02_584499 ftoc.qxd 4/26/05 11:36 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Foreword ........................................................xvii Introduction.......................................................1 Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other .............7 Chapter 1: Answering All Your Tour Questions......................................9 Chapter 2: Understanding the Tour de France Race Routes ..............15 Chapter 3: The Races within the Race...................................................29 Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won ..............47 Chapter 4: It’s All about the Team..........................................................49 Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know ................65 Chapter 6: Understanding Race Strategies ...........................................77 Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike.........................................89 Chapter 7: Who Are These Guys and How Do They Do It? .................91 Chapter 8: Spending a Day in the Life of a Rider................................101 Chapter 9: Having the Best Equipment in the Bunch ........................119 Part IV: Watching the Race ............................133 Chapter 10: Perfecting the Art of Spectating from Home..................135 Chapter 11: Going to the Tour: A Brief Guide .....................................151 Part V: The Part of Tens..................................171 Chapter 12: Ten Greatest Riders in Tour History...............................173 Chapter 13: The Ten Most Important Tours in History.....................183 Chapter 14: Ten Unique Tour de France Statistics.............................197 Chapter 15: Ten Dramatic Tour de France Moments.........................205 Chapter 16: Ten Great Tour Climbs and Mountaintops.....................213 Chapter 17: Ten Other Important Races..............................................225 Glossary........................................................237COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Index.............................................................243 02_584499 ftoc.qxd 4/26/05 11:36 PM Page viii 02_584499 ftoc.qxd 4/26/05 11:36 PM Page ix Table of Contents Foreword ........................................................xvii Introduction .......................................................1 About This Book .........................................................................1 Conventions Used in This Book................................................1 What You’re Not to Read............................................................2 Foolish Assumptions ..................................................................2 How This Book Is Organized......................................................2 Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other ........................3 Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won............................3 Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike................4 Part IV: Watching the Race ..............................................4 Part V: The Part of Tens...................................................4 Icons Used in This Book.............................................................5 Where to Go from Here ..............................................................5 Part I: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other ..............7 Chapter 1: Answering All Your Tour Questions. 9 Understanding the Race and the Strategies ............................9 Working together ............................................................10 Winning individually.......................................................10 Understanding Those Colored Jerseys ..................................10 Choosing the Right Stuff: From Bikes to Snacks ...................12 Spectating During the Tour......................................................13 Watching the Tour from home ......................................14 Searching for Tour information ....................................14 Making the trip to the Tour ...........................................14 Chapter 2: Understanding the Tour de France Race Routes. 15 What’s a Stage, How Many Are There, and How Long Are They?.............................................................15 Choosing the Route and Stage Each Year..............................16 Figuring Out Where to Start.....................................................18 Time Trials, Mountains Stages, Prologues, and More ..........20 Prologues and high speeds ...........................................22 Flat and rolling stages ....................................................22 Making the grade: Mountain stages .............................23 Individual time trials ......................................................25 Team time trials ..............................................................26 Scouting the New Route: Practice Makes Perfect.................27 02_584499 ftoc.qxd 4/26/05 11:36 PM Page x x Tour de France For Dummies Chapter 3: The Races within the Race . 29 Timing: Every Second Counts .................................................30 Getting sprints, points, and bonus seconds ...............30 Winning stages doesn’t equal winning the Tour.........30 Getting to Know Jerseys ..........................................................31 What’s a jersey and why not just wear a T-shirt?.......31 How did this jersey thing start anyway? .....................31 How many jerseys are used during the race? .............32 Showing sponsors’ logos ...............................................32 Explaining the Overall General Classification .......................33 The yellow jersey............................................................34 The polka-dot jersey for climbing ................................35 The green jersey for sprinting.......................................37 Being young has its advantages: The white jersey ....39 Standing on the Podium (and Kissing the Podium Girls) ....40 Receiving awards and accolades..................................41 Giving flowers and stuffed lions ...................................42 The Honor of the Lanterne Rouge ...........................................42 From shame to glory ......................................................43 Working hard to keep last place ...................................43 Riding in the Broom Wagon .....................................................43 Abandoning the race — and why .................................44 Meeting time limits.........................................................44 Surrendering a race number .........................................45 Part II: How the Race Is Run and Won ...............47 Chapter 4: It’s All about the Team . 49 What’s Team Got to Do with It?...............................................50 Does the guy in yellow win every stage?.....................50 Riding for dollars ............................................................51 Selecting a Team — All Shapes, Sizes, and Skills ..................52 The team leader..............................................................53 The climbers ...................................................................54 The sprinters...................................................................54 The rouleurs.....................................................................56 The time trial specialists ...............................................57 Recognizing the Team Behind the Team................................59 The directeur sportif (team manager) ...........................59 The team mechanics (a.k.a. wrenches) .......................60 The soigneurs (all-around assistants) ..........................61 The masseurs..................................................................62 The drivers: Skills, stamina, and street smarts ..........62 02_584499 ftoc.qxd 4/26/05 11:36 PM Page xi Table of Contents xi Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know. 65 Knowing Some Important Tour de France Regulations .......65 Helmets: Mandatory, dude! ...........................................66 Oh, no, we’re wearing the same outfit .........................66 Riding by numbers .........................................................67 Sign on the line, or you don’t pass start......................68 Feed zone and feeding rules..........................................68 Team cars: Position and passing ..................................69 Staying within the time limit .........................................70 Drug testing at every stage............................................71 Who’s Keeping Score and Why?..............................................72 Photo finishes and split seconds..................................74 Staying in the know ........................................................74 Starting orders and paying fines...................................74 Chapter 6: Understanding Race Strategies . 77 Here’s the Plan, Man! ................................................................77 Protecting the race leader.............................................79 Chasing down the competition.....................................80 Pulling and sacrificing....................................................80 Attacking and breakaways.............................................82 Miles to Go Before I Sleep ........................................................82 Domestiques: Delivering news and other stuff ............83 The peloton: Stuck in the middle with you..................85 Heeding Nature’s Call While Riding ........................................87 Part III: Loving the Ride: A Man and His Bike