Friday, July 4, 2008

What Its Like to Ride in the Tour de France : Dylan Casey


Here's an excellent 1 hour video that I had to share. It is steeped in a very personal and nostalgic view of stage racing. A Google Product Manager and a retired U.S Postal rider, Dylan Casey, sheds light on the Tour de France, what it was like riding in it everyday, and many other interesting aspects among which include :

1. The overwhelming role of advertising in cycling and the media's role in making money
2. Why equipment doesn't really matter that much when you have chores to do
3. What it feels to eat 8000 calories a day
4. Jan Ullrich's genetics
5. Average speeds in the Tour
6. Career paths in cycling and the difficult, sacrificial life of a pro cyclist

...and so many other nuances about the professional life that you dont get everyday. Dylan rode for U.S Postal for 5 years beginning in 1998, and after he retired, joined Google at their tech department, fixing employee's laptops before he helped brand iGoogle. Video courtesy Googletechtalks.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Very good material. Thanks.