into a breakaway. In this group were three GC contenders (Vinokourov, Kloden, Hesjedal), plus Green jersey hopeful, Thor Hushovd. The fourth man, Vasil Kiryienka, was a threat to Team Radio Shack in the team competition. With the threat to the GC presented by Vinokourov, Kloden and Hesjedal, the peloton could not allow the breakaway to open up too big a gap. This kept the pressure on Saxo Bank as well as other teams (Rabobank, Cervelo, Liquigas, Omega Pharma-Lotto) to keep the pace up, minimize the time gap, eventually reeling them all back in before the finish. This is what the teams driving the peloton were hoping for anyway.

At about 50km from the finish, Hushovd raced and took the last sprint points of the day putting him back in the Green jersey. At this point, he sat up (quit racing) and waited to rejoin the peloton. About this same time, four riders - Vinokourov, Kloden, Hesjedal and Kiryienka - took off from the breakaway sensing they would need to pick up the pace to avoid being caught by the fast approaching peloton. At this point, the 4-man group had a gap of 3:38 on the peloton.

At the 5km point, the gap was down to under one minute. Vinokourov and Kiryienka dropped Kloden and Hesjedal, who could not maintain the pace. At 3.5km, Vinokourov dropped Kiryienka, now alone heading towards the finish and the final climb.

The final climb came at just under 3k. With an average gradient of 10%, but parts at 14% - it looked like the riders were going straight up. It looked brutal.

There is one guy in the peloton that chews climbs like this up - Alberto Contador. A climb so brief and steep takes an explosive climber to use it to his advantage and that is exactly what Contador did.

Tour first timer, Joaquim Rodriguez, attacked first and Contador countered with an explosive attack catching rival Andy Schleck off guard. Current yellow jersey wearer, Schleck, was moving to the inside probably looking for the shortest line when Contador attacked, quickly opening up a gap of several bike lengths on Schleck.

Rodriguez got on Contador's wheel and the two raced towards the finish overtaking Contador's teammate, Vinokourov. Contador and Rodriguez sprinted for the finish, Contador finishing just behind Rodriguez - giving fellow Spaniard, Rodriguez, the stage win, but both riders getting the same finish time. Vinokourov came in 3rd, :04 behind, Schleck recovered somewhat and was able to close the gap finishing in 5th, just behind Jurgen Van Den Broeck at 00:10 back.

Although Contador's time gain was only 10 seconds, the psychological benefits to him over Schleck were much greater. The upcoming stages in the Pyrenees will also bring similar type climbs, that in the past, Contador has had an advantage over Schleck and everyone else in the GC for that matter.

Contador sent a message to all those that have said that his form doesn't seem as good as last year's - that there is nothing wrong with his form, thank you very much.

Schleck held on to the Yellow jersey, his lead down to 31 seconds over Contador. Hushovd took back the Green jersey from Alessandro Petacchi and Anthony Charteau reclaimed the Polka-dot jersey as best climber. Team Radio Shack leads Caisse d'Epargne by just 21 seconds in the Team Classification. Vinokourov was rewarded for his efforts with most aggressive rider for the stage.

The race for Yellow, Green and Polka Dot jerseys is far from over, and the race for 3rd place on the podium is even more competitive - with eight riders within three minutes of each other. Lots of excitement to come in the final nine stages of this year’s Tour.

Contador was able to gain a little time over Schleck when he timed his move perfectly. Schleck is wary now, you can be sure the two men will keep each other in close view from now to the end.

On a very sad note, Garmin-Transitions sprinter, Tyler Farrar, abandoned the Tour de France with 50km left in today’s stage. According to G-T management, Farrar was dropped on the first climb; unable to recover he chose to drop out of the race entirely. Since his crash in Stage 2, Farrar battled with toughness and commitment each day despite his broken wrist. Yesterday was especially disappointing and frustrating for him with the Mark Renshaw incident; it is unfortunate he had to drop out. A bad Tour continues for Garmin-Transitions leaving just six of the original nine riders still competing. Robbie Hunter left the Tour prior to Stage 11 because of injury, and Christian Vande Velde, leader of the squad, crashed and had to abandon the first week.

Stage 13
Stage 13 has climbs, but no serious mountain - only rolling terrain. In other words, nothing steep enough to allow Contador or Schleck to jump and take off alone. That should make the peloton quite happy after the intensity of today's finish. If a GC contender attacks tomorrow, the rest are sure to follow - so why waste the effort.

Tomorrow will be another day for breakaways, possibly producing the winner of the stage. Watch as team tactics come into play for green jersey and polka dot jersey points hunting. Also, Radio Shack and Caisse d'Epargne will continue to battle for the team classification.
*Pictures are from Getty Images

TDF Stage 11 Recap/Stage 12 Preview

2010-07-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Did you know professional bike racing can be a contact sport? If you watched today's stage, you do.

