Sunday, July 29, 2007

Maillot jaune v. lanterne rouge

Let's look at the record of two of the men who just finished the 2007 Tour de France. The course was a total of 3550 km in length (2206 miles), ridden over 20 days for a average of 177 km (110 miles) per day.

Alberto Contador won the 2007 Tour by riding the course in 91 hours, 0 minutes, and 26 seconds. That results in an average speed of 39.01 kph or 24.24 mph.

Wim Vansevenant rode the exact same distance on the course, and finished as Lanterne Rouge - the last-placed rider to finish the Tour. He just covered the same distance slightly slower - finishing in 94 hours, 53 minutes, and 20 seconds. That's an average speed of 37.41 kph, or 23.25 mph.

One freaking mile per hour. That's the entire difference between jaune and rouge, first and last.

Plus superstardom and a few million dollars worth of contracts. . . . or a red lantern to hang on your bike.

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Comments:
Nice job on your coverage Nancy. I thought it was a magnificant Tour and those who skipped it because of the doping garbage missed a tremendous event.
 
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