Professional Cycling For the Fans - newspaper in jersey?

Can anyone tell me why cyclists put newspapers in their jersey?
I saw it in tour de france DVD and I can't figure out why...
why?

They use the newspaper, when crunched up into loose balls, as insulation for the fast, long descents after climbing the large mountains in the TdF, usually on colder days. This is to prevent their bodies from becoming chilled and too cold for maximum performance once they hit the flats or the next incline at the bottom.

They use the newspaper, when crunched up into loose balls, as insulation for the fast, long descents after climbing the large mountains in the TdF, usually on colder days. This is to prevent their bodies from becoming chilled and too cold for maximum performance once they hit the flats or the next incline at the bottom.


ah~ that's why...
thank you ^^

It gives the sprinters something to read while riding in the grupetto! :) (Which, of course, would still drop my sorry butt!)

And here I thought you meant Newspaper coverage of the TdF in NEW JERSEY!!...silly me.

And here I thought you meant Newspaper coverage of the TdF in NEW JERSEY!!...silly me.

I doubt we'll have to worry about an excess of Tour coverage in any of the American newspapers in 2006 A.L. (After Lance).

Well here in NJ where I live I didn't get much when he WAS riding...so it won't be any different.

They use the newspaper, when crunched up into loose balls, as insulation for the fast, long descents after climbing the large mountains in the TdF, usually on colder days. This is to prevent their bodies from becoming chilled and too cold for maximum performance once they hit the flats or the next incline at the bottom.

Do they really crunch it up, or do they just put a section or two in flat like a shield to keep air out and some warmth in?

Do they really crunch it up, or do they just put a section or two in flat like a shield to keep air out and some warmth in?
they fold the broadsheet, the scrunch the tabloid :D

Do they really crunch it up, or do they just put a section or two in flat like a shield to keep air out and some warmth in?


It goes up folded once. L'Equipe is the perfect size for this, Le Monde, The European (defunct) etc are too big....:D

Creates a wind sheild and the lots of tiny layers between the paper trap warmth.

At the top of most passes in Italy, there are piles of newspaper for cyclists.

works well for a cool ride on a spring or fall morning too, just throw it away when it warms up

You don't see this as much anymore.

You don't see this as much anymore.


True. Modern cycling kit has caght up with a 5 franc newspaper....

I'll admit to knocking off some junkmail from unknown letterboxes up in the Dandenongs (Australia) when I have miscalculated how cold it was going to be up there.

How about a couple of empty Sunicrust bread bags form the general store to use as gloves for a friggen freezing descent of Falls Creek one year when the weather turned in about 1/2 an hour??

Couldn't feel my face at the bottom.....and the bread bags did close to bugger all...

:D

Guy this week had part of a Men's Journal magazine under his Jersey on a group ride this weekend. He took some grief! It was only about 55 degrees and I live in Southeast Texas.

Ed073: Too funny...you win!

Reminds me of the buses of asian tourists sightseeing in the snow up at Mt Buller on day trips with safeway bags inside their dress shoes slipping all over the place. The tour guides must have handed them out just for laughs coz I'm sure it would only coz a couple of bucks to hire some better shoes instead.

ed & Wilchemy...must be a melbourne thing...i've done those exact things myself on the odd occasion, although for me it was Buffalo and Kinglake.