车手之梦 第7期

It's July and that means that hundreds of millions of viewers around the world will be tuned into one of the most fascinating and punishing (for the participants that is) sporting events of the year - The Tour de France. Cyclists from around the world will compete, on a course that covers more than 3000km of road, to try to realize a lifelong dream of winning the Tour. Each moment is one of toil and each day provides a victory for someone. However, there is more to the Tour than victories alone. It is a test of human spirit as much as physical prowess. Therefore, in this edition of Sports we ①pay tribute to the greatest race on two wheels.

七月到了，那就意味着全球数以亿计的观众将会去收看本年度最迷人、最累人（对那些参与者而言）的运动赛事之一――环法赛。在3000多公里长的赛道之上，来自全球的自行车手将展开竞赛，力争实现称冠环法赛的毕生梦想。每一刻都是艰辛的，每一天都有获胜者。然而，环法赛并非只有胜利这一样东西可言。它既是对身手的检验，又是对人类意志的检验。因此，在本期《运动网》当中，我们就向这个在两个轮子上进行的最伟大的比赛项目表达敬意之情。

Types of Races

There are a myriad of competitions involving bicycles. BMX racing, freestyle competitions and mountain bike cross-country races have all grown in popularity over the last twenty years. However, the most popular, most keenly followed and still the most prestigious type of bicycle sport is road racing. Road racing can take different forms. Here are the most common ones:

1. Single-day races - The competitor to cross the finish line first is declared the winner.

2. Multi-stage races - Consists of several stages ridden consecutively. The competitor with the lowest cumulative time to complete all the stages is declared the overall, or General Classification (GC), winner. Most stage races also have other categories of winners such as the stage winner and the points winner and 'the king of the mountains'.

3. Open road race - Generally going from point A to point B; can include multi-laps.

4. Criterium - Generally a circuit race with multiple laps around a short, usually 4-cornered course.

5. Individual Time Trial - Every rider starts apart, and the rider with the fastest time wins.

6. Team Time Trials - Riders start in groups or teams, usually of a fixed size.

Types of Riders

Road races are competed by teams of cyclists. Each cyclist has strengths and weaknesses. There are four categories of rider and each team should be a mix of these four qualities.

1. Climbing Specialist - A rider who can maintain high speeds on hills and inclined roads.

2. Domestique - A rider who is good at supporting the team leader.

3. Sprinter - A rider who is capable of bursts of high speed but is usually not good at climbing.

4. Time Trialist - A rider who can maintain a consistent high tempo when racing against the clock.

Tour de France

The Tour de France (also known as Le Tour) is an epic road cycling race held over a period of three weeks in France. Sometimes a part of Le Tour will be held in another European country. It has been held annually since 1903, stopping only for the two world wars. Along with Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana it makes up cycling's 'Grand Tours'.

Le Tour is a stage race. Each stage is a race held over one day. The total amount of stages has varied in the past but in recent years the entire Tour usually consists of around twenty and covers a distance of between 3000km and 4000km. Cycling teams have to confront steep mountain climbs, individual time trials and team trials. The teams that win will most definitely need to have good climbing specialists and time trialists. The race finishes on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Famous Stages - The most famous stage of Le Tour is the finishing stage on the Champs Elysees in Paris. The Champs Elysees is a cobbled street, making it difficult to ride on. In most cases, this is not a nail biting finish because the race leader will already have enough of a time margin to be safe. However, dramatic finishes do occur. The first was in 1987 when Stephen Roche (Ireland) was leading the race by only 40 seconds and second place Pedro Delgado (Spain) almost snatched the victory from him at the last minute. Since then close finishes have happened more frequently.

Some of the mountain stages are also famous. Alpe d'Huez is a particularly tough one as is Mount Ventoux. The harsh conditions and grueling exertion involved in conquering these stages means that each year Le Tour will only include one or the other. Every year thousands of spectators will line the roads of these mountain stages to cheer on and encourage their favourite cyclists.

It is considered a great honour for a town to host a stage of the Tour de France. It brings prestige and a lot of business to the towns along its route. A certain portion of the race will be held in neighbouring countries. Past hosts include Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. Moving the riders to and from these destinations gives them a two day rest period. For the rest of the three weeks they will ②be in the saddle.

Jerseys -A coloured jersey is associated with each prize. The current holder of the prize is entitled to wear the jersey when they are racing. This colour system has been adopted by other road races and has come to have a meaning in bicycle racing generally.

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the overall time leader and is the most prized jersey. It is awarded by calculating the total combined race time up to that point for each rider. The rider with the lowest total time is considered the leader, and at the end of the event is declared the overall winner of Le Tour. The colour was originally a reference to the newspaper which sponsored the race, which had yellow pages.

The Green Jersey is awarded for sprint points. At the end of each stage, points for this jersey are gained by the riders who finish first, second, etc. The number of points and the number of cyclists rewarded depends on the type of stage - many for a flat stage, slightly fewer for an intermediate stage, fewer still for a mountainous stage, and the least for time trials.

