Lou, I'm not sure this link will work, but it's the OLN TV schedule for all the shows in the Road to the TdF series. --http://www.olntv.com/tvlistings/test-DB.asp?pf=true&so=ROAD%20TO%20TOUR
or, go to http://www.olntv.com and check out the TV schedule and click on the Road to the TdF, check printer friendly version and print up your own TV schedule. One show not to be missed is the episode "Evolution and Revolution" first broadcast on Thurs,June 12th. "From wooden rims at the turn of the century to the carbon fiber dream machines of the twenty-first century, bicycles have come a long way in the century of the Tour de France. This program tells the story of the evolution of bicycle technology through the Tour and focuses on the bikes of the most famous cyclists who wore the yellow jersey. We visit the Sactuario del Ghisallo in Como Itlay where Coppi and Bartali's bikes from the Tour reside. We relive the aero-bar innovation that secured a Tour victory for Greg Lemond. And we journey from the days of reversible wheels through wind-tunnel tested carbon fiber aerodynamic time-trial bikes of the current era, telling the stories of men and their machines who revolutionized the sport of cycling by trying to make gains of seconds in the world's greatest bike race." Jay Van De Velde Seal Beach, CA
DATE: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 12:02:16
From: LouDeeter@aol.com
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Cc:
>After 3 weeks of nightly reports from OLN about the Giro, I tuned in last night at 7PM EDT and caught two 1/2 hour segments on Eddy Merckx and the Climbs of the Tour. The programs were called "Road to the Tour de France". The Eddy Merckx piece had some great footage with closeups of his bicycles and jerseys--I was very glad that Brett Horton had graciously shared some of Eddy's jerseys at Cirque. The footage of Luis Ocana's wreck in the Tour (70?) was spectacular. The next segment was about the famous climbs with some terrific footage of the Pyrenees when the roads were not much more than unpaved goat paths. How the riders survived is beyond me. And, of course, it included Tommy Simpson's death and showed closeups of him falling off the bike and though he laid on the ground, he clung to the handlebars as if he would arise any moment. Aldo Ross's 1949 Giro reports really helped me to understand better what I was watching. To me, while I don't collect from before 1970, it
is part of our hobby and very much interests me to read, watch, and learn about the riders and their equipment. Knowing the history only makes the current races that much more enjoyable. I don't have a TV guide or OLN menu, but I suspect OLN will air more interesting articles leading up to the Tour. If anybody knows about these "retro" presentations and the schedule, pls share. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL