Lance's Twitter Love now a marketing tactic

The guy has been tweeting for some time. He used it during the Giro d'Italia to bypass the reporters assembled at that race. Now he's using it to both bypass reporters and help market his sponsors. Brandweek details the effort in Lance Armstrong Peddles 'Tour de France' via Social Media. Oakley, Nissan, and Clear20 are in on it. The last one is the best--it is a portable filtration system.

Magnum Photo Essay on the Tour

Not all cycling, but the images from Magnum Photos are amazing. Love the B&W. Commentary by Jorgen Leth, the director of A Sunday in Hell. Check it out.

The Tour de France Band

"Tour de France" is also the name of a music group. This quartet plays "music of the French provinces." "Many of the tunes played are drawn from 19th and early 20th century sources and were used to accompany then-popular ballroom dances: waltzes, schottishes, polkas, and mazurkas. Also featured are older regional dance forms: distinctive branles, rondeaux, and bourrées."

A Culinary Tour de France...In New York City

Since a Tour de France means any number of things, some New York restauranteurs teamed up to offer a tour of French restaurants in the big, bad city. If we go by their map, the first stage is at Nice Matin and the finish at French Roast. The finish is already looking like a disappointment, but perhaps appropriate.

Allan Davis' Tour is in Doubt

Allan who? Australia's Herald Sun newspaper wants you to know that it is currently undecided whether or not their homeboy will ride the Tour. To them, this is big news.

Davis, despite his relative anonymity, is currently ranked fifth in the international cycling rankings. Pretty good; for most teams, having a sprinter that good should be enough to guarantee a ride in Le Grande Boucle. But he has the luck of being on the same team with Tom Boonen, one of the most famous cyclists in the world, a wearer of the green jersey, winner of several Tour de France stages, and a national hero in his native Belgium.

Relevance? For most of the world, the headline would read Tom Boonen's Tour In Doubt. Boonen again tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition test, which makes him a felon to Belgian law, but still clear to race. Sort of. The Tour doesn't want a cokehead in the Tour. But the cycling federation, Boonen and Davis' Quick Step team, and all of Belgium wants him in. Davis only rides if Boonen is banned.

LES CHIENS dans la rue and a Certain Lanterne Rouge

The Irish Times has given the world the binary equivalent of Pierre Salinger and Brent Mussberger adding "french flavor" to the old television broadcasts of the Tour on ABC and CBS with their Monte Carlo's Tour de Force. How I loathed those segments where these allegedly august commentators of sport forced us to take a step back from their networks paltry servings of the Tour and appreciate French Culture. I hope they used their ration of Tour de Force for the year with this article.

The culture was and is fine, but we were watching because of a certain bike race.

The reason for mention of this otherwise forgettable article is a little bit at the end. Don't know whether to believe it or not, but it does intrigue. "As you watch the spectacle you might care to ponder that Samuel Beckett, a keen cyclist in France, was aware of a veteran competitor, surname Godeau, and one of life’s natural lanternes rouges ."

Newsflash! Armstrong to Headline Versus TdF Coverage

Bet you never would have guessed that Versus would recycle. We shouldn't guffaw; it might be why you're bothing with this blog in the first place.

Candid Chris Tells All on Being Overlooked for the Tour Roster

Kudos to Chris Horner by demonstrating yet again how he's the rare pro who isn't afraid to speak his mind. He dishes on his non-selection to Oregon Live. In his mind, it's politics. Contador needed one of his guys and sponsors needed one Kazak.

Extreme Birthday Celebration

Turning 50 is supposed to be a chance for reflection. A half-century down, a half to go. Upon looking forward to his 50th, it seems one cyclist got a bug he couldn't shake. He wanted to ride the entire Tour de France. Almost as a touriste-routier of old. So he's going to France with his wife. She gets to drive the motorhome, he gets to ride his bike. His plan is to ride every stage in full a few days ahead of the race. She's writing it up. It's bound to be a crazy read.