The Polka Dot Jersey is awarded to the 'King of the Mountains'. It is white with red spots. At the top of each climb in the Tour, there are points for the riders who are first over the top. The climbs are divided into categories from 1 (most difficult) to 4 (least difficult) based on their difficulty, measured as a function of their steepness and length. A fifth category, called Hors Categorie (outside category) is formed by mountains even more difficult than those of the first category.

Record Makers

King of the Mountains - Richard Virenque from France has won the 'King of the Mountains' title seven times breaking the record of six times in 2004. Both Federico Bahamontes from Spain and Lucien Van Impe from Belgium have won the title six times.

Closest Finish - The closest finish in Le Tour history occurred in 1989 when Greg LeMond from the USA (also the first non-European to win Le Tour in 1986) beat Laurent Fignon from France by a margin of eight seconds. Fignon had led the race by fifty seconds but was defeated by LeMond's superior time trial.

Deaths - There have been three deaths in the history of the Tour de France. The first happened in1935 when Spanish rider Francesco Cepeda plunged down a ravine on a mountain stage. In 1967, English rider Tom Simpson died of heart failure on the ascent of Mount Ventoux. In 1995, Italian rider Fabio Casartelli crashed on a mountain descent. He was riding at a speed of 88km/h and died from head injuries at the scene of the crash.

Most Wins - American rider Lance Armstrong has won Le Tour six times (consecutively from 1999 to 2004). Four other riders have won five Tours: Jacques Anquetil from France, Eddy Merckx from Belgium, Bernard Hinault from France and Miguel Indurain from Spain.

Most wins by Country - French riders have won most tours with a total of 36 victories, followed up by Belgium (18), Italy and the USA (9 each), Spain (8), Luxembourg (4), Switzerland and the Netherlands (2 each) and the Republic of Ireland, Germany and Denmark (1 each).

竞赛类型

与自行车相关的比赛数不胜数。在过去20年里，小轮车比赛、自由式比赛和山地自行车越野赛全都愈发受到欢迎。然而，最受欢迎、最受推崇并依旧享有最大声望的自行车运动还是公路赛。公路赛可以采取不同的形式。以下是一些最常见的类型：

1. 单日赛――首先跨过终点线的比赛者就被宣布为冠军。

2. 分段赛――包括需连续完成的若干赛段。用最短的累计时间完成所有赛段的比赛者就被宣布为总冠军或“总级别”（简称GC）冠军。大多数赛段的比赛还有其它类别的冠军，如赛段冠军、得分王和“山地之王”。

3. 公路公开赛――一般是从A地到B地；可能会绕行多圈。

4. 绕圈赛――一般是一项环道比赛，要在通常拥有4个弯道的短道上绕行多圈。

5. 个人计时赛――每名车手分开出发，用时最快的车手将取得胜利。

6. 团队计时赛事――车手以团体或团队（通常有固定的编制）的形式出发。

车手类型

公路赛是自行车队的竞争。每位自行车手都有优势和劣势。车手有四种类型，而每个团队应由这四类人组成。

1. 爬坡专家――可以在山丘和斜坡道路上保持高速行进的车手。

2. 援护车手――善于协助本队领骑人的车手。

3. 冲锋车手――能够高速猛冲，但通常不善于爬坡的车手。

4. 计时赛车手――可以在计时比赛中持续保持高速行进的车手。

环法赛

环法赛（又被称为“Le Tour”）是一项在法国举行、为期3周的大型公路自行车比赛。有时，环法赛中的一段比赛会在另一个欧洲国家举行。该赛事自1903年起每年举办一次，只是在两次世界大战时停办过。它与环意大利赛和环西班牙赛一道，组成了自行车运动的“顶级巡回赛事”。

环法赛是一项分段式比赛。每个赛段就是一项为期一天的比赛。赛段的总数在过去是不定的，但近些年来，整个巡回赛通常包括20个左右（的赛段），里程在3000到4000公里之间。自行车队要面对陡峭山地爬坡赛、个人计时赛和团队计时赛。获胜的团队毫无疑问地需要有优秀的爬坡专家和计时赛车手。这项竞赛的终点设在巴黎的香榭丽舍大街。

著名赛段――环法赛最著名的赛段是位于巴黎香榭丽舍大街的冲刺赛段。香榭丽舍大街是一条鹅卵石铺就的大街，从而使得难于在上面骑车行进。在大多数情况下，这并不是一个扣人心弦的冲刺阶段，因为比赛的领先者已经在时间上留有足够的余地，不会有失。然而，还是会发生激动人心的冲刺局面。第一次是在1987年，那时斯蒂芬・罗切（爱尔兰）仅在比赛中领先了40秒，而排在第二位的佩德罗・德尔加多（西班牙）差一点就在最后一分钟将胜利从他手中抢走。自那以后，难分胜负的冲刺更是频繁地出现。

在山地赛段中有一些也是同样著名的。“阿尔卑斯杜埃兹”与“旺图山”一样，是一个难度颇高的赛段。赢得这些赛段就要面对恶劣的地形、付出艰苦的努力，这就意味着环法赛每年只能在两者之中选取其一。每年，数千名观众会在这些山地赛段的路边列队，为他们钟爱的自行车手加油鼓劲。

