I just watched the first episode of The Lance Chronicles on the Outdoor Life Network. This is a weekly 30-minute look into Lance Armstrong‘s preparation for the Tour de France. I was mesmorized by a long segment on Lance’s work in the Kirsten Wind Tunnel in Seattle where he tested an improved version his time trial bike (presumably similar to the Trek Team Time Trial), a Nike skin suit, and a new helmet that meets UCI specs.
The documentary also shows how he prepared for the Nike “What If?” Ad where he participated in a boxing match.
The glimpse of the wind tunnel testing alone is enough of a draw for any fitness geek. I am going to watch the first episode multiple times. On the basis of seeing it once, I recommend the entire series.
I just found an article by Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune reviewing The Lance Chronicles based on viewing the first two episodes. Johnson said:
The filming started in January, for Thursday’s engrossing first episode (7:30 p.m., OLN) featuring Armstrong training, testing a new bike and other gear in a Seattle wind tunnel and lamenting the hard time he had last year, taking his fifth Tour win.
To try to rediscover the good kind of pain this year, Armstrong is promising to “refocus and rededicate,” but the cameras make it clear that the distractions and the drags on a steady training schedule are many…. If all of this gets covered — and there’s no reason to believe it won’t — viewers are in for a fascinating journey and a more open window on big-time contemporary sport than any NBC Olympic video will show.
Just watch it.