Horner might be out of Le Tour, but he got a great write-up in Oregon Live

We're Chris Horner fans. Candid at all times and smiles when racing. He wasn't afraid to criticize Armstrong when the Discovery team folded, and he's still got the Astana team nod. This story in Oregon Live does a better job than most mainstream press at capturing what it means to be a pro cyclist. Their video feature at the top is pretty funny, a must watch.

gearing up for the Tour

The sites are getting ready. Journos are dusting off their France guidebooks, stateside editors are reacquainting themselves with cycling. Lance, Inc. will make the seven-time winner the most covered cyclist in the history of cycling, if not the most covered athlete in the history of the world.

Watch the Giro d'Italia Live on the Web

What a world.  The guy who produced the "music video" Tour de France broadcasts on CBS sports in the 1980s runs Universal Sports Network online.  Because of his interest in cycling, he just inked a deal to carry it on the web.  Finally!  

Click Here to see the schedule.  Goes great with espresso. 

Chasing De Panne--A Tour of Flanders

Part 1

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/04/chasing-de-panne-part-i.html

Part 2

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/04/chasing-de-panne-part-ii.html

Part 3 coming up

JP

Off to Flanders

I fly to Flanders Sunday night.  Arrive Monday.  Watch a little De Panne, race a kermis in Brugge, ride the paths and pave and bergs, take in the bike racing museum and a little meeting with Freddy Maertens, and ride the Ronde Van Vlaanderen Wielertouriste Saturday April 4.  All 260k, just like the pros, only the day before.  And, with that in my legs, I eat, eat eat, get a good night's sleep and then do the rallye thing and course hop the Ronde itself.  

Look at doping from management perspective

The author of "What to do when you become the boss" argues that "teams" as opposed to "groups" are less likely to dope and operate better together.

Tour de Farce or Team de Force?
Management-Issues - London,England,UK
It's probably fair to say that most followers and even casual observers of
the recent Tour de France expected the race to throw up some drug cheats.

...

http://www.management-issues.com/2008/8/1/opinion/tour-de-farce-or-team-de-force.asp

Columbia Sportswear Company happy with Tour

There are a few amazing htings to know here. One is that Columbia
had already locked in their marketing budget for the year. Another
is that the Euopean division was opposed to it. Must have been an
incredible powerpoint demo.

Columbia says Tour de France sponsorship 'an unqualified success'
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
But in the first public accounting of the team's success in the recently
concluded Tour de France, Chief Executive Tim Boyle was anything but
ambivalent. ...
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1217476509289450.xml&coll=7

Sastre gets hero's welcome at hometown

As the Australian newspaper points out, "the only man to finish ahead of Australian Cadel Evans."

Hero's welcome for Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre
Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia
TOUR de France winner Carlos Sastre received a hero's welcome when he
returned to his home town today after becoming the third Spaniard in a row

to win the ...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24105494-11088,00.html

Ricco calls himself a "false idol"

Riccardo Ricco never fails to entertain.  He calls himself a false idol, then says he should have tested positive for EPO every time at the Tour, so the anti-doping tests need to be recalibrated or re-analyzed.

Ricco admits to doping at Tour de France
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UK
... Wednesday in a hearing in front of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI)
which was called following his failed dope test at this year's Tour de

France. ...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/222460,ricco-admits-to-doping-at-tour-de-france.html

Tour Viewership down on Versus

Not exactly a good sign, but not as bad as a complete drop-off either.  Not that I have any data on this, but I think more American cycling fans are appreciating the Tour for the Tour and not for Lance.

Tour de France viewership drown in US on Versus
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
Bas Czerwinski/The Associated PressTeam Columbia's Marcus Burghardt wins
the 18th stage of the Tour de France. Average viewership of the Tour on

Versus ...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2008/07/tour_de_france_viewership_drop.html

Prof studies doping in cycling

UVM Professor Brian Gilley is starting to study why people dope in cycling.  He'll be looking through his anthropologist's lens, also as a former racer and current faculty advisor to the UVM cycling team.

UVM prof studies doping in pro cycling
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA
It seems that during the 95th Tour de France, which concludes today, doping
has taken the leader's yellow jersey. The fact that riders continue to be

caught ...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080727/NEWS02/807270311