Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep324: Top Bike (Cycle) Races around the world

Transcript

Ep324: Top Bike (Cycle) Races around the world · Kidcast Daily

• 0:08
  Spin the wheel, Let's take a ride.
• 0:11
  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
• 0:17
  Open wide. Come.
• 0:19
  On. Kids, let's amplify kid cats.
• 0:23
  Daily starts your day. Fun and laughter come your way.
• 0:29
  Sports and trivia games galore. Hey there, Kick Ass Daily is
• 0:35
  back and today we're diving deep, covering everything from
• 0:39
  record-breaking athletes to incredible science, amazing
• 0:43
  animals and beyond. Today we are peddling into the
• 0:46
  world of top bike races around the globe.
• 0:49
  If you have ever ridden a bike to school, around a park or on a
• 0:53
  trail, you already understand the basics.
• 0:56
  Balance, peddling, breaking and paying attention.
• 1:00
  Now imagine doing all that for hours through cities, over
• 1:03
  mountains, across windy coastlines, or on smooth indoor
• 1:07
  tracks with hundreds of riders and millions of fans.
• 1:11
  That is the world of bike racing.
• 1:24
  Let's start with what makes a bike race special.
• 1:26
  Some races are one day long. Riders begin in one place and
• 1:31
  finish hours later, and whoever crosses the line first wins.
• 1:36
  Other races, called stage races, last many days.
• 1:39
  Riders race a new route each day and their times are added up.
• 1:44
  The rider with the lowest total time wins the whole event.
• 1:48
  Teams support their leaders by setting the pace, bringing water
• 1:51
  and food from the team car, fixing small problems on the
• 1:54
  move, and keeping their leaders safe in the group.
• 1:57
  These helpers are called support riders or domestiques.
• 2:01
  Mechanics, coaches and doctors travel with the team too.
• 2:05
  Races always have safety cars, route marshals and clearly
• 2:09
  marked roads. Here is something cool about
• 2:11
  timing. In Rd. races, if a large group
• 2:14
  crosses the finish close together, they often get the
• 2:17
  same time because it would be unsafe to force sprints every
• 2:21
  minute. Time trials are different.
• 2:23
  In a time trial, riders start one by one, or in teams the
• 2:28
  clock decides the winner. So riders use special
• 2:31
  aerodynamic bikes, smooth helmets and tight clothing to
• 2:35
  reduce air resistance. Here is our first quick
• 2:38
  challenge. How long is the Olympic standard
• 2:41
  indoor velodrome track for track cycling?
• 2:47
  The answer is 250 meters per lap.
• 2:50
  Track cycling happens on a wooden Oval with steeply banked
• 2:54
  turns. Riders Sprint, chase and race
• 2:58
  tactically at high speeds without brakes on fixed gear
• 3:01
  bikes. Events include the Sprint Team
• 3:04
  Pursuit, Kieran and the Omnium which is a set of multiple races
• 3:08
  in one day. Because the track is controlled
• 3:11
  and smooth, races can be very precise and very fast.
• 3:16
  Now on to the most famous Rd. stage race, the Tour de France.
• 3:21
  It usually lasts 3 weeks in July.
• 3:23
  Riders cover thousands of kilometers, including flat
• 3:26
  stages for sprinters, hilly stages for punchy riders, and
• 3:30
  mountain stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees for strong
• 3:33
  climbers. There is a yellow jersey for the
• 3:36
  overall leader by time, a green jersey for the points leader, a
• 3:41
  polka dot jersey for the best climber and a white jersey for
• 3:44
  the best young rider. Each stage has a clear start and
• 3:48
  finish, with time checks, feeding zones for grabbing
• 3:51
  snacks and drinks, and rules that keep the race fair and
• 3:54
  safe. Italy has its own grand stage
• 3:57
  race called the Gyro de Talia. It also lasts about 3 weeks,
• 4:01
  often in May, and is known for steep climbs and unpredictable
• 4:05
  weather. Spain hosts the Vuelta A Espana,
• 4:09
  usually in late summer, with hot temperatures and sharp repeated
• 4:13
  climbs that test a rider's endurance day after day.
