This shot, from flickr user Styggiti, was taken in Saint-Emilion, France, at the Collegiate Church. (See a larger version here.) The surrealistic effect of the photo, in case you were wondering, was created using an image processing technique called tone mapping, which I won’t even pretend to understand. You can learn about it here though.
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Unless you are willing to dedicate your life to either training or discovering undetectable performance-enhancing drugs, chances are you won’t be competing for that yellow jersey. Maybe you could get a job as one of those guys who rides on the back of a motorcycle with a camera. Or you could just travel to France during the race and take in the proceedings through a haze of wine and cheese.
But there is another option. A tour operator called Ciclismo Classico will run an 8-day bicycle tour that follows the exact route of a portion of the Le Tour ’09. Before you go searching the internet for any chemicals that can help you on the trip, you should know that the 8-days are designed for casual enthusiasts; the kind of people who are comfortable in the saddle of a bike, but who lack the huge legs and emaciated upper bodies of top cyclists. The average day will mean a 50-mile pedal, roughly half of what the pro riders complete. In addition to that, those on the trip will get to watch some of the actual race.
via Wandalust
The race is on, so to speak, with a number of countries and companies recently announcing their plans for the next-generation of high-speed rail travel. While France set the railroad world speed record in 2007 at 575 km/h (357 mph), Japan and most western European countries have set their revenue speed limit at 300 km/h, or around 186 mph. It looks like eager train-travelers (and possibly former air travelers) will soon be traveling a good deal faster in almost any of the above-mentioned countries. Read on for details on some of Japan, China and France’s high-speed ambitions.
Japan, the country that most will agree invented high-speed rail as we know it, is now showing off a prototype of a new high-speed train. Well, more specifically, it’s a Japanese company that’s doing so – Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The design of the amazingly-titled Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train (or efSET) will be complete by March 2009, with engineering testing done in 2010. A lightweight body will allow the train to run at up to 350 km/h (217 mph) in revenue service, and components tested in daily Shinkansen service will keep the system reliable. Kawasaki hopes to sell its design to Japan Rail as well as other countries around the world.
Not to be outdone, Alstom, a French company that’s been building high-speed trains for decades has also unveiled the first generation of its AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse). The train is, in fact, already done and is currently undergoing testing at various sites all over Europe. Alstom expects its design to travel at revenue speeds of 360 km/h (223 mph).
Finally, as we’ve previously reported, China is developing a new high-speed link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 380 km/h (236 mph) trains will make the 650-mile trip in about five hours and are scheduled to debut in 2012. Curiously enough, it’s the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that has the most thorough report on the matter, so check it out if you’re interested.
Sometimes travel facts come in the most unusual places. Yesterday at Arby’s my son received a fold out book on the Eiffel Tower in his kid’s meal. Very cool.
I learned a few things myself by folding the book out. Along with the standard info about the tower, such as when it was built (1889) and how tall it is (1063 feet), there are out of the ordinary details that people may not know.
Here are a few:
Other Arby’s travel oriented books are:
The Eiffel Tower is book 4 of the 4.
If you’ve been to Paris any time in the last few years you’ve probably noticed the ubiquitous bicycle rental kiosks. Called Velibs, the concept has become so popular that the model has been replicated elsewhere. Just this past summer in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, the city outfitted the downtown area with a variety of stands.
With such a large user base and number of units on the road, maintenance becomes a critical part of operations – and an important thing to look out for when picking a bicycle. Many a time have I spent twenty minutes plugging my American Express card into the kiosk, paging through the terms and conditions and picking out a unit only to jump on, get halfway down the street and realize that the bicycle doesn’t shift out of first gear or that the seat slooooowly sinks when I’m riding it. Trust me: as a tall person, nothing sucks more than riding a bicycle with the seat all of the way down.
A host of things can go wrong with your Velib after you check it out, which is why I now equate them to a mixed box of chocolates. They may all look the same until you’re heading into traffic and you find out that they handlebars aren’t bolted into the front fork.
At this point I’m past surprised or frustrated if something is wrong with my bicycle – now it’s a personal challenge to see if I can adapt to whatever is wrong with it. But for you, my advice is as such: kick the tires and test the seat before you rent a bicycle. The ten seconds you spend checking out your Velib is well worth the frustration of dealing with a broken bicycle on the road.