Tour De France 2013

by admin

The Tour de France is on its way to complete a century this year. The mega event is scheduled to commence from 29^th June and will be the Paradise for all enthusiastic cyclists from all over the world. The 100^th edition of the event will be a feast of 23 days for various cyclists and the world will get a chance to see some amazing new talents emerge out apart from enjoying with the ace cyclists.

Highlight of Tour de France

The main highlight of Tour de France 2013 is the Alpe-dHuez. This year the cyclists have to ride through the mountains roads not once but twice. At the 18^th stage of the competition, cyclists will have to climb the Alpe-dHuez top and it will be the first passage with the finish line being 50 kilometers away from it. In addition, the three other summits on the tour map are:

• Mount Ventoux.
• Annecy-Semnoz.
• Ax Domaines 3

Stages in Tour de France

The tour de France 2013 will be an event covering almost 3, 360 kilometers distance in total making it an absolute adventurous event for any voracious cyclist. There will be 21 different stages in the event which are:

• 1 stage for team time trial.
• 2 days for rest.
• 2 stages of time trial for individuals.
• 5 stages for hilly ride.
• 6 stages of mountain climbing which comprises of four different summit finishes.
• 7 stages are flat.

Another significant aspect of the 100^th edition of the tour is that the race will not take place in any foreign country and the mainland of France will be its sole host. The two new departments that will act as a host for the Tour de France 2013 are:

• Corse-du-Sud.
• Haute-Corse.

The Tour De France 2013 will also witness 10 different first time city stages. The first stage will begin at Porto-Vecchio and the 20^th stage will end at Annecy-Semnoz. Moreover, lucky 5,000 cyclists will get the golden opportunity of riding trough a 6.9km loop around some of the most important landmarks like Champs-Elysees, arc de Triomphe, Louvre and the Obelisk for the first time.

 

 

read more

Pick and Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour

by admin

If you wish to be a part of the world’s largest cycling event with individually timed feature, then you must be a part of the Pick and Pay Cape Argus cycle Tour. The event always draws in thousands of crowds from all over the world with the best cyclists having a gala time at the event. This year the event entered into its 36^th year successfully.

History

The Pick and Pay Cycle Tour was first started in the year 1978. The inception of the tour was to make the government and people aware of the fact that South African roads are not suitable for bikes. The tour was conducted to highlight the need for better path for bikes and cycling. Under the supervision of the Billy Mylrea and John Stegmann, when the first cycle tour took place as an awareness plan, hundreds of enthusiastic riders joined the movement. It was simple yet sent a message through the whole nation. The Mayor of Cape Town also joined in the ride-in event. The organizers were amazed to see such a response for the tour. The huge turnout carved the way for the coming years and made the tour immensely popular.

Funny Moments and Important Facts of the Pick and Pay Cape Argus cycle Tour

• Wimpie Van Der Merwe set the fastest average speed to 47.48 km/hr in 1993.
• The oldest woman who participated in the race and successfully completed it was Mary Warner in 2006. She at 80 years of age completed the race in 7 hours.
• In 2007, Anke erlank Moore became the fastest woman to complete 110 km distance within 2 hours 48 minutes and twenty-nine seconds.
• The record for fastest men to complete the course of 110 km was set by Robbie Hunter. In 2008, he took exactly 02:27:29 time to complete the course.
• The record for the highest number of winning the tour successively is held by Penny Krohn who won it for consecutive 25 times.

The 36^th edition of the Pick and Pay Cape Argus cycle Tour was held on 10^th March 2013 and it became a massive hit.

read more

The Adventure Cycling Association

by admin

Today in the midst of all the glamorous cars and sensual sports bikes, bicycle is losing its charm and beauty. People hardly remember that once this bicycle was one of the most important modes of communication. In fact, bicycle is environmental friendly and has a sense of adventure associated with it. Bicycle is mostly restricted to school goers and the student age group. In order to revive the lost charisma of bicycle, Adventure Cycling Association has taken up the initiative to promote cycling.

About Adventure Cycling Association

Bike centennial is a non-profit organization which was established way back in 1973 in North America and later came to be known as Adventure Cycling Association. The main objective of the association is to reignite the passion of cycling among people and inspiring them to enjoy cycling. Today, the organization boasts a membership of more than 46, 500 members who have taken up bicycling for adventure rides and enjoyment. The headquarters is located in Missoula.

