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Cycling 101
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This 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T Youth Education Activity Book presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is specially designed to help reinforce classroom skills in reading comprehension, science, geography, and math while promoting healthy and active lifestyles with facts from the amazing world of pro cycling. With help from the world of Mike and the Bike, kids learn about the bicycle-building Wright brothers, Georgia terrain and weather, the effects of drag and wind resistance, and even cycling lingo (bonk, peloton) to boost classroom knowledge in a fun and exciting way while preparing them to watch one of the biggest pro cycling events in the USA—the Tour de Georgia! In addition, kids will learn about the importance of eating right and how they can live healthy and active lifestyles. Riding bikes and learning about the beautiful state of Georgia have never been so much fun! Cycling is one of the countries fastest growing sports, and EVERYBODY can enjoy the ride with the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T Youth Education Activity Book. Download the education booklet HERE . Note: The file is a 9MB PDF file and may take some to load on slower connections. You can also right mouse click on the link and choose "save target as" ("save link as..." in some browsers) to download the file to your computer. It may come as a surprise to some to learn that cycling is a team sport. In fact, it is one of the most strategic team sports of all. In a typical pro race, teams have 8 riders each at the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. Each team has its own game plan for winning, and each rider plays a different role in that game plan. Most teams have one leader. His teammates play the role of domestiques, who sacrifice their own chances of winning in support of their team leader. A domestique is the "worker bee" of the team, protecting the leader from the wind, chasing down breakaway riders, fetching water or clothing from the team car, and even sacrificing their wheels or bicycles for the leader in certain situations. One of the most crucial concepts in team racing is drafting. Riders can conserve energy by riding in the slipstream of another cyclist. As a result, teams try to surround their leader with teammates, keeping him out of the wind and fresh to attack at the right moment. Different formations can increase the energy-saving benefits of drafting, such as forming an echelon, and wind can necessitate a variety of drafting formations. Teams also develop complex strategies to win specific stages and the races within races, such as points for King of the Mountain or Sprint competitions. Not only do teams designate a leader for the overall race, but many also select riders to try and win the jerseys that are awarded to the best sprinter and best climber of the Tour. Refer to the Glossary for more information on cycling terms. Visit these links for more information on cycling: www.georgiabikes.org www.bikesbl.org www.path.org www.dot.state.ga.us/bikeped/info_links/index.shtml www.sorba.org (mountain biking info) www.usacycling.org www.tourdefrance.com www.amgentourofcalifornia.com www.gohs.state.ga.us/gabikelaws.html (Safety and Cycling in Georgia) |
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