Tour de France - A couple Tour Questions....

Being new to cycling I have gathered a couple questions over the last week watching "Le Tour de France".....hoping you can help!

1. I noticed the other day, not sure which stage exactly, but as the riders were passing some friendly spectators....some of the fans were handing the riders what appeared to be newspapers or some sort of paper? I was confused on what and why this was?

2. This is probably a stupid question...but here goes. I am assuming riders begin the next stage in order as they finished the previous stage? For example..if i finished 5 minutes behind the leaders i would start 5 minutes after them the next day? And if this is the case....how do they keep track of all the different finishing times of the peloton?...Do they all start the same time the next day?

Ok im sure ill come up with some more questions...hope everyone will excuse my ignorance on the tours details...im a new rider and looking to learn alot! Thanks! :thumb:

1 - newspapers, was this over the top of a climb? if so, spectators hand riders a newspaper, which rider puts in the front of their jersey (chest) to "insulate" on the descent.

2 - each stage aside from time trials is a mass start (everyone starts at same time). The jersey wearers (yellow, green, polka, white, and most aggressive) start at the front of the group, they roll out neutral in "parade" style fashion for a few KMs (varies each stage) and then the lead car increases speed and waives the flag to get things underway.

Each riders time is kept by the race officials. They've been doing this a while and have these things out;)

I have a different Tour question.

The main group of riders is called the "peloton". I heard Bob Roll give a special name to the group of sprinters near the end working together just to finish under the cut off time. I forgot what Bob said it was called, and was wondering if there is a official name for this group of riders.

I have a different Tour question.

The main group of riders is called the "peloton". I heard Bob Roll give a special name to the group of sprinters near the end working together just to finish under the cut off time. I forgot what Bob said it was called, and was wondering if there is a official name for this group of riders.

groupetto

...or autobus

Don't think either name is 'official', but rather traditional.

In the UK we call them "Knackered"!

The whole thing is beyond belief. I rode a week last year where I averaged 120km a day, seven days straight. No crazy climbs and no race. Just took my own sweet time. How they do what they do for as long as they do it is beyond me.

I couldn't even begin to think about being the ticket collector on the autobus. :lol:

Thanks for the responses. Now that I know the word I found this information:

groupetto

1. (cycling) A group of riders in a bike race that has been left behind by the main peloton.

group + Italian diminutive suffix -etto

That makes sense, and must be what I heard.

Yes, literally the "little group" hanging off the back. It's where you find sprinters and TT specialists on the days with a pack of HC climbs, or people just trying to make it to Paris (injury, still recovering from an earlier event, etc).

I have a different Tour question.

The main group of riders is called the "peloton". I heard Bob Roll give a special name to the group of sprinters near the end working together just to finish under the cut off time. I forgot what Bob said it was called, and was wondering if there is a official name for this group of riders.

groupetto

...or autobus

Don't think either name is 'official', but rather traditional.

"Laughing group" is another slang term, although I'm sure none of them are laughing as they're hauling their bodies over the Pyrenees and Alps!

groupetto is italian
autobus is french. it simply means 'bus' in english.
laughing group is, i guess, the english version. i've heard it before. i think i've also heard the term 'laughing group' for any group that has fallen behind the main peloton, whether it's mountainous or not, but i'm not 100% sure.

I guess I have never paid attention to the Green Jersey comp in the past and just noticed that several riders have negative points. How are they assessed negative points?

97 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Silence - Lotto -5
98 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre -5
99 Danny Pate (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30 -5
100 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia -5
101 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi -10

I guess I have never paid attention to the Green Jersey comp in the past and just noticed that several riders have negative points. How are they assessed negative points?

Fines and penalties for stuff like not showing up at sign in's, getting illegal tows from cars, and stuff like that.

I have a question. What do these guys eat at night that enables them to not die whilst expending so much energy each day? Along with many other (non-cyclist) fans, I sometimes find it hard to believe that they are able to survive without any kind of doping or enhancement.

I guess I have never paid attention to the Green Jersey comp in the past and just noticed that several riders have negative points. How are they assessed negative points?

97 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Silence - Lotto -5
98 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre -5
99 Danny Pate (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30 -5
100 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia -5
101 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi -10

You can get asseced penalties. Things like holding on to the team car or taking water or foor from a car in a prohibited area (usually climbs, but sometimes other narrow roads, reason is to prevent incidents). Also it can be for drafting off the team cars. Since many of these actions save energy and/or help a rider make it back to the main group, the penalties are ofetm both time and points. It is just that the only time they become obvious is in this case.

A few years ago, if I recall correctly in a team time trial, a couple of riders for one team were off the back and also received a drafting penalty. The time penalty was only a few seconds, but turned huge as those seconds were accessed for the stage put the riders over the time limit. End of Tour.

You can get asseced penalties. Things like holding on to the team car or taking water or foor from a car in a prohibited area (usually climbs, but sometimes other narrow roads, reason is to prevent incidents). Also it can be for drafting off the team cars. Since many of these actions save energy and/or help a rider make it back to the main group, the penalties are ofetm both time and points. It is just that the only time they become obvious is in this case.

A few years ago, if I recall correctly in a team time trial, a couple of riders for one team were off the back and also received a drafting penalty. The time penalty was only a few seconds, but turned huge as those seconds were accessed for the stage put the riders over the time limit. End of Tour.

Fines and penalties for stuff like not showing up at sign in's, getting illegal tows from cars, and stuff like that.

Cool, I guess I knew that, but for some reason, I was thinking they got doc'd time. Thanks

how do they keep track of all the different finishing times of the peloton?...Do they all start the same time the next day?

The whole peleton gets the same time. If you finish first in the group or last in the group you get the time of the first guy to cross the finish line. If their are splits a lot of rules come into effect, and a lot of judgments by the officials.

How do these guys average 28.x mph for hours?!?!?

I have a question. What do these guys eat at night that enables them to not die whilst expending so much energy each day? Along with many other (non-cyclist) fans, I sometimes find it hard to believe that they are able to survive without any kind of doping or enhancement.

They eat between 6-8,000 calories a day, usually pasta.

How do these guys average 28.x mph for hours?!?!?

Because they're pros...and they train a lot ;)

In the 2000 Tour, the ONCE-Deutsche Bank team was penalized in the Team Time Trial for using the team car to stave off the cross winds long enough for few of the riders to get back into the group after they had been dropped on a long, arduous climb over a bridge.

Every member on the team received a 20 second penalty. Even so, Laurent Jalabert still ended up in Yellow. :D

How do these guys average 28.x mph for hours?!?!?

Actually 28 is not as fast as it sounds. Remember they are in a huge pack so as long as it is flat the vast majority are not working all that hard.

The slower pace throught he mountians is really a lot more impressive.