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Tour De France guide featuring articles on Tour de France history, Lance Armstrong, and current jersey colors. Also offers prospected routes of the Tour de France. |
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TOUR DE FRANCE HISTORY The Tour de France is about a three week race consisting of 21 legs with ten teams totaling 200 bicyclists racing the strenuously challengenging race. Originally the race was 1,500 miles long and has since lengthened its course to an intense 2,500 miles. The first Tour de France that took place in history was in 1903 and was won by Maurice Garin of France. The race was not held in the years from 1915 through 1918 and 1940 through 1946. Several countires have taken first place in the multi day endurance bicycling race. The United States, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland have all taken first place throughout history. France has won the grueling race 31 times in the past 100 years. Louision Bobet winning it for France three times in a row during 1953 to 1955 and Jacques Anquetil winning it for them a total of 4 times in a row between 1961 and 1964. Eddy Merckx took his four firsts for Belgium in 1969 to 1972. Miguel Indurain of Spain made his presence in the race by sweeping firsts from 1991 to 1995. Lance Armstrong represented the United States with a strong comeback after fighting cancer and swept first place in the race from 1999 though 2002.
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ROUTE TOUR DE FRANCE 2002Prologue 7 km, Saturday, July 6 Luxembourg Stage 1 192,5 km, Sunday, July 7 Luxembourg to Luxembourg Stage 2 181 km, Monday, July 8 Luxembourg to Sarrebruck Stage 3 174,5 km, Tuesday, July 9 Metz to Reims Stage 4 team time trial - 67,5 km, Wednesday, July 10 Epernay to Château-Thierry Stage 5 195 km, Thursday, July 11 Soissons to Rouen Stage 6 199,5 km, Friday, July 12 Forges-les-Eaux to Alençon Stage 7 176 km, Saturday, July 13 Bagnoles-de-l'Orne to Avranches Stage 8 217,5 km, Sunday, July 14 St Martin de Landelles to Plouay Stage 9 time trial - 52 km, Monday, July 15 Lanester to Lorient Rest Day in Bordeaux, Tuesday, July 16 Stage 10 147 km, Wednesday, July 17 Bazas to Pau Stage 11 158 km, Thursday, July 18 Pau to La Mongie Stage 12 199,5 km, Friday, July 19 Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille Stage 13 171 km, Saturday, July 20 Lavelanet to Béziers Stage 14 221 km, Sunday, July 21 Lodève to Le Mont Ventoux Rest Day in Vaucluse, Monday, July 22 Stage 15 226,5 km, Tuesday, July 23 Vaison-la-Romaine to Les-Deux-Alpes Stage 16 179,5 km, Wednesday, July 24 Les-Deux-Alpes to La Plagne Stage 17 142 km, Thursday, July 25 Aime - Cluses Stage 18 176,5 km, Friday, July 26 Cluses to Bourg-en-Bresse Stage 19 50 km, Saturday, July 27 Régnié-Durette to Mâcon Stage 20 144 km, Sunday, July 28 Melun to Paris-Champs-Elysées For a map of Tour de France routes visit Le Tour de France |
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ARMSTRONG TRIUMPHS
autobiograpy written by Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins "I've spent my life racing my bike, from the back roads of Austin, Texas to the Champs-Elysées, and I always figured if I died an untimely death, it would be because some rancher in his Dodge 4X4 ran me headfirst into a ditch." (Armstrong and Jenkins 2) After nearly being defeated by his fight against cancer, professional cycling racer, Lance Armstrong rose to the top and won a bicycle racing dream, the Tour de France, a treachorous endurance based bicyle race lasting for days. In his autobiography Lance Armstrong gives an intricate and suprisingly real glimpse of his life while he was fighting cancer. The same determination the world sees in his bicycle training and success is seen in his personal battles with cancer, his professional bicycling training, and his family struggles. Overcoming his cancer perhaps gave him the most strenuous, valuable, and enduring training session that anyone could complete. Browse or buy this book. |
WHAT IT MEANS TO WEAR THE YELLOW JERSEY |
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