The Tour de France, considered by many to be the height of cycling races, has a colorful history. It actually resulted from a fight-a lawsuit between two French magazines over title rights. The loser. L'Auto, decided to do something big to generate publicity and subscriptions and landed upon the idea of a grueling race with a sizable purse for the champion. This first Tour de France in 1903 was a great success for them-subscriptions multiplied. It was not too shabby for the sport of bike racing, either!
The Tour de France has been prestigious event ever since. With the exception of the duration of the two World Wars, there has always been a Tour de France. It has not remained static, however, as there are frequently varied courses, distances and numbers of stages. The first Tour de France was run over the course of a month from mid-July to mid-August, roughly. They cycled for six stages for a total distance of 2,388 kilometers, or 1,400 miles. This sounds like a lot of racing, and it was! At one point, however, the race was made u p of twenty-four stages and was a whopping 5,564 kilometers!
People from all over the globe can compete in the Tour de France. Now, participation is by invitation only. Winners have come from many nations, but no one has completely ruled the race as has the American legend, Lance Armstrong. Armstrong won the Tour de France an amazing seven times in a row from 1999-2005.
Anyone wanting a a chance in the Tour de France has set himself a grueling task! Getting in shape takes utter dedication, hours of sweat equity, a lot of self sacrifice, and, of course, the right gear. Naturally, the bike is crucial, but so are the clothes! When seconds matter on the course, what you wear can make a difference between victory and defeat. Sweaty, flapping shirts and shorts are anything but streamlined. Ambitious riders choose sleek cycling shorts that hug the thighs and wick sweat away. Hi-tech bike shorts feel good, and they give riders an edge.
Non-riders have a tendency to laugh at the shiny, often gaudy cycling clothes worn by even casual bicyclists, but if they rode even a few miles, they would understand that cycling shorts are second only to a helmet in crucial importance to the rider. Cycling shorts may not be made for fashion, but they provide a critical element of comfort to any kind of bicycling effort.
The first cycling shorts were nearly more work than worth. Made of wool, with a leather chamois stitched for padding in the crotch of each pair, they were hot and they were nearly impossible to launder. The wool took forever to dry, and the leather became so stiff it often hurt more than it helped. Today's cycling shorts are as far from these old models as our laptops are from main frames. They weigh next to nothing, they dry in no time, and their padding stays soft and supple, just as it's supposed to be. With or without straps (the so-called "bib" style), a pair of cycling shorts is essential for any bike rider.
Really, the only thing today's cycling shorts have in common with their ancestors is their style. With the exception of some of the models made for mountain biking, cycling shorts are still long enough to cover most of the rider's thigh and basic black is still the predominant color. However, any ride through a town with a sizable population of road riders will also reveal what passes for fashion sense among bicyclists: the basic black cycling short is now frequently festooned with so many advertisements for events and products and companies in the most garish colors on the spectrum that the black is all but unseen! For some reason, road riders seem to thrive on clashing colors and excessive advertising. And the more devoted a cyclist you observe, the more logos and screaming slogans you are likely to observe!
Still, there is a real reason to wear cycling shorts, no matter what they look like: their padding. It, especially if combined with a good bicycle seat, will vastly increase your comfort level as a rider. It, rather than a particularly delicate area of your anatomy, will absorb a lot of the shock of bike riding. Cycling shorts are made as they are for good reason. They absorb shock, let perspiration evaporate, and keep you aerodynamic on your bike. Being aerodynamic matters to speed, of course, but also to safety. Loose fitting clothing can get stuck in a bicycle's moving parts as well as making your form more resistant to any wind you encounter.
Both Fabian Toulouse & Alastair Hamilton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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