Author: M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer, a former road racing cyclist (at the amateur level), and a science enthusiast. Also an animal lover! I write about cycling on this website, cycling-passion.com. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

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Races History and Legends Tour de France

Missing the Tour de France Start

Pedro Delgado
At the start of the 1989 Tour de France, the defending champion, Pedro Delgado, missed his start time at the prologue.

Pedro Delgado, the defending champion, missed his start time with 2:40 at the prologue at the start of the 1989 Tour de France. Delgado covered the distance only 14 seconds slower than Erik Breukink, the stage winner. But adding the 2 minutes and 40 seconds at his time, he became the only defending champion to begin the race in last place, 2:54 behind Breukink.

Greg LeMond surprised by placing fourth in the opening prologue. Laurent Fignon was second, Sean Kelly third with all three finishing six seconds behind the winner on the day, Erik Breukink. Delgado ended the first day of the race placed last of the 198 riders.

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Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art

SRAM pArt Project – Amazing Sculptures Made of Bicycle Parts

SRAM pART Project - Free Wheeling by Lewis Tardy
Artist: Lewis Tardy - tardysculpture.com Materials: SRAM parts, steel bicycle parts, surgical devices, aluminum
Dimensions: 20'' w x 17'' d x 21'' h Statement: Freewheeling captures the empowerment, freedom, and joy of cycling. Born in Kalamazoo Michigan, Lewis Tardy spent his youth exploring all things mechanical. During that time, he also was discovering his creative passion. In 1985 while working as an assistant in a sculpture studio, the two interests fused. The combination of found steel materials coupled with a mixture of commentaries including levity, strength, and sexuality result in this unique expression of Tardy's vision. Significant inspiration comes from shapes and designs discovered within the found parts and materials, which takes shape in human and animal subjects alike. On many occasions, a single shape or part will inspire and become the building block of a whole Idea. Lewis Tardy's sculptures are included in corporate and private collections across many countries of the world.

SRAM pART Project New York City debuts on November 29, 2012, in New York, with twice as many artists and a whole new way to transform bicycle parts into art.

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

Eight Seconds: The Narrowest Winning Margin in Tour de France History

Eight seconds: Greg Lemond, 1989 Tour de France (cropped)
Greg LeMond is flying to the victory, Tour de France 1989, stage 21.

The 1989 edition of Tour de France was won by Greg LeMond with the narrowest margin in its history: eight seconds. It was LeMond’s second Tour victory.

Before the final stage of the 1989 Tour de France, Frenchman Laurent Fignon (Système U) was 50 seconds ahead of American Greg LeMond (ADR). Fignon took the yellow jersey from LeMond after the Alpe d’Huez stage, thanks to a withering attack by Gert-Jan Theunisse, Fignon was able to rid himself of LeMond on the ascent.

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Cycling Tips

Group riding tips

Giro 2013 Official Promo
96th edition of Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) will start from Naples on May 4th, 2013, Saturday. It will finish on May 26th 2013, Sunday. "This is Giro d'Italia! The toughest race in the world's most beautiful place."

Group riding is the main activity of a cycling club or a friend group. In every group ride, you should follow some rules and apply some tips for the group’s safety, and better performance.

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Cycling Tips

Countersteering and cornering tips

The main cornering technique on a two-wheeled vehicle is countersteering. In cycling, cornering is very important, especially in criteriums, during long downhills, and when a road race enters a city. By learning the true techniques, you can corner faster and much safer way, and conserve your energy. Having good cornering skills gives you a great advantage while racing.

Countersteering is the technique used by single-track vehicle operators, such as cyclists and motorcyclists, to initiate a turn toward a given direction by momentarily steering counter to the desired direction: “steer left to turn right”, or vice versa.

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Races Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art History and Legends Tour de France

Two great photos about cycling, with no bikes

Robert Capa with a camera
Robert Capa (born Endre Ernő Friedmann; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian combat photographer and photojournalist who covered five different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War.In the early 1950s, Capa traveled to Japan for an exhibition associated with Magnum Photos. While there, Life magazine asked him to go on assignment to Southeast Asia, where the French had been fighting for eight years in the First Indochina War. Despite the fact he had sworn not to photograph another war a few years earlier, Capa accepted and accompanied a French regiment with two other Time-Life journalists, John Mecklin and Jim Lucas. On May 25, 1954 at 2:55 p.m., the regiment was passing through a dangerous area under fire when Capa decided to leave his Jeep and go up the road to photograph the advance. About five minutes later, Mecklin and Lucas heard an explosion; Capa had stepped on a landmine. When they arrived on the scene, he was still alive but his left leg had been blown to pieces, and he had a serious wound in his chest. Mecklin called for a medic and Capa was taken to a small field hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. (wikipedia)

