a couple of TDF and LA questions
 

where can you get the yellow armbands that i have seen people wearing**********??

and my other question is, how do you get into the TDF????

Nike.com sells the bracelets.

How do you get into the TDF? You ride for a team that's been invited to participate.

i know it's over, but that's just this year. after i posted i found another thread about how to get in, and it sounded like alot of work. is there an age limit, i'm only 13, but if you see my post in road biking, you'll see that for a 13 y/o, i'm pretty dang good.

What Laggard meant is that you have to be a pro rider riding for a pro team and that pro team has to be one of those invited to the race. That also means you have to spend a large amount of the year in Europe since US teams that don't race in Europe don't get invited.

I'd guess you have to be 18 to sign a pro contract. No upper limit but by the time riders hit the mid to upper 30s they're usually done.

How do you get to ride in the Tour de France?
You will know when you are there.
By then you may be wondering 'How did I get here?'

Same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

Actually you are already on the way. Can you see yourself riding there?
Most of us will lose that vision long before we lose the ability to get there. If you keep it, you will do something few have done.
I really hope you get there.
Even if not, the journey will have been worth it.

your point has been well made :D

BTW, do ya think they'll let me ride my hollowpoint in the tour :D

by then, they'll have hoverbikes

You want to race in the Tour? Better start riding and training NOW. Sell the Playstation and buy a new helmet. Find a coach, enter some junior races, and train. Maybe move to Europe and do this. Learn some French and Italian. Train. Better learn to climb and time trial.

You can get those Livestrong bands at Nike Stores, Champs, Trek dealers, and www.wearyellow.com .

there is a trek dealer only about 30 miles from my place, how much are they???

and what kind of cycling races in southeastern NC are there for teenagers?

ya got me there. just one last question, are you guys talking about road bikes or off road races. (i'm talking about road bikes)

Road bikes

If you want to end up in the European pro peloton, you'll need to devote 100% of your life to riding from now 'till you're 40. Tell the parents that you will not be going to college.

It's more than about riding a whole bunch. It's a lifestyle that you need to devote yourself to completely.

P.S. This is not to say that pro riders are uneducated dolts. There is however a large precentage of the peloton who never graduated high school or went to college.

with all this said, i think i've go the info i need. i'm thinkin that i'll just stick to local, state, and national races

Then get off the computer and train boy!

i'll have to see if i can bring the road bike to my house. it stays at dad's, which is in the city, where there are lot's more smooth roads to ride on (not that the stuff here's to rough, but it might not be to comfy on a road bike) my next step will probably be raising my average speed, it's 12.5 right now. what do guys think i should bring it up to.

First, get your endurance up. Dont raise it by more than 10%-15% per week. Then you can start doing interval training to get your average speed up some more.

The pros, depending on the course, will be running anywhere from 20-30mph average, usually somewhere towards the upper half of that if on a course that isnt excessively full of climbs.

You think all the roads in Europe and on the TdF route are smooth? The chip and seal over there is worse then ours and Champs-Eleeyes is paved with cobblestones.

yeah, i saw the riders on the cobblestones, that's gotta be killer rough on a road bike. i here people say those cobblestones are slick as ice too.

Do yourself a favour, and track down a copy of A Sunday in Hell. It's almost 30 years old, but it's the best bike racing documentary ever. Those cobbled sections you saw on Stage 3 of the Tour are travelled every year during the Paris-Roubaix spring classic, which is a killer one-day race. They call it the Hell of the North - 26 sections of cobbles, muddy and slick in the rain, dusty and suffocating on dry days. Wait'll you see what those guys can do.

When you're done watching it, you just might want to change your name to Little Eddy, Tiny Moser, or Petit Roger. Or, you could go with a more recent winner, and call yourself the Little Big Dog. :)

Sorry for the thread hijack.

A Sunday in Hell can be viewed on a pay-per-view subscribion to http://cycling.tv

I've also seen it for sale in either Performance or Nashbar catolouges.

ok, dont even worry about the freaking tour, let average speed. just ride your bike and you will automatically get faster

here is a tip, you will never ever ride the tour, nor will anyone else on these forums.

Gustaf, the kid is only 13. This is a definate "you'll never know" subject if I've ever seen one.