How They Motivate People For Cycling?

Well, Adventure Cycling Association offers a plethora of amazing programs for adventure cycling trips where people cycle through beautiful routes and get a taste of real adventure. The association is planning to make the world’s largest official route network for cycling which will be known as U.S Bicycle route System. They also provide different route maps for adventure cycling after a lot of research and analyzing by the team of experts. It will be a very worthwhile to go on a cycling expedition through one of the routes of this association during summers. The magazine Adventure Cyclist published by them every year for their members exclusively is also a great way of motivation to take up cycling.

Online Popularity Providing Inspiration

The Adventure cycling Association has left no stone unturned to motivate people for cycling. The online blogs and forums enlightens people with tour updates, news, attractive photographs from various tours highlighting the adventure quotient, news about different routes, cycling tips etc. Articles by different cyclists sharing their experience also motivate enthusiastic cyclists. In addition the other facilities offered by the association are:

• Tours guided by experts.
• Online store with high class equipments.
• Membership attractive facilities.

 

read more

Tips For Night Cycling

by admin

Are you gearing up for a cycling mega event or competition? Well, then you must know all the basic aspects of cycling. People often ignore the fact that there is a difference although trivial between cycling at day time and night cycling. It is very important to understand what should be done when you ride your bike at night especially if it is for a competition purpose. The darkness often plays a key role in causing a lot of accidents both by the cyclists and also with the cyclists. You may bump into a runner on the road or a speeding car might not see you and hit you straight away. Hence, it is very essential to gear up well before venturing out on night cycling. Here, let’s have at some of the helpful tips for night cycling.

• Have a well defined idea about your journey course.
• You must properly map out the trip and ensure that you know which area you are heading towards.
• Gather knowledge about traffic signals and conditions about the area where you would be cycling at night.
• Try to avid unknown routes at night and go for roads about which you have full knowledge. This will ensure you to get along with the traffic signals, turns and twists, speed breakers etc.
• Choose roads where the car traffic is low.
• You must stay focused and keep checking for runners etc who generally come in front all of a sudden. This will prevent you from hitting anybody.

• Use mobile phone applications or Google maps to see the condition of road ahead.
• Wear bright and reflective clothes so that you are visible to everyone especially car drivers. Light shade clothes will blend with the darkness and you will not be clearly visible to speeding vehicles or runners.
• Go for flashy gadgets and accessories like ankle bands, flash light arm bands, extra flashy cycle lights, red lights and outrageous horns instead of the regular cycle bell.
• Never do night cycling while listening to iPod or mp3 players. You should always never tune in to music as it will distract you and you might not hear the approaching vehicles or pedestrians and runners.

read more

Cycling Training Tips & Workouts

by admin

For many people all across the globe cycling is not just a mode of transportation, but is about adventure and passion. They take up cycling as a hobby and venture out on exploring new horizons on their bikes. If you are also voracious about cycling or you have fetish for riding your own bike, then you must know the basics of cycling. It is not at all an uphill task to learn to ride a cycle. You just need to be a bit focused and lay emphasis on balance. Proper training and regular workouts will surely help you to have a great experience in cycling. You can take part in competitions, race and also go for the various adventures on your bike with hundreds of other enthusiastic riders.

With a good knowledge about cycling tips, you can make your journey around the roads or over the mountains pleasurable. Here is a quick glance through some key points.

• You must know your own capabilities and limiting. Overdoing anything can lead to extreme exhaustion and health hazards.
• Drink a lot of water while cycling as well as during workout. Keep enough water with you to prevent dehydration which is very common during cycling. You can even add glucose if you need more energy like during mountain biking etc.
• Make sure you have analyzed your bike well before embarking on any riding expedition. Many bikers commit the gross mistake of not checking their bikes properly and end up in perilous accidents or bike crashing incidents.
• Check carefully each and every part of your bike and if necessary double check it. You should ride the bike for a trial session prior to the main event.

Cycling and Workouts

People also take up cycling in order to get back in shape and lose those extra pounds. It is natural and a very effective way to lose weight and have toned muscles. You should make cycling a part of your fitness regime. Make sure that you wear the right clothes and ride on smooth roads. You must also gear up with a helmet and sports water bottle for cycling outdoors. So, purchase a good bike now and enjoy cycling.

read more