The reason why I am personally interested in the Tour is that in its 100 years of existence, nobody has ever run the entire course - until this past summer.
My girlfriend Zoe Romano, spent her summer vacation tackling the Tour course on foot, averaging thirty miles a day for ten weeks. She started on May 18th, six weeks ahead of the cyclists, and finished on August 1, a week and a half after the official Tour finish. Romano followed the cycling course, conquering renowned climbs such as Mont Ventoux, Col de La Madeleine, and back-to-back ascents of the Alpe D'Huez, as the course dictated. She burned through five pairs of sneakers, ate 4,000 calories daily, covered over 2,000 miles total, and raised nearly $200,000 for charity. In a decision to end her journey with a bang, Romano ran the entire final stage - 90 miles - in one go, finishing in just under 23 hours.
During the run, I traveled with her, driving as a one-man support team and documenting the journey. We experienced France a mile at a time; slept, lodged, and ran with local hosts; and viewed the Tour de France culture and cycling and fan community as few others have.
However, I am currently working on producing a feature length documentary about her run and would like to use this blog to further research the culture and history of the Tour de France. I know that I experienced the Tour de France hands on but have still many questions that are open, but one stands out to me:
My girlfriend Zoe Romano, spent her summer vacation tackling the Tour course on foot, averaging thirty miles a day for ten weeks. She started on May 18th, six weeks ahead of the cyclists, and finished on August 1, a week and a half after the official Tour finish. Romano followed the cycling course, conquering renowned climbs such as Mont Ventoux, Col de La Madeleine, and back-to-back ascents of the Alpe D'Huez, as the course dictated. She burned through five pairs of sneakers, ate 4,000 calories daily, covered over 2,000 miles total, and raised nearly $200,000 for charity. In a decision to end her journey with a bang, Romano ran the entire final stage - 90 miles - in one go, finishing in just under 23 hours.
During the run, I traveled with her, driving as a one-man support team and documenting the journey. We experienced France a mile at a time; slept, lodged, and ran with local hosts; and viewed the Tour de France culture and cycling and fan community as few others have.
However, I am currently working on producing a feature length documentary about her run and would like to use this blog to further research the culture and history of the Tour de France. I know that I experienced the Tour de France hands on but have still many questions that are open, but one stands out to me:
Where does the immense pressure come from, that many competing cyclists feel the urge to use drugs in order to place in one of the top places?
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