At the end of Stage 11, approximately 400m from the finish Mark Renshaw, HTC-Columbia, got into position to lead out his sprinter, Mark Cavendish. Julian Dean, Garmin-Transitions, was also vying for real estate to get his man, sprinter Tyler Farrar, into position for the sprint finish.

Renshaw leaned into Dean and head-butted him three times in an attempt to move Dean off - giving Cavendish ample room and holding Dean and Farrar off. Dean withstood the interference and led out Farrar, then he peeled off and Farrar made his move. Renshaw looking over his shoulder saw Farrar starting to sprint out. At this point Renshaw moved to squeeze Farrar into the barriers, greatly impeding Farrar’s ability to sprint. Cavendish ultimately took the win, his 3rd Tour win this year and 13th in 3 years, Alessandro Petacchi came in 2nd and Farrar 3rd.

After reviewing the sprint, race officials made the decision to disqualify Renshaw and eject him from the Tour. In my opinion, they made this decision because of a few possible reasons. One, although sprinters do resort at times to pushing with their heads or arms/shoulders to back another rider off, I've never seen a rider head-butt repeatedly like Renshaw did. Two, the deliberate move to push Farrar toward the barrier was a blatant attempt to impede his ability to sprint. Three, the aggressive riding by Renshaw not only put Farrar and Dean at risk, but also put others in peloton at risk of crashing. Either one of the moves (head-butts or blocking Farrar into the barrier) would have likely resulted in Renshaw being relegated to last place, but the two aggressive acts together were more than race officials could accept.

I tend to agree with them; if Renshaw was only relegated to last place, it really would not serve as much of a punishment or more importantly, deterrant from future reckless acts. To take the victory away from Cavendish would not be fair to him. By removing Renshaw from the Tour, officials have sent a clear and strong message to sprinters and their teams - this behavior will not be tolerated. In the end, the decision of the Tour officials keeps the riders safer and makes for a better Tour.

Other than the excitement at the finish, it was a fairly easy day for the peloton and favorites. There was the requisite breakaway, as well as the routine catch - due to the fast tempo set by the sprinters teams in pursuit of a bunch sprint.

The day was so mellow for the peloton many riders were seen chatting with riders of other teams, including rivals Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador.

There was no change in the GC for the main rivals, the Green jersey exchanged hands in what is a tight competition. Petacchi edged out Thor Hushovd to take the jersey.

Stage 12
Tomorrow's stage will be interesting. Although there are no category 1 or HC climbs, there are 5 mid-range climbs. Additionally, it is a long day - 210km - in what will be very hot temperatures. The finish could provide us with a lot of excitement - it's short but steep (10% gradient). After a long, hot day in the saddle, I expect the last climb to split the field up further. There will no doubt be breakaways.

This is a stage, depending on how he is feeling, that Cadel Evans could redeem his Tour - if he could manage to pull out a win or a top finish, which would cut his time in the GC. Team Radio Shack could go for another stage win sending perhaps Chris Horner in the breakaway.

Stage 12, although not one of the most difficult, could present problems for some resulting in a splintering of the peloton and a selection on the very last climb. Look for Contador and Schleck be in the very front, this stage will not catch them off guard. A team that has struggled thus far in the Tour could look to this stage for glory - perhaps Garmin-Transitions or Team Radio Shack or BMC.

One thing is certain, Stage 12 will not be the easy day in the saddle that Stage 11 was.

TDF Stage 10 - Team Radio Shack Wins

2010-07-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

As predicted Team Radio Shack got a rider in the breakaway, Sergio Paulinho, and managed to pull out their first stage win. Paulinho narrowly edged out Vasili Kiryienka, Caisse d'Epargne, at the line. Both riders were part of a 6-man breakaway that included 2 French riders who both hoped to bring home a stage win on Bastille Day. Fortunately for Team Radio Shack, they were unsuccessful - besides the French almost win on Bastille Day!

Team Radio Shack very much needed the win - in what has been a very disappointing Tour thus far. Part of that is obviously Lance Armstrong losing any chance for a place on the podium in Paris. Much of it has to do with the overall performance of the Team. Coming in to the Tour Team Radio Shack was thought to be “scary strong". That along with Johan Bruyneel, arguably the best tactician in professional bike racing today, made them look hard to beat.

Goals have changed for Radio Shack as a result of Armstrong slipping out of contention. Goals now are for stage wins, the team classification and if they get lucky, 3rd place for Levi Leipheimer who currently sits in 6th overall.

Otherwise, it was a normal day in the peloton at the Tour de France. There was a crash – this one involving 4 riders. All were able to remount and return to the race. The team of the yellow jersey, Saxo Bank, controlled the race sitting on the front protecting Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador, 2nd place to Schleck, stayed in the front as well with his teammates. Armstrong rode in the front, as did Leipheimer. Although there was a category 1 climb, there was no splitting in the peloton because Saxo Bank maintained a very moderate tempo. There were a lot of tired legs and bodies today and the peloton raced accordingly.

