欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

My favorite site www.velowire.com tells me that if Denmark successfully hosts the event in 2017, the first day will be a prologue in Copenhagen followed by two stages; one between Roskilde and Odense and another one between Vejle and Sønderborg.


(Screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)

This image above shows the cities Copenhagen, Roskilde, Odense, Vejle and Sønderborg.

A quick check tells me that from Luxembourg it is a 940 km ride to Copenhagen.

A simple route (for automobiles) between Roskilde and Odense is about 130 km long and the route between Vejle and Sønderborg is about 110 km long. Denmark is known for its flatish profile all over the country. Those stages will be totally flat.

There will be breakaway riders all the time and teams with sprinters will be fiercely chasing them away to the end.

There will be honorary mountain jersey wearers during Denmark stages.


(This over the sea bridge seems to be about 20 km long)
At about 40 km/h speed, the peloton takes about 30 minutes to go over the bridge. I hope the wind is gentle.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [TdF2017 Grand Dért in Copenhagen?]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/30(月) 19:37:57|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

I have been (of course everyone who has invested their money on this Indiegogo project has been) watching this development. In recent days the words between the Limits Technology and Mr. DC Rainmaker have been harsh.

The latest update (as of this moment November 26. 2015) from Limits Technology has been a result of the harsh words between the two parties above.

The Limits power meters will be tested by independent tester(s) to be evaluated before their public release (first to the Indiegogo backers and then the general public). To allow this evaluation period (2 to 3 weeks), the expected delivery to me (one of the crowdfunding backers) will be one month later, which is the end of January, 2016.

OK, so now I know that my pedals won't be my self-given Christmas present under the Christmas tree (not that I am planning to put up any trees of any kind in my humble studio apartment).

I am curious that Mr. DC Rainmaker will be included in the independent testers. I guess he is well overqualified for that particular job.

What do they (LT) mean by "independent"? Of course the testers won't be one of the LT employees. Do they mean by "independent" that someone who have not been attached to either LT and Mr. Rainmaker?

Who will qualify for the job?

If the power meter is exactly what it was promised to be, Mr. Rainmaker will give it fair marks. If he says it is worth the price, people will jump on it.

If the power meter is not what it was supposed to be, ... Well, wait a minute! What should I do if it does not deliver the good? I don't think I get a refund.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Limits power meters to be delivered later than they had been said to ]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車用品 - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/27(金) 00:08:52|
2. Bikes and related things
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

I take a 4 week vacation during the Tour de France. At least that what I have done for the last four years or so. It is the way I spent most of my paid vacation.

I started to go on a camping tour about ten years ago. I never owned one of those motorhomes or caravans. I always had a small car with me. For a while I had a Mercedes A-Class, other times I rented cars and now I have a Ford Ka.

The A-Class (140 gasoline) was great. The rear seats could be easily removed and the floor was flat. I had enough room for many camping items. I sold it when I moved to Luxembourg.

The Ford Ka (RU8) is good. It is small (easy to drive and park) and the mileage it gets (diesel) is great.

Since it is small, I can not pack too many things inside. My bike, tents (sleeping and bathroom), a sleeping bag, cooking equipment, clothes, electric equipment (TVs, notebook and some others), painting stuff (paint pail and rollers) and food are the things that I have to take with me during the trip.

I have been trying to shed any unnecessary things of the what to take list. I have always tried to replace the needed things with smaller or lighter alternatives.

Cooking equipment is made up with Trangia cookers and Jetboil cookers. They are made of lightweight aluminium and stackable. I used to use the alcohol burner but switched to butane gas canisters. I think the current configuration for outdoor cooking has been complete.

Butane gas canisters vs. Alcohol fuel
1. Ease of purchase (in any rural locations in France): Alcohol fuel has the edge
(as you can purchase it in a bottle cheaply in any small supermarkets)

2. Economics: Alcohol fuel has the edge

3. Fire power / Control: Butane gas has the edge

Alcohol fuel has a lot of advantages over butane gas canisters but I got tired of scrubbing the 'inevitable' soot off the bottom of the pans and I wanted to cook more quickly.

