check out http://www.diagonales-de-france.org/
the 6 corners are dunkerque, strasbourg, menton, perpignan, hendaye and brest (clockwise from dunkerque), and there are 9 possible diagonales between these cities... another idea from the mind of velocio, circa 1930s or so...
there are time limits, which are roughly similar to that of paris-brest-paris, if i remember correctly (90 hours for 1200 km in that case), and the ride must be ridden fully self-supported, and the route is up to the rider. groups are limited to 5 people, or 6 if there is one or more tandems.
another thing on my list of "crazy touring things i want to do in my lifetime" :)
-joel
>I don't know about this particular saddle, but in France, doing a
>"diagonale" is a highly esteemed cycling accomplishment.
>
>If you think of France as a hexagon (as the French do), you can connect the
>cities at the far points that make diagonal lines across the map. These
>self-paced, unsupported point-to-point rides are many hundreds of kilometers
>long and involve high daily distance averages and not much sleep time at
>night to make it within the respective time limits. The national
>cycle-touring federation (FFCT) oversees the keeping of records, etc. It is
>up to the rider to determine his/her own route that takes mountains and busy
>urban areas into account and this is then submitted with the application.
>The rider can do a diagonal alone or with a small group. (I think there
>might be some limit of around 5 people?) Upon completion, I think there is a
>certificate and/or medal, but no cash. It is strictly an amateur event for
>one's own personal satisfaction. Some riders try to do all of them (!) over
>a period of years and earn special honors. At any rate, the need for a comfy
>leather saddle should be obvious! ;-)
>
>So, I would suspect Ideale was pitching this model at the long-distance
>touring riders. In the US we see a lot of cycling product names and rider
>endorsements from the racing world, and that is true also in France. But
>there, at least in the not-too-distant past, they also value(d) the slower,
>long-distance accomplishments too; some products are aimed at the tourists
>with this in mind.
>
>Bill Bryant
>Santa Cruz, CA
>
>
>
>
>on 8/12/02 1:11 PM, Old Town Cyclery at oldtown@kcnet.com wrote:
>
>> anyone tell me about this saddle? is it a newer model? also marked
>> "diagonale" ideal stamped intot he rivets, size about that of a b17, maybe a
>> bit wider. chromed rails, no markings underneath. thanks
>> peace
>> sarah g
>> kcks
>>
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>
>_______________________________________________
--
joel metz : magpie@messengers.org : http://www.blackbirdsf.org/
bike messengers worldwide : ifbma : http://www.messengers.org/
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==
i know what innocence looks like - and it wasn't there,
after she got that bicycle...