Weird Stuff From Tour De France

I’m sure this could be a huge list, the tour de france is literally insane.

It’s insane when it started, it was insane when it was a coke-and-amphetamine-fueld King of The Mountain fest in the 60’s, it was insane during the EPO nearly-bursting-blood-vesssels-with-doping years, and it’s still insane to this day even with all the watts and time trial helmets.

  • Key visual on the right here: Tour de France riders used to believe that smoking helped open up the lungs; they’d crank a hoon right before going up a huge mountain.
  • Death of Tom Simpson - Tom Simpson, after 3 days of diarrhea, collapsed dead one km from the top of Mount Venoux. Was found to have amphetamines and alcohol in his system.
  • Pot Belge - mix of illegal drugs used by cyclists
  • This article about old school cycling races
  • The rider to finish last place, while also not dropping out or being disqualified for not reaching the time cutoff, is known as the Lanterne Rouge. This rider is afforded a special distinction, riders often competing for the position.
  • Climbs in the tour de france are given difficulty levels, from easy to hardest: 4,3,2,1 and HC (“hors categories”, uncategorized). These categorizations actually originate from the Citroën 2CV car, with the climb’s category judged to be the same as the gear necessary to motor up it. e.g., category 4 could be driven up in fourth gear, category 1 is more strenuous and can only be driven up in the lowest gear, 1st gear. Uncategorized climbs can’t be driven up, too step for the 2CV.

Not Weird

Other stuff that is not weird but also just cool.

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