Taking a shower when I don't check in a camping ground (like in the mountains) was also one of the obstacles that I had to overcome. Portable shower sacs are available. I have one (Sea to Summit Pocket Shower) of them. I have been keeping my eyes on the market for better products.

Aqua2go (www.aqua2go.eu)
They have two versions. Aqua2go and Aqua2go Pro. They hook up to the main (240V AC) or 12V DC socket (automobile) and also have rechargeable battery onboard.



There are other similar products on the market.

Nemo Helio (www.nemoequipment.com)
New. It does not rely on electricity. It has an air pump to pressurize the water tank (balloon). The pressurized water inside comes out of the hose. Neat.


I am very interested in Nemo Helio but the price of it is only slightly lower than that of Aqua2go (at a discount shop - non Pro version).

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Camping tour of the Tour de France 2016]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/26(木) 02:36:06|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Acor Sports (http://www.acorsports.com) VS. Qbicle (www.qbicle.com.tw)

From Acor Sports' site, you can find the product. I have the first generation product and it was called ADF-21201 (without R in the end). This current product may have undergone a minor model change.

Home > Products > Accessories > Computer/Fenders > ADF-21201R
(http://www.acorsports.com/products.php?func=p_detail&p_id=192&pc_parent=31)


From Qbicle's site, you can find the product. I have just recently acquired the product.
Home > Product > Tangent Fenders > QF725HA
(http://www.qbicle.com.tw/product_detail.php?psn=150)


They look similar but are different. I will take some photos on my own and upload them here later.

My product review will be like this.

1) Appearance
2) Functionality
3) Adjustability

With pictures (as they say that pictures tell thousands words) my review will be more useful to those who are also looking for this kind of products.

1) Appearance
Acor Sports ADF-21201(R) looks slightly better than Qbicle Tangent fenders.
(pictures of a bit annoying protrusion on QF725HA ... coming soon)

2) Functionality
Qbicle fender is superior as the blade is longer (about 30 %?).
As the actual blades (the part that hovers over the tire) are identical.

3) Adjustability
Acor Sports ADF-21201 (R) is slightly easier to set up on the bike.

Am I going to say that ADF-21201 (R) is better than QF725HA? I say yes.

Although QF725HA offers more flexibility in its installation (more parts for adjusting to the front fork, rear ends), QF725HA comes a bit short of ADF-21201 (R).

I think (as far as I know) ADF-21201 came out on the market first and QF725HA (and its siblings) came a couple of years later. QF725HA (and its siblings) is simple in its construction (to cut the manufacturing cost?). Or at least Qbicle tried to re-invent their predecessor product. Qbicle in a way succeeded in make the construction simpler but failed to surpass their predecessor.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Mudguard fenders for my bike.]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車用品 - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/26(木) 00:31:00|
2. Bikes and related things
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Reading the blog article by Mr. DC Rainmaker on his thoughts on Limits has made me worry. He seems to be, as far as I know, an authority in the bike equipment / gadgets field. His doubts about Limits sounded real.

In the latest campaign update from Limits, the chairman of the company addressed the issue. I think he is pissed.

By the way, I want to give a really really insignificant note to the readers (if there exist any of such people in the world). Yesterday (November 18, 2016) I sent a registered mail to my employers telling that I wanted to quit. This has definitely sealed my fate. I will be out of employment for a while in January next year (2017).

I have to work to made my humble existence in Luxembourg so I will start working soon, of course. I don't plan to live on the social welfare (unemployment money or anything). This signifies a new stage, new phase of my living here in Europe.

A new hope? Force awakens? Well, I admit that I am a big fan of those Star Wars movies. A new chapter will open next year. May the Force be with me!

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Limits powermeter to materialize?]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車用品 - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/24(火) 13:33:52|
2. Bikes and related things
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

After the Mont Ventoux stage, the peloton will see the short individual time trial stage. After this stage, the race continues to head eastward and eventually enters Switzerland.