• 4:17
  Together these three long events are called the Grand Tours.
• 4:21
  Winning even one stage in a Grand Tour is a huge
• 4:25
  achievement. Winning the overall title
• 4:27
  requires climbing strength, time trial speed, careful bike
• 4:31
  handling and strong teamwork across many days.
• 4:35
  Time for a yes or no brain spark.
• 4:37
  Can a BMX race start from a tall ramp with an electronic gate
• 4:41
  that drops to release the riders?
• 4:46
  Yes, BMX racing uses a start hill and a gate that drops
• 4:51
  together, sending riders onto a dirt track filled with rollers
• 4:54
  and banked turns called berms. Races are short, intense and
• 4:59
  decided in seconds. Riders must pump, jump and turn
• 5:04
  skillfully while staying in control and respecting lane
• 5:07
  rules. Rd. racing is not only about the
• 5:10
  Grand Tours. There are legendary one day
• 5:13
  races called the Classics. Milan San Remo in Italy is one
• 5:17
  of the longest one day races, often over 290 kilometers.
• 5:22
  The Tour Flanders in Belgium features steep hills and rough
• 5:25
  stone roads called cobbles. Paris Ruben in northern France
• 5:30
  is famous for long sections of cobblestones that shake the
• 5:33
  bikes and demand strong arms and careful handling.
• 5:37
  Liege Baston Lee Edge is filled with repeated climbs that reward
• 5:41
  steady power. These races often happen in
• 5:44
  spring when the weather can be cold, rainy or windy, which
• 5:49
  makes choosing the right clothing and tire pressure very
• 5:52
  important. Let's visit mountain bike
• 5:55
  racing. Cross Country Olympic, also
• 5:57
  called XCO, takes place on dirt loops with climbs, descents,
• 6:02
  roots and rocks. Riders use wide tires with
• 6:05
  knobby tread, front suspension and precise gears.
• 6:09
  Races last around one to two hours and require strong bursts
• 6:13
  of power and quick decisions. There are also marathon mountain
• 6:17
  bike races that last many hours over big distances and short
• 6:21
  track events that are high speed laps around a compact course.
• 6:25
  Here is a trivia question that opens a new window into the Gyro
• 6:29
  Italia. What is the name of the very
• 6:31
  high paved mountain pass in Italy that is one of the highest
• 6:34
  climbs used in the race? It is the Stelvio Pass.
• 6:41
  It reaches over 2700 meters above sea level and has many
• 6:46
  tight hairpin turns. At high altitude the air is
• 6:50
  thinner, which makes breathing feel harder.
• 6:53
  Riders prepare by training on long climbs and adjusting their
• 6:57
  pace to avoid pushing too hard too early.
• 7:00
  Nutrition plays a huge role. Riders eat carbohydrate rich
• 7:04
  foods such as rice, pasta, bread and fruit.
• 7:08
  During stages, they grab mizettes, which are small bags
• 7:12
  passed to them in feed zones that hold bottles and snacks.
• 7:16
  They drink water and electrolyte mix to stay hydrated.
• 7:19
  After the stage, they recover with protein to help their
• 7:23
  muscles rebuild. Sleep, stretching and massage
• 7:26
  also help the body get ready for the next day.
• 7:29
  Equipment matters, too. Rd. bikes for racing are light
• 7:33
  and stiff. Time trial bikes have arrow bars
• 7:36
  that let riders rest their arms forward and create a smaller
• 7:39
  shape in the wind. Mountain bikes balance
• 7:42
  lightweight with strength. Track bikes have a single gear,
• 7:46
  no freewheel and no brakes, which lets riders control speed
• 7:50
  by pushing and resisting the pedals.
• 7:53
  Helmets are always required. Race organizers inspect bikes
• 7:57
  for safety and neutral support cars carry spare wheels to help
• 8:00
  any rider with a mechanical problem.
