In a message dated 12/8/04 6:17:04 PM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
<< Maybe somebody else can illuminate why there was so much danger of
flats in races - maybe more horses in the poor mountain regions, or
simply that the risk of a flat was so great that you'd do anything to
avoid it. Did racers use tire savers in all stages, or only the
important mountain ones?
--
Jan Heine, Seattle >>
Jan,
Could it be flats always slow you down; support car or no. The real reason might be tires were not reliable. After the war in 1946 the roads were not super smooth and pothole free around the Normandy beaches I bet. All the sewup tires I see from old bikes are unusable so it's hard to say how fresh ones performed.
Today French roads are remarkable and clean even though sometimes a little shake and bake surface treatment is standard.
Yours in Cycling,
Gilbert Anderson
North Road Bicycle Company
519 W. North St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
USA
Toll Free Ph: 800-321-5511 Local Ph: 919-828-8999
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