Weather Conditions and its impact on 2011 Tour de France
Weather has always played its part in the mega tour and cyclists, who prepare well to deal with any unusual conditions, end up with flying colours. Rain makes it tough for all participants and there is a minority who revel in foul elements.
Tire pressure and chain lube are two main questions for the bicycle mechanics. Many riders were obsessed about choosing the right equipment before the stage four of 2011 Tour de France, which stretched to 172.5 Kilometers.
Different teams handle wet weather conditions differently. For instance, Teflon Spray is used by Astana’s Chris Van Roosbroeck and a layer of grease is used afterwards for all the events.
Rajen Murugayen said that he does not like greasing the chains much and his other Team, Sky Mechanics, shares the same opinion. Team Sky, therefore, decided to test a new natural oil based chain lube provided by Morgan Blue at Stage 4.
Thomas Voeckler, just before the start switched his bike and went with his aluminum rimmed spare bike. Jose Joaquin Rojas, the 3rd place finisher of Stage 3, also decided to go with the better breaking of the aluminum wheels. Most of the riders
though prefer shallow rim on wet tracks, as it helps them to fight with the cross-winds.
The toughest part for the team staff on a wet day starts after the race. The kits have to be cleaned of the mud and dried for the next day’s stage. Rain also makes bike washer’s job harder especially if the rain stops and starts with short intervals. It’s
only the passion blended with this event that surviving a few days in rain does not seem too difficult.
Riders did not only had to battle themselves through the 140 miles of hills, but also the slick roads, as rain showers came down at stage 6 of the tour. Edvald Boasson Hagen was amongst the few sprinters who conquered the toughest stage of the tour, as the
24-year-old bagged his first victory for Team Sky Rider.
Hegan expressed his feeling with the reporters after the race as he said, “It’s really nice to win this stage. It’s been a great start to the Tour for us and to win in a stage was a big objective for us. It’s really nice to win a stage in the Tour. It’s
been like a dream to win this stage. I’ve had a free role on the team for the first part of the Tour, but when the mountains come, I will help Brad (Wiggins) in the mountains. Thor has a yellow jersey now and win a stage in front of him is a big honor.”
In order to combat the rainy conditions, Oakley did the the trick for the cyclist. Oakley preparations for the wet days of the tour were impressive as they switched to Nano Clear, a user applier add-on instead of the dirt sloughing hard coating to the lenses.
Steve Blick, Oakley's sports marketing personnel, was checking on the teams to ensure that the players are not facing any difficulties and had a clear view of the track. Implementation of the Nano Clear was announced just before the start of stage four of
the 2011 Tour de France.
Nano Clear is simple to apply. The riders just have to rub it using the applicator and polish it. Nano has made it quite easier to deal with the issue of water dripping, helps in stopping it from reaching down the rider’s face and made it lot easier to treat
the surface from inside. There is a small three-application sample of Nano Clear with its latest glasses.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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