The Giro de Italia has now completed 14 stages and Menchov is still in the lead after a few mountain stages. As stated last week Mark Cavendish took his revenge and won three stages in the current Giro but both he and Pozzato retired before the stage yesterday and are now out of the running for more stage victories. Cavendish retired as his team wants a full recovery before the Tour De France when the Pocket Rocket will be looking for stage victories and perhaps the Green Jersey for points winner. Pozzato was feeling pain in his knee as a result of a fall.
The general classification is still open though after the victory of an Australian, Simon Guerrans, yesterday in a semi mountainous stage. Menchov, Di Luca and Leipheimer are serarated by just 43 seconds so there is still a lot to play for in the Giro this year. Lance Armstrong is putting up a good show but not threatening to take the honours at the moment. Unusually it would seem that the presence of Armstrong does have an effect though as nobody else seems to be takng the race by the scruff of its neck due to the respect for the 6 times Tour De France winner.
There are three big tours in the cycling calendar and the first of the year is the Giro de Italia. Unusually it started with a Team Time Trial and this has given us an unusual early leader in Mark Cavendish. The Isle of Man rider, generally acknowledged to be the best sprinter in the World was helped by his team obviously and his storming finish crossing the line first meant he took the Maglia Rosa. Surprisingly enough he then lost to Petacchi in the next stage sprint and is now looking for revenge in one of the later sprint stages but Petacchi repeated the stage victory today and has taken the Pink Jersey. Why wasn’t Cavendish involved in the sprint today, a little matter of some smallish mountains near the finish line meant he finished down the field.
The Giro is a three week tour and like all tours each day has something different for various types of riders. Pettachi will lose the jersey as soon as a minor mountain stage comes along and total times are taken into account. The time trialers will come into their own on a couple of stages and the mountain goats will get their way in the mountains although Van De Velde won’t be one of them this year after falling and breaking two ribs today. As for Lance Armstrong, he twittered that he is feeling good yesterday after the first time trial but would it be too much to expect him to come back and start winning at his age?
If you cannot get out onto your bike for any reason but need to keep in shape then the best way to do this with similar exercise is with a static exercise bike. These come in many shapes and sizes for many different types of fitness levels from the basic pedals that you sit down while watching tv to fully blown training rigs for professional cyclists. The video presents and overview so choose the best exercise bike for yourself from the selection and get riding and get fit.
A friend of mine has done two cross country trips in Spain on his bike, the picture above is not his bike of course. The first on the Ruta de la Plata from Gijón to Cadiz is close on 1000km. The second was on the Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela. I have asked him to post some of his experiences, tips and suggestions in here so hopefully in a few days you will have more news about cycling in Spain.
First tips that come to mind is to acclimatise first because if you turn up in the middle of a sweltering summer with no training and expect to be able to knock off a quick 1000km on a touring bike with paniers in one of the most mountainous countries in Europe then you will suffer the consequences
Meanwhile I have populated the page with some great eBay auctions so if you do not have an eBay account but want to get some of these bikes and related products sign up for an eBay account and bid
Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? The art of cycling is not a simple act of making pedals go round and round at different speeds. There are many different types of cycling and all of them have requirements and different equipment is needed.
The basic part is simple, you need a bike. Bikes usually have two wheels when you visualize one. There are trikes that are three wheeled and quads with four that are much more strange contraptions. The bike is usually just one seat although the old tandem is recovering in popularity amongst couples who wish to spend some time at the weekend not looking at each other.
The what do you want to do is also important.In this introduction to the casual cyclist we will concentrate on the two wheeled versions.
If you are looking for a speedster for track cycling, which is becoming more popular again now as more velodromes are built, then there are certain manufacturers that give more confidence in their product. There is no point buying a specialized bike for the mountains and then trying to speed round the embankments of a track in a Madison event.
If you are searching for a road bike most buyers look for the weight as the determining factor as the lighter the bike the easier it is to get up the hills using the gear ratios allowed, the only thought is to actually lose some pounds quickly so as to make it even easier.
If you are looking for or want a mountain bike, then the rigid tubular structure, well sprung suspension and really thick tyres may help you avoid the nastiest falls and the inevitable broken collarbone (Yes I am bitter about it)
The occasional cyclist may well want a hybrid that allows you to cope with the hills and a bit of off road as well as getting up a head of steam on the flat roads on the way to your destination.
Whatever your decision as regards your need for a bike and the type of cycling that you want to do the benefits that you will find for your health and wellbeing are manifold. You should expect to lose weight, get a lower resting heart rate and feel fitter within yourself after the first couple of weeks of saddle soreness as your softer undercarriage gets used to the seat and the bumps. And all of the above types of cycling allow you to get into the open air and enjoy the scenery, just don’t take it too seriously to start because you will get passed at first by 60 year olds with beer bellies. They are freaks of nature and there is no explanation as to why they are so much faster than you.