Stage 13 (Fri. July 15th): Bourg-Saint-Andéol - La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc
Stage 14 (Sat. July 16th): Montélimar - Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux
Stage 15 (Sun. July 17th): Bourg-en-Bress - Culoz
Stage 16 (Mon. July 18th): Moirans-en-Montagne - Bern (Berne in French)
Rest day (Tue. July 19th): Bern, Switzerland
Stage 17 (Wed. July 20th): Bern - Finhaut-Emosson
Stage 18 (Thu. July 21st): Sallanches - Megève
Stage 19 (Fri. July 22nd): Albertville - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Stage 20 (Sat. July 23rd): Megève - Morzine
Stage 21 (Sun. July 24th): Chantilly - Champs-Élysées, Paris


The grey line is the route that Garmin BaseCamp recommends as a bicycling route from Monpellier. Bédoin is the well-known town associated with Mont Ventoux.

I simply don't know whether the actual race route will pass Bédoin or not. I believe it will.

According to the profile from ASO, the start of the climb this time is a town called Saint-Estève. This name is found on the bottom center. Really? According to Google Earth, the altitude of "this" Saint-Estève is only 252 meters but the ASO's image suggests that "that" Saint-Estève is 536 meters high.


In fact Google Earth tells me that there is another Saint-Estève (at altitude 536 meters) and this one is on the grey route, of course. I know exactly where "this" Saint-Estève is. I know this point in my picture memory. It is where the gradient begins to pick up.

This is "the" Saint-Estève that the Garmin map does not know but the mighty Google Earth does.


Stage 13 (Fri. July 15th): Bourg-Saint-Andéol - La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc
37 km

Figuring out how ITT course goes was not so simple. The finish "La Caverne du Pont d'Arc" is easily found by googling it. It seems to be an ancient (stone age) ruin where you find some paintings made by our ancestors. Google Earth and Garmin BaseCamp did not tell me about it. This orange route is about 36 km long so I believe it is it.

I recommend you to google it and find out what it is. Unfortunately, I don't think I have time to go into those caves and look at those paintings on the wall.


This profile tells me that I should set up my base

Stage 14 (Sat. July 16th): Montélimar - Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux
208 km

This does not say much now, does it? I know. The yellow route made by Garmin BaseCamp is 208 km long just like the real stage course. I am not sure if this is the real race course.

The problem is that Garmin BaseCamp lets me select the way it show the captions and others on the map but when I let the 'label (their term)' show, those annoyingly huge road names show up. I just want to show the city names but I can not do that. Sign. The small black dot that appears on the left of the yellow route close to the destination (Villars-les-Dombes) on the upper side of the map is "Lyon."


The same predicament here. I want to show some of the names of the cities but I can not. It would be nice if I could show the names of waypoints' names. Those icons (my waypoints) are one of the places used by the following stages, starts, finishes, mountain tops and mountain passes.

Stage 15 (Sun. July 17th): Bourg-en-Bresse - Culoz
159 km

This green route is 71 km long. It is the projected route from Bourg-en-Bresse to Lochieu.


From Lochieu the peloton climbs to Col du Grand Colombier (1,501 meters high) and then climbs down to Anglefort. The last part of the race route includes a circuit course.



Stage 16 (Mon. July 18th): Moirans-en-Montagne - Bern (Berne in French)
206 km

This magenta route could be the real route. It is 185 km long. The actual stage is 206 km long so there should be some detours or possibly a small circuit course in (or near) Bern. I believe they (race organizer and hosting city councll of Bern) would like to entertain the people awaiting the race arrival to let them have the feeling of the money they put up to host the stages has been well spent.


Rest day (Tue. July 19th): Bern, Switzerland



Stage 17 (Wed. July 20th): Bern - Finhaut-Emosson
184 km

This green route is 170 km long so I assume that it won't be too far away from the real course.


Let's take a look at the last section of the crouse. From Martigny the peloton has to put more efforts.




Stage 18 (Thu. July 21st): Sallanches - Megève
17 km

This dark blue route is 17.5 km so it could be exactly the ITT course.


Stage 19 (Fri. July 22nd): Albertville - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
146 km

This green route is 150 km long so it won't be too wrong. I connected the places on the race route and the result was this.


