Friday Photo - Dodging Cows in the Tour de France

French Cyclist Warren Barguil dodging a cow in the 2015 Tour de France

The 2017 Tour de France starts on Saturday with a 9 mile time trial. While the race is always a grueling test of endurance, it seems like each year, some unlucky cyclists encounter additional obstacles. Last year the one kilometer to go banner crashed down on Adam Yates. In 2015 Warren Barguil had to dodge some cows while descending at a high rate of speed (above). In 2010 Marcus Burghardt crashed into a dog. The rider with the worst luck was Johnny Hoogereland in the 2011 TDF. A team car sideswiped Juan Antonio Flecha. This started a chain reaction which ended with Hoogerland flying into a barbed wire (see video below). Let's hope this year's Tour is a safe one with no major injuries.

Thursday Video - Mark Cavendish's 30 Tour de France Stage Wins

Mark Cavendish pulling away for his 30th stage win in the Tour de France

The Tour de France begins on Saturday. Last year, Mark Cavendish increased his career stage wins to 30, trailing only the great Eddy Merckx with 34. Will Cavendish catch Merckx this year? We'll just have to watch and see. In the meantime, please enjoy this compilation of his 30 wins to date.

Weird Bike Wednesday - Carroll Gear Drive Bicycle

!897 Carroll Gear Drive Bicycle

Lots of people have wanted to get rid of the chain on the bicycle. Major Taylor set some of his speed records with a gear-driven bicycle. On his bike, the front sprocket rotated a shaft which transferred power to the rear wheel. The 1897 Carroll design used a third gear instead. This design came along as the bicycle boom was coming to an end, and never became very popular. It was built in Philadelphia by the Carroll Chainless Bicycle Company. One of these bikes sold for over $30,000 at an auction in 2007.

Touring Tuesday - Evansville, Indiana to Haslett, Michigan

This hill near Waveland, Indiana is a little intimidating to the average cyclist

This week's post is about Jan Gagliano, who should provide inspiration to anyone who would like to go bicycle touring, but thinks they aren't physically up to it. She says she is the perfect weight for some 6' 4" - Unfortunately she is 5' 4". She is 64 years old, and rides at an average speed of 8 miles per hour. Her trip, which she took in 2012, went from from Evansville, Indiana to her home in Haslett, Michigan (A suburb of Lansing). Her report on the trip is on the Crazy Guy on a Bike website.

Jan was credit card touring (staying at motels), and only rode about 30 miles per day. There were numerous  anecdotes about the trip in, such as a visit to a cantaloupe farm near Vincennes. Her route took her through Terre Haute, where she was born. Her route passed through Amish country and spent a rest day in Shipshewanna. The biggest problem she encountered was the July heat.

2017 Tour de France Preview

2017 Tour de France route

The 2017 Tour de France begins on Saturday, July 1 with an 8 mile time trial. The Tour begins in Dusseldorf, Germany this year. It will go through Belgium and Luxembourg before entering France. Most of the first day's route will be along the Rhine River. It isn't until stage 9 that the riders will hit the mountains. That stage will have three out of category climbs on it. The riders to watch for this year's race are:

1. Chris Froome is the defending champion and three-time winner of the Tour de France.
2. Richie Porte has been strong this year - Perhaps this is his year to win the TDF.
3. Nairo Quintana has two seconds and one third at the TDF. He's a tremendous climber but not so good on time trials.
4. Romain Bardet is France's top hope to win.
5. Alberto Contador has won the Tour de France twice. Can he do it again at age 34?

NBC Sports and NBC will provide live television coverage of the 2017 Tour de France. We'll have it on at the store. If you haven't followed the TDF before, you might want to visit our Understanding the Tour de France webpage to learn some of the race terms.

Friday Photo - Indian School Bus

Not the most comfortable ride - But it beats walking

In parts of India they have school "buses" like the one shown above. They sometimes have as many as ten kids in them. Now if you add up all the weight of ten kids, their books and school supplies on the roof, and the bicycle itself, the guy riding this thing better be in good shape. God help him if there are any hills on his route. I'm guessing they don't use these trikes at villages located in the Himalayas. You can find more photos like this at Messy Nessy.

Thursday Video - Bait Bicycle with a Hot Seat

This bicycle thief doesn't get far

This is one of the craziest videos I have seen. Three crazy guys set up a bait bike, and place it where they think bicycle thieves might try to steal it. The seat is made of metal, and there is black tape over it to make it look more like a normal saddle. They attach two Bernzomatic Torch Kits to the seat tube,which heat up the seat. I can't figure out if these are on all the time, or if they activate them remotely. None of the thieves get very far before hopping off the bike. After that the trio chases them down and say "You're on fire!" before spraying them with fire extinguishers.