When Lance is making the climb up the mountain at 29 minutes into the film, the guy in the car does something to his bike, looks like he tightens something but I couldn't tell what it was. It looks like he was trying to hide the fact that he was doing it. What was it?
sharehe was just having his rear derailler (gear shifter) adjusted. Its a simple thing and Lance could have done it himself, but it would have required stopping, so instead cyclists get their team cars to do it. Its legal. But yeah, my gf saw that and thought it was something dodgy too, even though its not, so chalk that up to bad film making.
shareIt was an excuse for the guy in the car to push him along, getting him ready for the attack.
Technically, riders can receive mechanical assistance from the team cars. Often that "mechanical work" takes longer than normal, while the riders get a free push.
They do that when they exchange a drink, there's as long as possible where the guy and the car and rider both hold the drink bottle, therefore pulling the rider.
shareAs previous poster pointed out the mechanic is tightening the barrel adjuster on his rear derailleur, as the cables that run to it may become loose due to all the stretching and tensioning during the race. It is also an opportunity for the rider to talk about tactics with the team director and get a little rest by dragging themselves alongside the car.
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