Stage 20 (Sat. July 23rd): Megève - Morzine
146 km
No course preview images.

Stage 21 (Sun. July 24th): Chantilly - Champs-Élysées, Paris
113 km
No course preview images.


(All the profile images are from ASO's site)
(Other images are screenshot clip from my Garmin BaseCamp)

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2016 Stages Preview Part IV]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/22(日) 00:37:17|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

In the aftermath of those terrorist attacks, Luxembourg legislature has taken a step.

No prepaid SIM cards are being sold by the four Luxembourg mobile telecommunication companies.

I was a bit worried as I have been using one for a long time. I did not know what would happen to those prepaid SIM cars already in circulation used by non-terroists like me.

Today, I found a related article on wort.lu's site.

I will be soon notified by my mobile telecommunication provider that I should identify myself to them. I don't know by this time how and when.

I am guessing that I will receive an SMS message telling me to come visit one of their shops with my valid ID cards to register my SIM card by some date or my SIM card will be unusable.


I welcome this.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [No more anonymous prepaid SIM cards to be sold and also...]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2015/11/21(土) 14:29:47|
2. Info Luxembourg
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

I was elated when I learned about it from her own tweet. Why? Well, first of all I am (still but hopefully not for long) Japanese as she is. I don't like the nationalistic side of any sporting event. Naturally, I really don't care about the Olympic Games except for the road races and time trial races where names familiar to me participate. I really did not watch any other games than ones above mentioned, nada, rien, niet or zilch.

I lost any kind of interest in soccer games because they so remind me of twisted sinister nationalism of a kind. I don't call it nationalism any way. Why do they (fans or just drunk people but certainly not 'supporters') get so mad when their own team loses? If you want to support them, cheer them up for Christ's sake!

On the other hand I support all Japanese riders at any time by any means in any way I can.

I have talked to her on many occasions. She told me about her struggles in the sport here in Europe among other female athletes (teammates and rivals alike, most of then, if not all) who more or less take the advantage of their cultural background. How many of them are not from so-called Western cultures and don't speak one or some of English, French, German or other European languages natively?

She had a breakthrough in 2015. I was hoping that she would continue through 2016 and beyond at the highest level of women's cycling. I was waiting for the news report of her contract situation.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Ms Mayuko Hagiwara secures two more years of contract]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車用品 - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/20(金) 00:35:09|
2. Miscellaneous stuff
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

To be written later...


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Buying a house in Luxembourg (but not me buying it)]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2015/11/15(日) 22:51:19|
2. Info Luxembourg
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

I read this article on cyclingnews.com. Really? The Tour starts in a French city (Mont-Saint-Michel) and a German city (Düsseldorf) is said to be bidding for the honour of hosting the Grand Départ in 2017.

Optimally, a domestic (in this case French) city is supposed to host the event in 2018 as the Grand Départ is usually alternately domestic and foreign. Leeds (Yorkshire) Grand Départ in 2014 and Utrecht Grand Départ in 2015 is the example that foreign hosting can be consecutive. Even the clockwise and counter-clockwise circulation rule can be easily broken so anything goes.

Do I like it when Denmark succeeds in hosting the event in 2018? Yes, I do.

Reasons? I have never been to Denmark and this will give me the reason to visit Denmark.



In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Denmark Grand Départ in 2018?]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/14(土) 01:34:32|
2. Bike Races
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

After the stages in the Pyrenees, the peloton head to the Alps but before those dreaded (by most of the riders?) mountains, they will have some flat stages. There is Mont Ventoux looming before them and there is a rather shortish time trial stage right after Mont Ventoux.

Stage 10 (Tue. July 12th): Escaldes-Engordany - Revel
Stage 11 (Wed. July 13th): Carcassonne - Montpellier
Stage 12 (Thu. July 14th National Holiday of France): Montpellier - Mont Ventoux


Stage 10 (Tue. July 12th): Escaldes-Engordany - Revel
198 km
According to the ASO's rating, it is 'hilly' but the fact is that the escape route from Andorra is a high mountain pass and latter half of the race route is, I believe, flat. What is most likely to happen is as soon as the hill top looms, many of the riders hunting and hungry for a stage win will attack on the climb. It is going to be an interesting stage to watch "ON TV." I don't think I can watch it on TV in its entirety.


