Monday, July 11, 2011

How would you stack up in Le Tour?



In case you hadn't heard, it's the beginning of the second week of this big bike race that's pretty popular over in Europe. Anyone can ride a bike, right, so what's stopping you or me from competing against the pros for the big money, other than a contract and a plane ticket to Paris? Well, plenty, apparently, according to some of the items on a list from the latest Bicycling Magazine of the differences between an average cyclist and a professional racer in the Tour de France:

Average speed on flat terrain:
You: 17-18mph
Pro: 25-28mph

Average speed on mountainous terrain:
You: 9-10mph
Pro: 21-25mph

Miles ridden in a week:
You: 75-140
Pro: 700-800

Calories consumed during a ride:
You: 200-450
Pro: 4,000-5,000

Hours of riding on a "rest" day:
You: 0
Pro: 2-3

Cost of a race bike:
You: $2,000-$7,000
Pro: $9,000-$14,000

Chain replacements:
You: Maybe once a season
Pro: 2-3 per Tour

Hours of sleep per week:
You: 40-50
Pro: 70

Source: You Versus The Peloton, Bicycling Magazine

On a semi-related note, a couple of bicycle accessories caught the eyes of different CC staffers this past weekend. The "Bikestache," is well, as it claims, nothing short of glorious:

Our favorite in Peninsula were these bass-guitar-shaped pedals on a customer's bike:

So, while it may not be possible for you to be Andy Schleck, with these two items, you can be just a step away from being a bike-riding Allman Brother.

2 comments:

  1. Where can I get that guitar pedal?

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  2. GabeyGoat, these pedals appealed to our "bassist" instincts as well (groan); glad to see we're not alone. As much as we'd like to say we can sell them to you, it does not appear that they are available from any of our distributors. Perhaps try a Google search of "guitar bicycle pedals."

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