对于一个城镇来说，举办环法赛中一个赛段的比赛被视作是一种无上荣耀。比赛为沿线的城镇带来了名誉和许多生意。这项比赛中的某一段会在邻国举行。过去的主办国曾包括意大利、西班牙、瑞士、德国、英国、荷兰以及爱尔兰共和国。让车手们在这些目的地之间移动往来，使他们获得了两天的休整期。而在三个星期中的其它时间里，他们就要在自行车上度过了。

运动衫――彩色运动衫与各个奖项是挂钩的。大奖的卫冕者有权在他们比赛之时穿着相应的运动衫。这一标色体制已经被其它公路赛所采用，并且已经普遍在自行车比赛中拥有了特定含义。

黄衫由在总时间上领先的人穿着，是最有分量的运动衫。该衫通过计算每位选手到某一时刻为止所用的累计时间来进行发放。总时间最少的车手被视作领骑人，在赛事结束时就被宣布为环法赛的总冠军。而这一颜色原本是要告知拥有黄色版面的那家报纸是比赛的赞助方。

绿衫是根据冲刺得分来发放的。在每个赛段的最后，这件运动衫代表的得分就被第一位、第二位以及随后冲过终点的车手夺得。分值的多少以及获奖自行车手的数量依照赛段的类型而定――平地赛段的多，中间赛段的稍少，山地赛段的还要少，计时赛的最少。

红点衫是发放给“山地之王”的。它是白色的，拥有红色斑点。在巡回赛中的每个爬坡赛段的顶端，率先过顶的车手会有得分。爬坡赛段根据其难度被从1（难度最大）到4（难度最低）分出了级别，衡量标准就是它们的陡峭程度和高度。而难度更甚于1级的山地则造就了被称为“Hors Categorie”（无法定级）的第五个级别。

辉煌缔造者

山地之王――法国的理查德・维朗克已经七获“山地之王”称号，打破了在2004年时的六次问鼎记录。而西班牙的费德里科・巴哈蒙蒂斯和比利时的路希恩・凡・昂浦则都已六获此项头衔。

最难分胜负的冲刺――环法赛历史上最难分胜负的冲刺发生在1989年，那时美国的葛雷格・莱蒙德（也是1986年首次赢得环法赛的非欧洲人士）以领先8秒的成绩击败了法国的劳伦特・费格农。费格农曾在比赛中领先50秒，但难敌莱蒙德在计时赛上的优异表现。

致亡事件――在环法赛历史上曾经有三个人死亡。第一次是在1935年，那时西班牙车手弗朗西斯科・塞佩达在一个山地赛段跌落到了山涧之中。1967年，英国车手汤姆・辛普森在“旺图山”的上坡路段因心力衰竭而亡。1995年，意大利车手法比奥・卡萨特利在一个山地下坡路段发生碰撞。他当时以每小时88公里的速度骑行，因脑部损伤死于碰撞现场。

夺冠之最――美国车手兰斯・阿姆斯特朗（从1999年到2004年连续）赢得了6次环法赛冠军。另外有4位车手曾5次夺冠：法国的雅克・恩奎蒂尔、比利时的埃迪・墨克斯、法国的伯纳德・黑诺特和西班牙的米盖尔・安杜兰。

国家夺冠之最――法国车手赢得的巡回赛最多――总共有36次冠军，排在其后的是比利时（18次）、意大利和美国（各9次）、西班牙（8次）、卢森堡（4次）、瑞士和荷兰（各2次），以及爱尔兰共和国、德国和丹麦（各1次）。

punishing /`p7niHiM/ adj.累人的

prowess /`prauis/ n.卓越的技能；本领

myriad /`miri9d/ n.无数

cumulative /`k(mjul9tiv/ adj.累积的

circuit /`s/kit/ n.绕行一周

consistent /k9n`sist9nt/ adj.一贯的；始终如一的

tempo /`temp9u/ n.进行的速度；步调

epic /`epik/ adj.壮丽的；英雄的

cobble /`k4bl/ vt.用圆石砌路；在……铺圆石

grueling /`Gr6liM/ adj.使人筋疲力尽的；繁重累人的

jersey /`_/zi/ n.运动衫

entitled /in`taitld/ adj.有资格的

plunge /pl7n_/ v.陷入；跳入

ravine /r9`v1n/ n.山涧；深谷

heart failure心力衰竭

ascent /9`sent/ n.攀登；上坡路

consecutively /k9n`sekjutivli/ adv.连续的；联贯的

① pay tribute to 向……表达敬意

② be in the saddle骑着马（文中指位于鞍座之上，即在骑车）

nail biting

文中，在谈到环法赛的著名赛段时，用到了一个词组――“nail biting”。这是一个形象的词组，因为自己并不知道结果会怎样，所以就一直啃咬着自己的手指，因而引申之意便是指某个非常令人兴奋或忐忑不安的情形。