Stage 11
Tomorrow’s stage is a day for the sprinters and a race for points in the Green jersey chase. Look for the breakaway to be caught before the finish. It has been several days since a true sprint finish and the sprinters will not be denied.

TDF Stage 9 - And Then There Were Two

2010-07-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Stage 9 confirmed what Stage 8 had alluded to - the Tour de France champion this year will be either defending champion, Alberto Contador or Saxo Bank's, Andy Schleck. If those two stay healthy with no mishaps, it will come down to mano-a-mano in the Pyrenees.

Third place on the podium is still up for grabs. I see Sammy Sanchez, Denis Menchov, and Levi Leipheimer all having a chance. Sanchez and Menchov are about even, with Leipheimer being a minute back.

There were many questions about the strength of the Astana team prior to the Tour. Daniel Novarro and Paolo Tiralongo keep answering those questions soldiering Contador up the climbs - particularly Novarro. The pace he sets is just brutal knocking everyone off the back except a few elites. He did it today and did the same thing two days ago - setting a murderous tempo for what must seem like forever to the guys behind him.

There were so many impressive moments in today’s stage. Schleck repeatedly attacking Contador, trying to shake him loose, but to no avail – then dropping everyone else from the group – was an impressive display of strength. It was an impressive display of race tactics when they decided to work together to cut their time loss to the 4-man breakaway – and then catching them 1km from the finish.

Impressive was Saxo Bank's Jens Voight’s performance today. Voight is the epitome of the type of rider you need as a teammate if you are a serious contender. No one works harder for his team leader then Jens Voight. Voight turned himself inside out for Schleck today; it was just an unbelievably gutsy performance. Voight got in the breakaway for the sole purpose of being down the road near the summit of the Col de Madeleine so that when Schleck got to that point he could work for him. Voight had to be near exhaustion, but when Schleck approached with Contador, somehow Jens found something, got in front and paced Schleck up the climb. After pacing Schleck for several kilometers Voight was so spent he almost did a track stand (complete stop while on bike) because he simply had nothing left.

Cadel Evans is a great bike racer, currently holding the world road champion jersey. Evans had a very bad Tour last year, but was optimistic about his chances for this year. In the past, Evans did not have a team that could adequately support him and yet he finished in 2nd place twice. There were questions about how well BMC would perform today in protecting the yellow jersey, but they did a solid job early in the stage setting the tempo on the climb and protecting Evans. Unfortunately, Evans had a bad day (turns out he fractured his left elbow in Sunday's crash) and was dropped off the back. He lost 8 minutes today and with it his chance for the Tour de France win. He was obviously devastated, starting the day with the yellow jersey, and losing 8 minutes to the new leader – Andy Schleck. When Evans crossed the finish line teammate Mauro Santambrogio tried to comfort him.

Stage 10
Tomorrow is Bastille Day, look for a breakaway with riders from the French teams - Cofidis, Francaise des Jeux and Bbox-Bouygues - perhaps "little Tommy Voeckler" (Phil and Paul's nickname for him) from Bbox or Sylvan Chavanel to have a go at another stage win.

Look for Team Radio Shack to try and get 1-2 guys in the break. They need to salvage something, a stage win would be huge.

TDF Rest Day/Stage 9 Preview

2010-07-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I hope you were able to get some rest on rest day. I know I certainly needed a rest from writing, but then here I am anyway.

Just a little heads up about the stage tomorrow - in one word - difficult. In a few more words - difficult, but not the type of stage that should dislodge any of the true contenders. With that said, some that look like contenders may lose significant time. Plus, as Stage 8 taught us, anything can happen to anyone – including true contenders.

On Stage 9, there are four climbs: Col de la Colombiere (Cat. 1), Col des Aravis (Cat. 2), Col des Saisies (Cat. 1), and Col de la Madeleine (HC). HC is Hors Catégorie, which is French for - "so difficult it is beyond category".

Unlike Stages 8 and 7, Stage 9 will not feature an uphill finish. The finish is actually 40km from the summit of the Madeleine - a harrowing technical descent that flattens out about 10km from the end. If the area is not too heavily treed, we should get good video coverage of the riders flying down the descent. You will not believe how fast they go!

In tomorrow's stage we will likely see a breakaway of riders in search of points or a win, and multiple splits in the main field along the climbs. The biggest selection of riders will occur on the last climb of the day - the monstrous Madeleine.

Something to keep in mind is once the riders reach the summit then start their descent towards the finish, those that were dropped due the climb may be able to rejoin. Meaning that time lost on the climb may be regained on the descent - depending on the ability of the rider to negotiate this very tricky descent.

Although these climbs are very challenging, they are not the toughest that riders will face in this year's Tour. That distinction belongs to the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees, which the riders will climb twice this year.

There very well will be riders finish outside the time limit for Stage 9 and thus get eliminated.

One other thing, although it is counterintuitive, Tour riders often have a difficult time racing the day after a rest day. A day of (active) rest can actually leave them feeling sluggish and slow.