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Sunday, January 11, 2004
"The 2003 Tour de France--100th Anniversary Tour"
by John Wilcockson
I believe Wilcockson has written one of these each of the last five years, generally covering the Tour stage by stage. They've all been really interesting and if you have every year of Lance's wins on tape, then the book is a nice companion.
Quiz:
1. Who owns the record for the most days in yellow? The number is 96.
2. Who owns the record for most stage wins? (34)
3. Who has 3 of the 5 fastest Tours (avg. speed)? Who are the other two riders in the top 5? One might surprise you.
4. Controversy at the Tour is nothing new. What year was the first controversy and what was it?
5. Who was the first non-French winner of the Tour, what was the year and where was he from?
The 2003 Tour book is a little different. It's divided into three parts. Part I is the history of the Tour. How and why it started, a paragraph on all 90 races (seven years lost to world wars), a chapter on strange happenings in five of the years, techniques and technology--how the bikes and equipment have changed, and a chapter covering the first four 5-time champions.
Part II is "Americans at the Tour". The first chapter is "North Americans at the Tour" and covers every Canadian, American and Mexican who have ever ridden in the Tour. There are also chapters on Greg Lemond, as the first American winner, and a chapter retelling Lance's comeback from cancer.
Part III is the actual Tour coverage, divided into the three weeks. There is an overview of that week, then detailed coverage of each stage. Also included are excerpts from Tyler Hamilton and Michael Rogers' online diaries that they wrote for VeloNews (of which Wilcockson is an editor). There is also the full roster of riders, lots of photos and some Tour records.
If you love the Tour, you'll like this book. Maybe not so much the last section if you aren't a Lance fan, but hey, wait until he wins #6 in 2004!
Quiz answers:
1. Eddy Merckx
2. Eddy Merckx
3. #1 (40.940 kph, 2003), #2 (40.273 kph, 1999) and #4 (39.572 kph, 2000) Lance; #3 Pantani (39.938 kph, 1998); #5 Indurain (39.504 kph, 1992)
4. The second Tour in 1904. Many riders cheated by hitching rides in cars or trains, having illicit feeds or switching race numbers with other riders. In some towns, mobs of fans (?) scattered carpet tacks on the roads or blocked the road. Fifteen riders were DQed for cheating. That was almost the last year of the Tour.
5. Francois Faber in 1909. He was from Luxembourg.
I believe Wilcockson has written one of these each of the last five years, generally covering the Tour stage by stage. They've all been really interesting and if you have every year of Lance's wins on tape, then the book is a nice companion.
Quiz:
1. Who owns the record for the most days in yellow? The number is 96.
2. Who owns the record for most stage wins? (34)
3. Who has 3 of the 5 fastest Tours (avg. speed)? Who are the other two riders in the top 5? One might surprise you.
4. Controversy at the Tour is nothing new. What year was the first controversy and what was it?
5. Who was the first non-French winner of the Tour, what was the year and where was he from?
The 2003 Tour book is a little different. It's divided into three parts. Part I is the history of the Tour. How and why it started, a paragraph on all 90 races (seven years lost to world wars), a chapter on strange happenings in five of the years, techniques and technology--how the bikes and equipment have changed, and a chapter covering the first four 5-time champions.
Part II is "Americans at the Tour". The first chapter is "North Americans at the Tour" and covers every Canadian, American and Mexican who have ever ridden in the Tour. There are also chapters on Greg Lemond, as the first American winner, and a chapter retelling Lance's comeback from cancer.
Part III is the actual Tour coverage, divided into the three weeks. There is an overview of that week, then detailed coverage of each stage. Also included are excerpts from Tyler Hamilton and Michael Rogers' online diaries that they wrote for VeloNews (of which Wilcockson is an editor). There is also the full roster of riders, lots of photos and some Tour records.
If you love the Tour, you'll like this book. Maybe not so much the last section if you aren't a Lance fan, but hey, wait until he wins #6 in 2004!
Quiz answers:
1. Eddy Merckx
2. Eddy Merckx
3. #1 (40.940 kph, 2003), #2 (40.273 kph, 1999) and #4 (39.572 kph, 2000) Lance; #3 Pantani (39.938 kph, 1998); #5 Indurain (39.504 kph, 1992)
4. The second Tour in 1904. Many riders cheated by hitching rides in cars or trains, having illicit feeds or switching race numbers with other riders. In some towns, mobs of fans (?) scattered carpet tacks on the roads or blocked the road. Fifteen riders were DQed for cheating. That was almost the last year of the Tour.
5. Francois Faber in 1909. He was from Luxembourg.
