STUFFE

Look at all those lovely bikes! Pic from Garmin's Website.

TOUR PREP
Garmin-Transitions offer a look inside their Service Course, as they prepare for the Tour De France. The thing that strikes me is the sheer amount of stuff, and work to do. As the article says;

Each rider will head to Rotterdam with 6 bicycles: their race bike, one spare for each car, a roubaix bike, and two time trial bikes.

And every bike is being built up from new frames and equipment by the mechanics. The article gives a real insight into the behnid the scenes work of mechanics and soigneurs, and is well worth a look.

INFOGRAPHICS
Examining whether sequels live up to the original film, at Flowing Data.

TOUR PREVIEW #1

Well, let's face it and be honest about it: any time trial would put the jersey on Fabian Cancellara's back.

Over at Pezcyclingnews, this preview examines the first week of Le Tour.

Also, Pez have managed to get tour fixture Didi (The Devil) to pose with their range of kit, which is quite the coup...

TENNIS, AGAIN

Therefore, in 11 hours and 5 minutes, the energy burned would be around 8500 kCal. How much is this? Well, if someone like Isner, who weighs 110kg, were to run a marathon, he would burn approximately 4600 kCal. So, his 11 hour tennis match came at the cost of almost two marathons. Sure, it was "run" over 3 days in installments, but the numbers are extra-ordinary.

The Sports Scientists blog returns to Mahut vs Isner, and some estimates of the energy expended by the players. Interestingly, their commentary has been picked up by the Washington Post - it's good to see them being recognised in this way.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Cycling Weekly rounds up the results of the various National Championship races that took place over the weekend. I'm very pleased to see Stijn Devolder in the Belgian champion's jersey, and doomed breakaway specialist Thomas Voeckler take the French championship.

Interstingly Sky took all the podium places in the UK race, with Geraint Thomas taking the win.

THE GREATEST CYCLING PHOTO EVER

Simon Lamb offers this picture of Coppi and Bartali as the greatest cycling picture ever. I've not given this a great deal of thought, but it seems to me that the shot above (Anquetil and Poulidor on the Puy De Dome) would be my choice - a graphic illustration of their rivalry.

PEDAL TO PROPERTIES
This is a brilliant idea, a realtor that offers bike tours to prospective house purchasers. A bike is a great way to cover distance quickly, but in a way that still allows you to get the feel of an area. I met a chap last year who was house hunting by bike locally to me (and was able to tell him where the local Surly dealer was, among other things).

DISC BRAKES IN CX
The news that the UCI has embraced a post-war technology shocked many of us last week, with their allowance of disc brakes in cyclocross. Bikehugger has a good piece about this, with the following being one of the conclusions I think they're absolutely right about;

...we are perhaps now on the eve of the next big revolution in bicycle equipment. Cyclocross is the doorway through which disc brake systems integrated into dropbar shift/brake reach the consumer as well as the natural path for discs to reach UCI acceptance to road racing.

VELOCLUB DON LOGAN
...becomes an investigative journalist. No, really.

CHARLES BURCHFIELD
I'd not heard of him either, but this post and lines and colors is a great introduction, and his work is lovely.

SPACESUIT OF THE WEEK
Or, features I wish I'd thought of. From Kitsune Noir (and my eternal thanks to Gem at Bianchista for introducing me to that blog) comes the spacesuit of the week.