bikinchris
new member
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 23
Loc: Broussard, LA, USA
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I am going to France next year to cheer Lance on to victory number 6. I wonder just how hard those climbs will really be. I come from flat land and will train hard to get onto shape but I cannot train for any real hill. The closest real hills are somewhere in Arkansas. I don't intend to try to fly up ther Frech Alps but I want to be able to enjoy the scenery and take some great pictures. Has anyone here really ridden in France and do you think a 26x34 low will do the job?
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RDP
captain
Reged: 12/18/03
Posts: 243
Loc: Kansas
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Sounds like a wonderful trip. Are you going w/ a bicycle tour company or solo? Someday I would like to tour the south of France or try Andy Hampsten's Tuscany camp.
Good luck!
R
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It is about the bike.....BikeFanClub Forums
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bikinchris
new member
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 23
Loc: Broussard, LA, USA
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We (my wife and I)are going with the Graham Baxter tour group- great price and well organized according to friends who went last year. Here is a link: http://www.sportingtours.co.uk/
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RDP
captain
Reged: 12/18/03
Posts: 243
Loc: Kansas
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Thanks!
R
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It is about the bike.....BikeFanClub Forums
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TheMightySkunk
journeyman
Reged: 12/26/03
Posts: 82
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26 x 34 will most definitely not do the job.
A local Cat One racer around here did the "Etape de Tour" this year (2003). He wound up walking his bike at times with a similar setup. Indurain quit the ride.
If you're a Cat One, then a 27 rear is advised. Anyone else, put on an XT or XTR rear derailleur and an 11/32 rear cassette.
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"I haven't failed. I've just managed to find 100,000 ways that don't work"
--Albert Einstein
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TheMightySkunk
journeyman
Reged: 12/26/03
Posts: 82
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Oops. My bad. 34 front. Duh. Quite different from the stock 39 front my friend was using in the Etape de Tour. That's almost as low as the granny on the Dura Ace triple. Sounds like a winner.
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"I haven't failed. I've just managed to find 100,000 ways that don't work"
--Albert Einstein
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BubbaTex
journeyman
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 56
Loc: Austin, Texas
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go here:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=WHATS_NEW
and read 'A Brief Affair with the Tour de France". One of the best stories of how it really is from a guy who is a Cat 3 I believe. Really brings things into perspective. Get a TRIPLE! 
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"It is more important to do less more often than to do more less often" Ed Burke, PhD
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bikinchris
new member
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 23
Loc: Broussard, LA, USA
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My gearing is a 52-42-26 front and 12-34 rear. I was really joking about if it is low enough. If it is not low enough, I will hitch a ride. I can walk faster than this gear!
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