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Bikes: '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '72 Gitane tandem, '72 Raleigh Super Course, '73 Raleigh Gran Sport, '73 Colnago Super, '76 Fiorelli Coppi, '78 Raleigh SBDU Team Pro, '78 Trek 930, '81 Holdsworth Special 650B, '86 Masi GC, ’94 Bridgestone RB-T
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Many gradual changes, but 1923 was key:
"In 1923 the rules were changed to allow riders to swap parts instead of repairing them. This is a monumental change in the character of the Tour de France. Before, bad luck reigned as the supreme arbiter of the race. Now, perhaps the race might be more of a test of the athletic prowess of the riders."
http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/tdf/tdfhistory.html
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