Look at these two great photos about cycling, with no bikes. The photos were taken by Robert Capa in Pleyben, Brittany, France, during the 1939 Tour de France. The owner of the small bicycle shop in Brittany, Pierre Cloarec was competing in the 1939 tour for the French team A. Leducq-Hutchinson. The excited crowd in the photos watching the tour come by in front of the bicycle shop owned by Cloarec. He won two stages in this Tour, stages 3 and 14.

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Bicycles and Equipment

Specialized Roubaix 2013

Specialized Roubaix Elite Compact 2013 Road Bike
Specialized Roubaix Elite Compact 2013 Road Bike

Specialized Roubaix 2013: named after Paris-Roubaix, “the queen of the classics”, the famous classic race over the cobbles, Specialized’s endurance bike was designed to soak up the worst of the bumps through its innovative Zerts inserts.

The Zerts are essentially a damper placed in the rear stays and the forks that absorb road vibration. Specialized Roubaix is specifically designed for the cobbled classics in Europe and is good for bad road surfaces, cobbled roads, and long-distance endurance rides (i.e. century rides).

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

Eugène Christophe and the first yellow jersey (Tour de France 1919)

Eugène Christophe (1919 Tour de France)
1919 Tour de France: Eugène Christophe is the first official yellow jersey.

In 1919, Frenchman Eugène Christophe became the first rider to wear the race leader’s yellow jersey (maillot jaune) of the Tour de France.

In the first few years after the 1st world war, there was a shortage of material and dye for jerseys. So many of the teams wore the same grey colored tops: the cycle industry was not yet in action again, and La Sportive was the only marque supplying material was, and there was little difference between any of the jerseys they supplied.

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History and Legends

Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali as football players

"Il campionissimo" Fausto Coppi as a football (soccer) player.
"Il campionissimo" Fausto Coppi as a football (soccer) player.

Two great cycling rivals, Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali were protagonists of an exceptional derby (a football match between local rivals. i.e. teams that are from the same city or the same part of the country) which took place on 14 January 1950 at the Milan Arena. Football (calcio) was the second popular sport after cycling, in post-war Italy.

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Bicycles and Equipment

Specialized Venge 2013

Specialized S-Works Venge Super Record EPS (Limited Edition)
Frame: S-Works FACT 11r carbon, FACT IS construction, aero tube shape, compact race design, tapered 1-1/8'' to 1-3/8'' head tube, internal cable routing, carbon OSBB Rear Shock Fork: S-Works FACT carbon, full monocoque, OS race for 1-3/8'' bearing Headset: 1-1/8'' upper and 1-3/8'' lower Cr-Mo cartridge bearings, w/ custom Venge top cap Stem: S-Works ProSet stem, 7050 3D-forged with carbon-clip front cap/cone, 4-degree shim, CNC head bolts Handlebars: S-Works Tarmac carbon, short drop Tape: Specialized S-Works wrap Front Brake: Campagnolo Super Record Rear Brake: Campagnolo Super Record Brake Levers: Campagnolo Super Record Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS Shift Levers: Campagnolo Super Record, 11-speed Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record, 11-speed, 11-25 Chain: Campagnolo Record 11-speed Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record Ultra-Torque, carbon/Ti, 11-speed Chainrings: 53/39 Bottom Bracket: Ceramic Speed, OSBB integrated ceramic, 30x42x7mm Pedals: Nylon flat test ride, loose ball, w/ reflectors Front Wheel: Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Tubular Rear Wheel: Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Tubular Front Tire: S-Works Turbo tubular w/ BlackBelt, 290TPI, aramid bead, 700x23c Rear Tire: S-Works Turbo tubular w/ BlackBelt, 290TPI, aramid bead, 700x23c Inner Tubes Saddle: Body Geometry Romin Pro, carbon rails, 143mm Seatpost: S-Works Venge FACT carbon, flippable 20/0mm offset Seat Binder: Venge integrated seat clamp assembly Notes: Carbon chainstay protector, derailleur hanger, clear coat, owners manual

Specialized Venge 2013 – Venge is one of the top-end racing bike models of Specialized (the other one is Tarmac). It is produced and optimized for better sprint performance and aerodynamics, while Tarmac is an all-round racing bike.

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