Econature

A small figure, nike air zoom pegasus 35 hunched over his bicycle suddenly came into view at the top of the road, dwarfed by the police motorcycles, television cameras and official cars beside him. And before my camera could focus he was gliding by in a bubble of complete concentration, his machine silently cutting through the wind. Then the crowd caught its breath, preparing for the arrival of the pursuing pack, or peloton. But before they arrived there was a battle for second and third place taking place as the two men shot past in a blur of orange, blue and white. Five minutes later the peloton appeared at the top of the road with police sirens blaring and another helicopter hovering close by in the clear, blue sky.

This was a much nosier affair with the fans screaming for their favourites and the rush of air like a passing truck, full of the sounds of gear changes and rubber on road. If the leading cyclists are like small fish, darting off through the rocks, the peloton is an all-consuming wave that crashes down on the leaders who falter. And like a wave it is not always clear on whom it is going to fall as over 100 cyclists pour down the nike air presto road you need to keep away from the edge as some briefly go astray. But as the pack heads off up the road, the crowds further on are hit by the wave with cheers and car horns echoing in the distance. Then as the last few cyclists ride by, still working hard to stay in the race, the Tour comes to a close, but what of the beginning?

The build-up nike trainers boys to the passing of the Tour starts earlier in the day and takes place on the grass verges and in the fields that border the route. Villages prepare fetes, amateur cyclists ride up and down the route to see what the pros will face and children get ready for the caravane. An hour before the race actually arrives the sponsors’ cavalcade drives past with their crazy cars, disco music and freebies. Here you see coffee pots, inflatable ducks and even a giant, furry lion parading past throwing sweets, magazines and toys at the feet of the children stood beside the road. The fans scream and shout hoping to pick up some goodies as parents duck and dive out of the way of stray packets of coffee, which fly past their heads.

Since the Tour started in 1903 it nike new shoes has become one of the world’s major sporting events and can lay claim to possessing the largest number of spectators. And it is the fans that make the Tour such a spectacle, as they stretch out along more than 3,500km of tarmac, shouting and screaming encouragement as the wave passes by. But today the fishes out ran the wave and a breakaway by local rider, David Moncoutie proved strong enough to give the Frenchman his first-ever stage win. KiteSurfing is by far the latest craze in extreme sports. The idea of using a kite to enhance speed and gravity for the surfer seems like a new and exhilarating challenge, yet the art of KiteSurfing dates back to the 13th Century Chinese when it was used as a simple mode of transportation.

Most rookie KiteSurfers have accidents because they have trouble calculating distance and variable levels of speed that the kites can create by a gust of wind. Learning to KiteSurf through instruction and practice is by far the best way to learn and experience the heart-pounding action and gravity-defying jumps. As with any sport there are safety precautions you should adhere to. You must be a good swimmer. Swimming entails that if your kite flies away from you, you may have to swim after the handles or swim back to shore. Depending how far out you have gone on your board this may not be such an easy task. You can be carded or rated by a professional instructor. This will help you understand the risks as well as the conditions that are appropriate for your time out on the water.

You can also purchase either or both of them used at a substantially lower amount. People have been known to convert old surfboards into KiteSurfing boards. There are numerous websites and literature on how to save money and get involved in this nike pegasus turbo sport without spending a lot on equipment. Other costs factored into KiteSurfing are lessons, which normally start out at about $60 - $90 per hour. Most classes can range from 2 – 4 hours depending on what depth or level you are trying to accomplish. The final expense to be tallied is travel. Most of the locations where there is enough open space and free beach are not located in highly populated areas around the world. If you’re tired of hiking the same trail or picnicking at the same park,

then Geocaching may be exactly what you’re looking for.