• 8:03
  Here is a yes or no question that adds a fresh detail about
• 8:07
  world racing calendars. Do riders compete in the Tour
• 8:10
  Down Under during the Southern Hemisphere summer in January?
• 8:17
  Yes they do. The Tour Down Under takes place
• 8:20
  around Adelaide in Australia. The warm weather and early date
• 8:24
  make it an important season opener, and it includes city
• 8:27
  circuits and rolling countryside stages that let fans watch
• 8:31
  riders multiple times per day. Did you know there are team time
• 8:34
  trials where the clock stops on, for example, the 4th rider
• 8:38
  across the line. This means teammates must rotate
• 8:41
  evenly and keep a smooth line. Did you know new neutral zones
• 8:45
  at the start of some stages keep riders together until the
• 8:48
  official start? Flag waves which helps manage
• 8:50
  traffic and safety? Did you know race radios allow
• 8:54
  team directors and cars to tell riders about wind direction, Rd.
• 8:58
  furniture and time gaps? Here comes another question that
• 9:01
  adds something new about the global stage.
• 9:04
  How many cycling disciplines currently award Olympic medals?
• 9:07
  Rd. track, BMX racing, BMX freestyle and mountain bike
• 9:13
  cross country. The answer is five At the
• 9:19
  Olympics. Rd. events include a road race
• 9:21
  and a time trial. Track offers multiple events
• 9:25
  such as team pursuit and Sprint. BMX has racing on a dirt track
• 9:30
  and freestyle in a park. Horse mountain bike features
• 9:33
  cross country on a natural terrain loop.
• 9:36
  Let's not forget national and World Championships.
• 9:39
  Each year countries hold national championships and
• 9:43
  winners wear a special jersey with their flags, colors and
• 9:46
  races. For the next season, the UCI Rd.
• 9:49
  World Championships award a rainbow jersey to the winners of
• 9:52
  the road race and time trial, which they wear for a year in
• 9:56
  that event. There are also World
• 9:58
  Championships for track, mountain bike, BMX and
• 10:01
  cyclocross. Cyclocross is a fall and winter
• 10:05
  sport on short circuits with grass, dirt, sand, obstacles and
• 10:10
  sometimes stairs. Riders may need to hop off,
• 10:13
  carry their bikes and remount quickly.
• 10:16
  Now a final trivia twist that brings in a fresh fact.
• 10:20
  Which classic race begins on the Mediterranean coast and is known
• 10:24
  for finishing on a famous city street called Via Roma?
• 10:31
  It is Milan San Remo finishing in San Remo on Via Roma.
• 10:35
  The race is long and often decided in the final kilometers
• 10:39
  on short climbs called the Suppressa and the Poggio,
• 10:42
  followed by a fast run into the line that rewards smart
• 10:45
  positioning and quick sprinting. Before we wrap up, let's recap
• 10:55
  You learned about the two main types of races, one day events
• 10:58
  and multi day stage races. We explored the Tour de France,
• 11:02
  the Gyro Italia and the Vuelta Espana, and we mentioned famous
• 11:06
  classics with cobbles and climbs.
• 11:09
  We looked at track cycling on a 250 meter velodrome, BMX racing
• 11:14
  with electronic start gates and mountain bike cross country with
• 11:17
  rocks and roots. We talked about time trials,
• 11:20
  jerseys, team roles, nutrition, equipment and safety.
• 11:25
  We also discovered races all around the calendar, from
• 11:28
  Australia in January to European summer peaks, and we counted 5
• 11:33
  Olympic cycling disciplines. Bike racing is a worldwide sport
• 11:37
  that rewards endurance, skill, teamwork and careful planning.
• 11:41
  If you have a bike, you can practice good habits today.
• 11:45
  Check your brakes, wear a helmet, ride predictably, drink
• 11:48
  water and enjoy the ride. Who knows where those pedals
• 11:52
  could take you next time? Grab your breakfast.
• 11:57
  Feeling fine? Adventures waiting?
• 11:59
  Don't be late. Today's the day we celebrate.