Jul
09
Posted on 07-09-2007 at 06:30pm
Cyclists Are Kinda Like Christmas Trees…
Filed Under (Cycling) by Tim Coble on 07-09-2007

…In that they’re fun to have around the house for a couple of weeks once a year, after which they begin to get a bit prickly and are most often seen lying discarded in a ditch by the side of the road. But for the next three weeks it’s Tour de France time, the high holy days of cycling, and we cyclists are going to take full advantage of being temporarily elevated from thinly tolerated weirdos in Lycra to semi-interesting sources of knowledge about an event that a lot of people sorta kinda almost care about.

Because I’ve got an in with a site manager here at MCB, I’m taking full advantage of this opportunity to play the nepotism card and will be chiming in throughout the month of July on all things Tour-related. Whether you’re a die-hard cycling fan (hey, it could happen!) or simply Tour-curious, I invite you to join in the discussion. From the basics of Pro Cycling 101 to doping scandals to discussions of each day’s stage, it’s all fair game and should make for a lively - dare I say interesting? - discussion. If you have a question, ask it. If you have an opinion, share it. If you have a vintage Masi with all original components that you’d like to give away, e-mail me.

To get the ball rolling, here’s the Question for the Day: Your average Tour de France rider burns somewhere between 6,000 and 9,000 calories per day for roughly 20 days. Even when on the bike, zipping around the French countryside at 30+ miles per hour, they’re eating every chance they get. Before and after each stage, they consume massive amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fat simply to maintain their energy levels. Even so, by the time they roll into Paris on the last stage many riders have lost up to ten pounds - and these are guys who start out looking as if they haven’t been in the same county as a Big Mac in months. So I ask you, if you were a pro cyclist who had just finished riding the Tour and found yourself back in Music City, where would you head to throw down for your first no-holds-barred meal? (See how I tied that back to the site’s Nashville theme? Smooth, eh?) Price and status/cool factor are no object - the goal is pure, hedonistic caloric intake. Don’t be shy; this is your big chance to eat vicariously, so go wild!

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Comments

Grace on 9 July, 2007 at 6:54 pm #

They get “a bit prickly” because they shave their legs. :-)


Grace on 9 July, 2007 at 6:56 pm #

Oh, and I would go to South Street after 4pm, and eat all the fried pickles dipped in ranch that I could shove in my face. Followed by crab cakes.


Klinde on 9 July, 2007 at 7:37 pm #

Maggiano’s is always good for tons of food. Mmmmm, carbs. I think I would also head for a steak house. My first choice would be Ruth’s’ Chris followed by Flemings. And I am always a happy camper with breakfast or a pastrami on rye at Noshville.


Jay on 9 July, 2007 at 7:45 pm #

Fat Mo’s


john h on 9 July, 2007 at 8:37 pm #

Samurai Sushi..I’d be chomping down on every sushi dish known to the inimitable Mr. Choo.

Tim..look forward to your coverage. As a baseball fan I have to look at the home run records of the late 90s and early 2000 seasons as tainted because of what is now the obvious use of steroids.

Do you feel that the some of the glitter of the Tour has been tarnished because of doping??


Tim on 9 July, 2007 at 9:31 pm #

All great choices so far. I’ll second Maggiano’s; best restaurant Lasagna I’ve had in ages and the perfect post ride re-carb.

I’m planning on taking on both leg shaving and doping in upcoming posts. Until then, are there any guys out there who honestly think that a five-foot-five guy weighing in at 145 pounds is gonna shave his legs if he’s NOT on some kind of drugs? ‘Nuff said.


Kat Coble on 9 July, 2007 at 10:15 pm #

I’m planning on taking on both leg shaving and doping in upcoming posts.

Oh, phew.

I was having a heart attack until a got to “…in upcoming posts”.


Ron on 10 July, 2007 at 12:29 am #

How could the glitter of the Tour have been tarnished by doping? I mean, this is the race in which riders used to smear cocaine on their eyelids in order to stay alert. That is some pretty fierce doping.


Spanky on 10 July, 2007 at 8:03 am #

I’d go stuff myself at a decent meat and three, followed by a purge in the restroom - because I’d be back on the bike training for Spain’s tour equivalent next month . . . but then I’m a cycling dork.