Stage 11 (Wed. July 13th): Carcassonne - Montpellier
164 km
The rating is flat. I am very afraid that I may totally skip this stage meaning that I may not stand on the roadside to watch the race live. I have a plan. As soon as the Stage 10 finishes, I may drive straight to Mont Ventoux. On the day Stage 11 is going on, I may already be on Mont Ventoux and tackling the hill.

On Garmin BaseCamp the simulated route says it is about 460 km long between Andorra and Mont Ventoux (my destination). Luckily most of the route is covered by toll ways so that I may not get too tired from driving. Driving on the tollways costs dearly but I would like to conserve my strength (or whatever is left in my aging body).


(image 1: screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp - Andorra to Mont Ventoux)


Hopefully, I will be in Bédoin (the village at the foot of Mont Ventoux) by 10 pm (twenty-two-hundred) on Wednesday July 13th so that I can rest well.

So I will be watching the race on TV in the afternoon.

By the way, July 14th is, no doubt, the most important National Holiday in France. The celebration is on the previous evening/night. On this day (evening/night) it is publicly allowed to make some noise (like singing, playing music aloud or firing up some fireworks). I am very sure if I stayed there (on the climb of Mont Ventoux), I will be annoyed by a lot of loud music.

By the way, I have been a bit curious about this geographical oddity for a while. I first noticed this while plotting some of the geographical locations on the may in Garmin BaseCamp. There is a small circle of international border line near Andorra. A closed circle of border line usually means an independent country like Andorra or so. When I took a closer look at this 'island,' in Google Earth, I realized that it was a Spanish city in surrounded by French territory.

On my way from Andorra to Mont Ventoux, I get to drive on the French road between Spain and this odd city. I may even have time to drive into the city.

(image 2: image of this geographical oddity: screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)



(image 3: I get to drive only a couple hundred meters from the border: screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)

Reminder to myself: Don't forget to bring a set of earplugs!


Stage 12 (Thu. July 14th National Holiday of France): Montpellier - Mont Ventoux
185 km
The last time the Tour had Mont Ventoux, I did the same (skipping the previous stage entirely and staying on the slope of Mont Ventoux).

Where to stay in the mountain?

In the forest or on the moon (moon-like desolate upper part above the forestation line)?

Trees help us stay in the shade during the day. On the other hand, they are obstacles if you want to see the scenery or coming or going peloton. Personally I don't care much about the scenery.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2016 Stages Preview Part III]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/11(水) 23:04:17|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Andorra
I am, I hope, heading to Andorra next Summer during the Tour de France. It is one of the osbcure countries in Europe. Other obscure countries in Europe will include Lichtenstein, Luxembourg (where I live), Vatican, Monaco, Iceland and those island coutries on the Mediterranean Sea. I am proud to say I've been to many of these countries since I started living in Europe.

What is the significance of Andorra? How does it become a country and how does it thrive (economically)? Well, I will have to look it up on the Wikipedia later before I ever enter the country. I am guessing but they (people in Andorra) speak Spanish natively. Or do they?

I remember that gas prices (fuel prices) in Andorra was said to be lower than most of the European countries. It may offer the lowest prices here in Europe. So naturally, I am looking forward to tanking my Ka there. It is a standard procedure as I will be there more than two days and one of which is a rest day of the race. I will stock up some food and others while I am there.

Gas prices here in Luxembourg
Speaking of the gas prices, a couple days ago the fuel prices went up here in Luxembourg but the normal (non-premium) diesel price per litter is still under a Euro.

Some bike gears
I decided to buy (fund) the NEO dynamo light at the Kickstater.com initiated by Reelight (www.reelight.com). I will (when the project is funded to fulfill its goal) choose a rear light in black. It will cost me 28 Euros (18 for the light and 10 for shipping).

