Controversy At The 2006 Tour De France
The 2006 Tour de France was set to be another of a long line of great races. The field, though without multiple time champion and cycling legend Lance Armstrong, was a competitive one, and the route was superb as usual. No one rider was primed to dominate, and the cycling world, while obviously sad to see Lance Armstrong go, was reinvigorated by the prospect of a tight race that nearly anyone could win.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Bernard Hinault
One of the legendary personalities and riders in the history of the Tour de France is unquestionably Bernard Hinault. Hinault was known as much for his outspoken and occasionally stubborn demeanor as he was for his considerable talent. His talent was incredible, as he won 28 stages of the Tour de France in his illustrious career. He was a gifted time trial rider as well, as 13 of his stage victories came from individual time trials. He won five Tour de France victories in his career, which only four other cyclists have ever done.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx is regarded by many to be the best cyclist of all time. His tenacity and refusal to relinquish his own chance to win earned him the nickname, “The Cannibal”. Merckx is one of only five riders to win the Tour de France five times. He only competed in seven installments of the Tour de France to win such an incredible number of them, and also finished second once for a total of six podium appearances.
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Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Greg Lemond
Greg LeMond was the first American to ever win the Tour de France, and went on to win it a total of three times. An outspoken critic of performance enhancing drugs and doping both during his career and afterwards, he was slowed during much of his prime by poor luck and injuries. He competed in six installments of the Tour de France in his impressive career.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Gustave Garrigou
Gustave Garrigou was one of the first great riders in the Tour de France. In his short but accomplished career, he was able to win the Tour de France once, and finish on the podium a total of six times. Although Garrigou’s career ended over 90 years ago, he remains one of the beloved French cyclists in the legendary history of the Tour de France.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil is famous for being the first cyclist to ever win the Tour de France five times. Born in 1934, he would become an exceptional time trial specialist, as well as the only rider to ever wear the yellow jersey for the entirety of the Tour de France, during his 1961 win.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich was one of the great riders and personalities of the Tour de France. A German cyclist born in 1973, he would go on to become the first German rider to ever win the Tour de France. He also built a career on his legendary consistency that unfortunately coincided with that of Lance Armstrong. He finished in the top three of the Tour de France an incredible six times, with one win, four second place finishes and a third place finish. He also finished fourth in 2004.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Joop Zoetemelk
Joop Zoetemelk was a cyclist from the Netherlands who is widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of all time. Zoetemelk competed in an amazing 16 editions of the Tour de France, finishing the race in every one. In a 13-year span from 1970 to 1982 (he didn’t compete in 1974), Zoetemelk finished no worse than eighth, appearing on the podium seven times. Zoetemelk won the Tour de France once to go along with his six second place finishes.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Lance Armstrong
Even those who are relatively unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the sport of cycling can tell you who Lance Armstrong is. There are many people worldwide who don’t know the difference between the yellow jersey and the polka dot jersey, but are familiar with Armstrong’s legendary triumphs at the Tour de France, and his courageous battles with cancer. Let’s take a look at the many great performances of Lance Armstrong on cycling’s biggest stage, the Tour de France.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon was a two time winner of the Tour de France, and one of the most beloved French cyclists of all time. He won a variety of races other than the Tour de France in his career, and missed winning a third Tour de France by the smallest margin in race history.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Louison Bobet
Louison (or “Louis”) Bobet was one of the great post-war French cyclists. In his career, he was able to win three Tour de France races (one of only eight riders to do so) and had four podium finishes in total. He was also known as a talented climber and tenacious, if sometimes stubborn, competitor.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Lucien Petit-breton
Lucien Petit-Breton was not only one of the first dominant riders in the history of the Tour de France, but also a great symbol of the eccentric and sometimes tragic time that he lived. A two time champion of the Tour de France, Petit-Breton may have won more Tours had he not joined the French Army and died in World War I.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Lucien Van Impe
Lucien van Impe was one of the better cyclists of his generation, with five Tour de France podium appearances including one win at the 1976 Tour de France. Van Impe, known as a gifted climber who excelled in long, grueling mountain stages, won six Tour de France mountain classifications in addition to his overall race successes.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Miguel Indurain
Miguel Indurain will always be known as one of the greatest cyclists to ever compete in the Tour de France. Indurain was the first cyclist to ever win five straight Tour de France championships, and was one of only five riders to ever win five championships at all. He was known as a gifted rider who excelled at time trials, and was nicknamed “Miguelón” due to his natural ability and his uncommon size for a cyclist.
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Great Cyclists Of The Tour De France: Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys, one of the better Belgian cyclists of all time, is one of the most prolific champions in Tour de France history, with three yellow jerseys to his credit. In fact, Thys is credited by some as being the first rider to wear a yellow jersey, though he wasn’t presented it in an official capacity. Thys was one of the most talented young riders in the history of cycling.
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Planning The Route Of The Tour De France
For a race with the tradition and amazing legacy of the Tour de France, as much effort must go into the preparation of each year’s edition as the riders put into finishing the race in first place. The Tour de France is famous for its length, its variety, and the grueling demands it places on those who attempt to conquer it, as well as the other competitors. Therefore, the race organizers must put a lot of effort and time planning each year’s race, to ensure that each installment is worthy of the reputation that the Tour de France has earned over the last 105 years.
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The First Tour De France: A Humble Beginning
The Tour de France is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and famous sporting events in history. For over one hundred years, great athletes have traversed vast roads and steep mountain climbs in France for the title of world’s greatest cyclist. It’s hard to believe, then, that the historic race began as a publicity stunt for a newspaper!
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The Route Of Champions: The 2008 Tour De France Race Route
Every year, hundreds of French towns dream of being one of the towns along the route of the Tour de France. Over two hundred towns are considered on a permanent basis to hold one of the stages of the Tour de France, and each has to go through an extensive selection process to be chosen. If your town is chosen to be along the route of the Tour de France, that means that for one day, all eyes across the world will be on your town. With the Tour de France being such a prestigious event, steeped in history and tradition, it’s easy to see why being selected is such an honor.
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The Tour De France: A Beginner’s Guide
The Tour de France is an incredibly exciting event that is followed by fans all across the world. However, the Tour de France can also be intimidating to those who aren’t familiar with the sport of cycling, or the race itself. Let’s go over some of the basics, so that you’ll be able to follow this year’s Tour de France with a better understanding of the events taking place!
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The Tour De France, Explained
Millions of people worldwide are transfixed each and every year as the annual Tour de France is run. In case you aren’t one of these people, and you don’t really get what the fuss is about, or maybe you just don’t understand the rules and terminology, here is a quick primer so that you can join in on the fun this year!
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The Tour De France: The First Extreme Sports Event?
These days, with skateboarders and BMX bikers doing backflips and covering 50 foot gaps from giant ramps, it’s probably hard for youngsters to think of the Tour de France as a dangerous sport. However, in the golden tradition of the Tour de France, there have been three tragic deaths due to injuries sustained while racing. While it’s not very pleasant to talk about the tragedies that have occurred during the most prestigious cycling race in the world, it does highlight the dangers that cyclists face, the amount of skill that is required by the sport of cycling, and the importance of safety measures in the sport itself.
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The Yellow Jersey: A Standard Of Excellence
When you think of the most iconic trophies in all of sport, you may think of the Stanley Cup, or the World Cup trophy, or the Vince Lombardi trophy. However, it’s hard to imagine an honor more distinctive than the Tour de France’s yellow jersey.
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Tragedy At The Tour De France
Fabio Casartelli, like many young cyclists, dreamed of achieving infamy in the Tour de France. Unfortunately, in an unprecedented bike crash, Casartelli lost his life and remains only the third rider to ever die during the Tour de France race.
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Understanding The Rules Of The Tour De France
To the uninitiated, the world of cycing and specifically, the Tour de France can be a bit confusing. With all the talk of yellow jerseys, time trials, race leaders and feed zones, the Tour de France is sometimes a bit intimidating to new fans. And what in the world is with the teams? It’s an individual sport, right? Well, have no fear, cycling newbies: your initiation is here!
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Variety Is Everything: Stage Types Of The Tour De France
One of the things that makes the Tour de France a great spectacle is the wide variety of stages that riders must endure to win the yellow jersey for once and for all. The Tour de France requires versatility from its cyclists, as each year the stages are made of a good mix of climbs, sprints, and other stage types. If you’re lost as to what the different type of stage types are, and what strategies they require, read on! You’ll enjoy the race much more if you understand what challenges are presented by the different types of stages.
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