A few questions about Le Tour de France.?

Question

1. How would one enter this competition? Could any male enter?

2. What bikes do they use in the race?

Answer 1

The big bike races are team events, not individual events.  You'd need to be on a team and then picked by the team to enter.  Most teams have a plan (win the overall, win the points jersey, win the mountains jersey, win some stages) and will build their team around that plan.

2. The pros use top of the line bikes.  Most teams are sponsored by a bike manufacturer that use bike races as an opportunity to showcase their finest products in the hope that those of us watching head to the LBS to buy something similar.

-- here are a few sponsored teams

Garmin-Chipotle - Felt

Saunier Duval - Scott

Columbia - Giant

Liquigas - Cannondale

CSC - Cervelo

Astana - Trek

Quick-Step - Specialized

The pros will typically ride the nicest bikes (usually production frames) but will sometimes have custom components (many teams are riding on pre-production Dura-Ace 7900, Dura-Ace Electric, Super-Record 11 etc).   A lot of riders will have their own favorites for parts -- seats, handlebars, pedals.

Wheels are a decision made every day based on the conditions (deep dish wheels are heavier but more aero and worse with crosswinds).

On flat time trials riders will typically ride special bikes built for aerodynamics.  These time trial (TT) bikes are only allowed on time trials, not on the road stages.

Answer 2

1.  As said, it's for pros and by invitation at that.

However, there are other options.  You can ride the citizen's even called Etape du Tour.  Every year, one stage is run for anyone who wants to pony up the fee and enter.  It is an actual Tour stage from that year's race (usually the day before the pros?).  A friend of mine did that one year.  Amazing experience.

And if you want to work towards it, there is Le Tour Direct, a continuous loop around France.  It's like the RAAM (Race Across America).  You keep going until you finish the loop.  You do have to ride qualifying events to show that you have a chance of finishing, but these guys are ultrariders, not professional road racers even though they might train as hard.

And there are other events around like the Gran Fondos in Italy.  There is also a citizen's version of each of the spring one-day classics.  So if you want to have at it, go for it.

As to bikes, look at Bicycling Magazine or ProCycling or www.pezcyclingnews.com to see what the pros ride.  Or look at Ridley, Scott, Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo, Colnago, and Pinarello, and find their top end road bicycles.  A racing bike is not far off from there.  In a few cases, you can buy the exact model.  A friend of mine (same as did the Etape) just put up fifteen grand for the Alessandro Pettachi signature Colnago.

Answer 3

no u have to b a pro and on a team

specalized

Answer 4

I believe you have to be invited to the Tour, in any case you have to be insanely good to have a chance at winning.  They ride bikes that cost thousands and tens of thousands of dollars, and all of their gear is crazy expensive, too.

Answer 5

Only certain teams are chosen to enter the tour. So you have to be a member of a selected team. Then that team has to choose you to ride with them. This is a team sport, with one or two "lead" riders.

They use top of the line road racing bikes like the "Prince". Cost is around $10,000 each...Many bikes are made by Trek, Giant, Scott, and many others. They also have special bikes just for the time trials.

Answer 6

The Tour is a professional race with professional bike riders.

The best of them are paid very well.  I don't pretend to know how much their paid but I do know that Lance Armstrong's contract with Team Cofidis was for $7,000,000. This was before his cancer and success with Team Postal.

How do you get in?????

Same way you get into the World Series or Super Bowl.

Work hard, become a professional and hope you can land a contract on a team good enough to be invited.

All teams have many sponsors.  One of the sponsors is usually a Bike manufacturer. That sponser supplies the team with not only their bikes but much of the training is done in the wind tunnels belonging to the manufacturer.

Answer 7

the 'tour' is a professional race, for professionals.

there is a thing called the etape which is a ride over the same road the day before the pro's, but it's not a race anybody including women can enter this ride.

Expensive! the bikes used are the cycle worlds equivalent to F1 cars, aluminium and carbon light and fast.

google  tour de France to see the official website.