I am thinking of getting the Elite Su Sta (strange name). It is a block that goes under the front wheel while the bike is set to a trainer. It is height-adjustable so that the bike could be tilted to simulate a climb (up to 6 %).

I am also thinking of getting Sugoi Zap rain jacket (or wind breaker?). Visibility issue is a very critical thing when riding outside on the open public road. I try to ride on closed (only bikers, joggers, horse-back riders and other strollers) roads as much as possible but it is not always feasible, of course.

I am also thinking about getting a mudguard by Qbicle. I already have almost similar (slightly identical) mudguard by another Taiwanese maker. It (the one I already have) is used on the rear wheel and the new one will be used on the front wheel. I purchased an indoor cycle trainer (Minoura) for this Winter but sometimes I feel like riding outside. Riding outside is fun even in Winter especially when it snows and some snowfall rests on the road (of course before it melts).

I can honestly say that it is fun to ride in the snow as I have skied and surfboarded both in Japan and the States (California and Salt Lake City, Utah). I love snow.

I have been keeping yet another item on my watch list. It is not for me but for a friend of mine, who does not live in Europe but visits Europe regularly. It is the Busch & Müller USB-Werk. In his country (well, Japan to be specific), it is not easy to get one obviously.

There has been a small technical problem besides I could not decide if I should buy the Sugoi Zap wind and rain Jacket.

I intended to buy them together (other than individually to save the shipping fees from Germany) from an online shop but for some reasons unknown one of the items has been always out of stock one by one, one after another.


The Tour de France 2016
I am not too sure but I am going to have a 4-week vacation and be there. I have already started planning for the trip.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Andorra, here I come!]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車（スポーツ用） - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/05(木) 20:54:41|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Stage 4 (Tue. July 5th): Saumer - Limoges
Stage 5 (Wed. July 6th): Limoges - Le Lioran
Stage 6 (Thu. July 7th): Arpajon-sur-Cère - Montauban
Stage 7 (Fri. July 8th): L'Isle-Jourdain - Lac de Payolle
Stage 8 (Sat. July 9th): Pau - Bagnères-de-Luchon
Stage 9 (Sun. July 10th): Vielha Val d'Aran - Andorre Arcalis

Rest day in Andorra (Mon. July 11th)


Stage 4 (Tue. July 5th): Saumer - Limoges
232 km

It will be a transfer day. Assuming that I am somewhere near Angers by the time the race ends that day, I will immediately drive to the next destination, which is most likely somewhere close to Limoges.

Garmin BaseCamp tells me that Angers to Limoges is 265 km long. Do I find a place to sleep? Probably not as I want to be close to Le Lioran, the finish. From Limoges it is about 200 km to Le Lioran.


Stage 5 (Wed. July 6th): Limoges - Le Lioran
216 km -- The first mountain stage

(screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)
My guessed route won't be too wrong.

(image borrowed from the net)

The last 36 km (at least known to me) section is really hilly. It will be exciting to be there where real actions take place.

Stage 6 (Thu. July 7th): Arpajon-sur-Cère - Montauban
187 km
As this is a flat stage as announced by ASO, I don't make any attempt to ponder the move on this day now.

Stage 7 (Fri. July 8th): L'Isle-Jourdain - Lac de Payolle
162 km -- A mountain stage

(screenshot clip from "my" Garmin BaseCamp -- Click on the image to magnify --)


(image taken from the net - I think it was on cyclingnews.com - originally from ASO?)

I am not sure the race course before arriving Arreau. From L'Isle-Jourdain, there seem to be two routes, one that passes Bagnères-de-Luchon (south route) and the other (north route).

Stage 8 (Sat. July 9th): Pau - Bagnères-de-Luchon
183 km -- A mountain stage

(screenshot clip from "my" Garmin BaseCamp -- Click on the image to magnify --)


(image taken from the net - I think it was on cyclingnews.com - originally from ASO?)





I am wondering if the race courses of Stage 7 and 8 share some roads here. I don't know where exactly the finish of Lac de Payrolle.

