Lance Armstrong and Bike Science

Lance “The Juggernaut” Armstrong did it. He won his seventh tour de France, an epic, unprecedented effort that will quite likely not be duplicated in our lifetime…or at least a few years.

Here is a very interesting story on NPR about bike science. It goes surprisingly deep. They examine Lance’s physiology, and ponder what is it about Lancenator that makes him such a superior athlete (does he process lactic acid quicker than the average pedal-pusher?). They look at the new bikes that dominated the Tour (hint: these aren’t your grandmother’s bikes), and they examine what forces of gravity allow you to keep a bike upright in the first place. Bike fans and neophytes will find this a fascinating listen.