Tour de France

[OfficerImpersonator]

One of the best things about watching the Tour de France (which started yesterday and continues virtually everyday for the next three weeks, all televised on the Vs. Channel) is watching the skilled motorcyclists who serve as camera platforms, course marshals, police motors, etc. ride along the race course.

In Saturday's prologue time trial in London, an older white K-bike is the camera bike. I paused my TV and could clearly see a black brick engine and a shaft drive under the heavily modified bike.

Oh - there's also a pretty cool bicycle race going on, too. Ride through Western Europe from your living room.

[larrydk]

That whit K bik bike almost got hit by the eventual prolouge winner because the driver did not realize the corner speed the cylists were capable of.

[OfficerImpersonator]

I was watching Sunday's race last night and definitely saw an Oilhead serving as a camera bike for the London-Canterbury segment of the race.

Too cool!

I bet the Triumph guys are mad as heck!

[OfficerImpersonator]

Saturday's stage saw a camera bike (K1100) go down on the rainy roads. Rider and cameraman were both o.k., but I was extra careful on the ride on this morning on wet roads with that lesson in adhesion and physics still fresh in my mind.

The cops in southern France all ride RT-Ps, and its neat to see the peloton led by a phalanx of aqua blue BMWs with strobes flashing away.

My wife enjoys watching the cyclists in their tight clothing, while I enjoy watching the riding through epic terrain and scenery.

[PAGoldsby]

Reuters blog about TdF coverage (http://blogs.reuters.com/2007/07/23/allo-paris-we-have-a-problem/)

[osbornk]

Wonder if they can find a winner that passes the drug test?

[hlothery]

Wonder if they can find a winner that passes the drug test?

Only if he is French!!

Seriously though, Rasmussen may have not been truthful about his activities in June, but he supposedly has passed 17 drug tests so far during the tour! What that says about the politics involved, IMHO, speaks volumes. I never believed that Lance Armstrong was doping...etc....etc....and WOW!

If you have read Lance's books, it seems incredible to me the viciousness of the random testing procedures. It seemed to me (and to Lance) that anytime he had any sort of family event, trip, etc planned, these folks would show up in the middle of it and demand blood samples. Despite that, he never tested positive. I'm just about done with European cycling.

[samweaver]

I'm a huge pro cycling fanatic. I watch all the big European races (mostly on the internet as they just televise a few) and BMWs are used in all of them. I usually go to every day of either the Tour de Georgia or the Tour of California. Anyone in here ever riden their motorcycle in support of a bike race? I've never gotten quite fast enough on my bicycle to compete at a high level but I would love to ride in support of a pro race. There are so many different jobs. The best one though is the split time guy. You have a guy on board with a chalk board and stop watch to time the breakaway gap then speed up and show the time to the peloton and then to the breakaway.

thanks, sam.

[FredRydr]

Anyone in here ever riden their motorcycle in support of a bike race? Yes.

Fred
'07

[samweaver]

Hey Fred,
What races? And, how do I go about getting that gig?

thanks, sam.