Cyclists in the 2006 Tour de FrancePhoto by StevenEckelberry/Wikipedia.comThe Tour de France is a 3,500-km (or roughly 2,200-mile), three-week-longbicycle race through parts of France, Switzerland and Spain. The Tour kickedoff Saturday with Stage 1 in Monaco.Stage 5 began today in Le Cap d'Agde and ends in Perpignan. The weather willbe mostly sunny and warm with northwest winds at 10 to 20 mph.
On Monday, Team Columbia-HTC took advantage of a wind shift and attacked ona very sunny Stage 3. American Lance Armstrong, returning after having left thesport in 2005, had excellent position to participate in the break. Lance wasable to move himself from 10th to 3rd, behind his teammate Alberto Contador.
During Stage 4 Tuesday, Armstrong was able to advance even further into 2ndplace, less than a second behind the race leader Fabian Cancellara ofSwitzerland.
The wind played a considerable role in Stage 3, as riders battled 20-mphcrosswinds for the better part of the day. The difference between headwinds,side winds and tailwinds can tremendously impact cyclists and ridingtactics.
As with most outdoor sports, cycling is heavily influenced by the outdoorelements. Weather conditions can make or break an athletic performance, andcycling is no exception. Wind and heat are two major factors cyclists alwayshave to be aware of.
On July 14, 2003, cyclist Joseba Beloki, then in 2nd place, crashed duringStage 9 on a descent near the city of Gap as a result of melting tar in theroadway. He broke his elbow, wrist and femur in two places. Temperatures insoutheastern France that day soared above 90 degrees F, which could have led toroad surface temperatures well over 100 degrees. Grenoble, a city about 65miles from Gap, recorded a high temperature of 95 degrees, about 12 degreesabove normal.
This year, the route will include a climb of Mont Ventoux for the first timein seven years. The mountain, which translates into "windy mountain" inEnglish, is notorious among cyclists for its grueling climb and strong, gustywinds.
The mountain is also affected by the mistral, dry winds that are the resultof the clash of low and high pressure systems over northwestern Europe and theAtlantic Ocean.
According to www.exploratorium.edu, aerodynamic drag accounts for 70 to 90percent of the resistance that is felt while pedaling. Cyclists are veryconscious of aerodynamics, and some cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, trainusing wind tunnels to reduce their wind resistance as much as possible.
Clothing, tactics, formations and position on the bike are all used to cheatthe wind resistance while cycling.
Story By AccuWeather.com's News Correspondent Gina Cherundolo