Stage 9 (Sun. July 10th): Vielha Val d'Aran - Andorre Arcalis232 km
184 km -- A mountain stage

(screenshot clip from "my" Garmin BaseCamp -- Click on the image to magnify --)


(image taken from the net - I think it was on cyclingnews.com - originally from ASO?)

This profile makes me extremely happy. It has been a while since I climbed up a mountain higher than 2,000meters above the sea level.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2016 Stages Preview Part II]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/01(日) 23:07:08|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Stage 1 (Sat. July 2nd): Mont-Saint-Michel - Utah Beach / Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont
Stage 2 (Sun. July 3rd): Saint-Lô - Cherbourg-Octeville la Gracerie
Stage 4 (Mon. July 4th): Granville - Angers


Stage 1 (Sat. July 2nd): Mont-Saint-Michel - Utah Beach / Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont
188 km

(screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)
This simple simulation of a route between the start and finish shows a route of 125 km length. The actual race route is somewhat 60 km longer. I don't have any idea where extra 60 km will be.




2 (Sun. July 3rd): Saint-Lô - Cherbourg-Octeville la Gracerie
182 km


(screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)
The magenta route is only 88 km long so I am sure the peloton won't follow this magenta route at all. My guess is that they (riders) will ride along the coast on the left side. This new simulated route is over 190 km long and it won't be too wrong.


(screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp -- Click on the image to magnify --)

The last climb is here.

(screenshot clip from Google Earth -- Click on the image to magnify --)


4 (Mon. July 4th): Granville - Angers
222 km

(screenshot clip from Garmin BaseCamp)
This simulated route is about as long as the actual race route so it won't be too far from the correct route.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2016 Stages Preview Part I]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/01(日) 15:47:38|
2. Tour de France
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Ridea
I was browsing a site in the evening. This site (German online bike shop) has been one of my frequently visited sites along with other online shops (most of them German shops).

First I noticed that they (Ridea) sell non-round chainrings. Subsequently when I looked for their web site, I also noticed that they had more products to offer.


Interlude: Osymetric chainrings and the gear ratio
I use Osymetric chainrings since this Spring. It was purchased through an ebay auction and they were cheap. They belong to the first generation of Osymetric chainrings. The second (or could be third, fourth or more) generation chainrings are thicker but shaven to save weight while gaining more stiffness. They also have pins on the outer rings to help the chain move up quickly from the inner ring. And most importantly they are made by Stronglight, in other words, not by Osymetric anymore.

Anyway, my Osymetric chainrings are of 52-38 (110 mm PCD 5 arms) configuration. I am happy with the way they look (mean and lean) on the other hand, the inner ring is too big on the steep climbs. The rear cassette (the one on my Zipp 404) is of 11-28.

I had to replace this inner ring with round 34 while on the Tour (de France) as those long climbs (Pyrenees and Alps) were too tough. I was thinking of upgrading the RD to SRAM Wifli RD to use the 32 rear teeth.

Here is the thing. Let's do some math shall we?

The front 34 and rear 28 combination was OK for climbing up the hard hills. How does F38 (Osymetric's twin cam ring) and R32 compare to F34/R28?

Configuration 1. (current): 34 divided by 28 = 1.21428....
Configuration 2. (possible future): 38 divided by 32 = 1.1875

So I crank the crank once on my bike now, the rear wheel turns 1.214 times. If I switch to the 38/32 configuration, I will feel almost the same as the wheel turns 1.1875 times, which is just slightly less.

SRAM Wifli (Force grade) RD and SRAM 1050 (12-32) cassette will cost me around 120 euros. Would it be worth the money?

I have to think about it.


Back to: Ridea and other non-round chainrings on the market
I learned about Osymetric (chainrings) when I saw them used by Bobby Julich back in 2004? I immediately fell in love with them. It took me more than a decade, unfortunately, to get them on my bike.

I learned that there were other non-round chainrings currently the market. They are the Rotor Qrings, Doval, ones made byKCNC. Now I learned that Ridea also make ones.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Ridea (ridebikes.com) is an interesting company]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車（スポーツ用） - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2015/11/01(日) 14:28:31|
2. Bikes and related things
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0