Tour De France Showcases Multitude Of Tech

whoda writes "When you think of a bicycle, you most likely think of 2 tires, a chain, some gearing of some sort, and other assorted mechanical bits. However, when Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, and over 180 other riders get together to compete at the Tour de France every year, there is a lot of technology that comes along for the ride too. From Lance's Sunglass'/MP3 Player to the advanced use of composites seen on Tyler Hamilton's time trial bike, there are many examples of high technology making the racers faster through better training, materials and aerodynamics."

Hmmm

[OverlordQ]

Sunglasses with MP3 playback built in? I'd hate to see what this [slashdot.org] guy comes up with.

Re:Too bad

[Anonymous Coward]

"You have to be a one-nutted freak to win."

I'm assuming that you probably have both... And I'll also assume that his one-nutted ass could also kick your ass.

Spoilers

[powerpuffgirls]

They're not fast enough until you see spoilers fitted at the back of the bicycles!

Hah.

[manseman]

So, this proves that anyone using the latest cool tech stuff is just trying to make up for something missing in their pants. One day I'll throw out this type-writer and get a computer.

Re:Hmmm

[poot_rootbeer]

Sunglasses with MP3 playback built in

I hope Jan Ullrich's cousin Lars doesn't find out about this. He'll be PISSED.

Mp3 Sunglasses

[gphinch]

So 35 songs for 22 days...how many times can you really listen to 'Eye of the Tiger'?

Plasters?

[Skiron]

Still hurts when 50 'nodes' of the pelaton decide to crash all at the same time, in a cascade, rather like nodes on a M$ network. I wonder what this stuff was designed on...

As an aside, these guys are the best athletes in any event the world over.

Re:The ultimate in technology and bikes...

[Otter]

Lance confronted by a compulsive recumbent geek... [velonews.com]

Is there a rule?

[www.sorehands.com]

I don't know if they have a rule against strapping on an Acme(TM) rocket to the bike. If noone has tried it before, they may not have a rule against it. Or if someone tried it before, they fared was well as Wild E. Coyote, so it didn't effect the outcome for the people who finished -- without going into a brick wall or off of the cliff.

Re:Mp3 Sunglasses

[Crinos]

Nah, it's a 2.5 hour loop of "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."

Re:It gets a little overboard too

[shaka999]

Cycling is just like any other hobby. Its fun to have nice toys. I've yet to hear of a computer that runs faster because it has a window and a light inside...

Slashdot bias towards bicycles

[GillBates0]

When you think of a bicycle, you most likely think of 2 tires, a chain, some gearing of some sort, and other assorted mechanical bits.

I would like to request that Slashdot drop it's discrimination/bias against unicyclists and tricyclists of the world. The poster assumes that everybody will think of two-wheeled "bicycles" when they think about cycles. This is not the case. I would also like to request all Girls to stop being biased against unicycle and tricycle riders. We are every bit as good as the so called "bicycle" riders.

Please join the fight against even-wheeled cycle fanatics.

Thank you.

Re:It gets a little overboard too

[alanh]

That's not a 13 cm piece of metal, that's a 13 cm piece of carbon fiber composite. It may not have any actual performace advantage, but carbon fiber is much sexier than metal. ;-)

Possible Playlist

[john_smith_45678]

If the cyclists are listening to mp3's, maybe their playlists look something like this:

10. "The Cougar Fight Song": Nothing is quite as stirring as hearing the band break into "Rise and Shout" at the beginning of a sporting event.

9. "Olé": No, this is not the Ricky Martin World Cup song. It's the chant soccer fans around the world have been singing far longer that consists of just that one word: "Olé, olé, olé, olé... olé, olé."

8. "SportsCenter Theme": Every true sports fanatic now recognizes the familiar intro to a full hour of the best of the day's sports action. Most of us watch it two or three times a day.

7. "Chariots of Fire" - Vangelis: This classic theme music has defined track songs for over twenty years. The Olympic team training on the beach idealizes the essences of pushing yourself to the limit.

6. "The Hey Song": Who can resist the compelling, "duh-dun duh-dun duh-dun duh-dun duh-dun-dun . . . HEY!" during a game? We all know it . . . and we all yell just as loud when it's played.

5. "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor: The most compelling sports stories come from the underdogs, the little guys (see March Madness and every sports movie ever made). This song epitomizes fighting against the odds.

4. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game": Any list on sports songs must include this classic. It conjures up images of lazy afternoons at the ballpark, of the seventh inning stretch, and of preserving the tradition and history of sports.

3. "You All Ready For This?": Sports action must be on tap whenever you hear this familiar opening music. It gets the blood boiling and the vocal cords limber for the excitement to follow.

2. "We Are the Champions" - Queen: Athletic competition means winners and losers, and no song better embodies that than this one. In extolling the journey, it honors the effort it takes to get to the top.

1. "We Will Rock You" - Queen: Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap. Everyone steps up to the challenge when the greatest sports song of all time is played. It's played at every level in every sport, making it easily #1.

Honorable Mention: "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Harlem Globetrotters theme), "Charge!", "Hey, Baby", "Jump Around."

Re:MP3

[funwithBSD]

35 songs is enough for the entire Cheryl Crow collection.

That's all he needs.

Re:It gets a little overboard too

[Sam Gibson]

I have a $1000 Specialized FSR that I ride on the street sometimes. But that's because I'm a poor college student that can't afford another bike.

It's all about perspective.

Bring back BIO-PACE Chainrings!

[Anonymous Coward]

Need I say more?

Re:Mp3 Sunglasses

[Moofie]

LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LANCE!
LANCE LANCE LAAAAAANCE!

The rest of this post is non-capitalized filler to get past the lameness filter. The reason I used caps is because you can't do the guitar riff from Eye of the Tiger without yelling. It's un-American.