Friday File: Didi, African Yellow, Tuft-ness, Garmin Mountain Men, New Red Dots Le Tour Cycling Cap/Wallet & Seeing Dots

Didi the Devil loves the furnace like conditions,

the water bottles are a teaser!

Friday File and it's a hot July!

The Tour is scorching. Just take a look at Didi the Devil, he is in his element. The roads in France especially in yesterday's stage 6 was hot-reportly close to 30C.

Orica-GreenEdge is having a dream rebound after the busgate incident and is not looking back with a two stage victories and Simon Gerrans and now Daryl Impey in yellow. Impey is the first African to claim the yellow.

"This is a dream come true and a magical moment."

Svein Tuft of Langley, BC is one of the peloton's toughest. A man that dropped out of high school to pursue his love for the outdoors, riding with his dog bear on a mountain bike from Vancouver to Alaska. His 'tuft-ness' goes further. He was on contract for Prime Alliance in 2001, and needed base miles so he just rode down from Vancouver to the team camp in Southern California. Packing camp gear and Bear off he went in February. That's cold and wet weather time. 

The story finishes with Jonathan Vaughters in his last season as a pro upon seeing Tuft emerged remarked, “He had this really long beard, and he smelled very bad. I remember thinking, okay, this guy is completely different than the image of the typical European money-driven cyclist who buys Porsches in his spare time.” 

Check out the interesting article of the Tuft-man by Neal Rogers.

Tuft and Bear ready to roll.

via getoutdoors.com

Looking forward to this September of the Tour of Alberta, the first pro stage race starting in Edmonton and finishing in Calgary. Orica-GreenEdge has announced they will send a team for the inaugural Canadian stage race. I would love to make the trip over there to watch a stage... we'll see. Now, will they send Christian Meier and Svein Tuft?

Finally!

Thanks to a powerful Cannondale squadra, 
Peter 'the Hulk' Sagan smashes stage 7 Albi with victory!


Points Chase:

1. Sagan    224
2. Greipel   130
3. Cavendish  119

As you know I find riders nicknames interesting and fun. Nicknamed the Pitbull by Jonathan Vaughters, Andrew Talansky is riding very well in his inaugural Tour. In fact, Ryder Hesjedal has a broken rib and continues on as Garmin still has their full team in tact. I'm waiting for Garmin to finally let loose in the mountains with their mountain men, here's Talansky's comments... 

Update: Christian Van deVelde has abandoned after stage 7.

Garmins' Strength in numbers, after stage 7...

13. Talansky    0:22

14. Hesjedal  "

15. Martin  "

16. Danielson  "

Vive La France!

Le Tour 100 Cycling Cap by Red Dots Cycling
photo Red Dots Cycling

tdf 100 Piccola inner tube wallet
photo Red Dots Cycling

Handmade and in honor of the 100th Tour de France... Red Dots Cycling is proud to unveil it's new Le Tour 100 Cycling Cap and tdf 100 Piccola inner tube wallet! 

Shop here.

Call me old school...Now, I love the polka-dots but the shorts are too much!

Red shorts at the TT.

Today's stage, Pierre Rolland gives up the polka-dot jersey to Blel Kadri.

Tomorrow's bumpy stage will be a contest for the KOMs classification. Only one second is separating the two French grimpeurs. It will be explosive.