Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tour de France for Prisoners

Nearly 200 French prisoners will take part from June 4 to June 19 in the first Penitentiary Tour de France, a 2,300 kilometer (that's 1400 miles for Americans, or 5 million cubits for those of you who fancy King James English) bicycle tour through the French countryside. The 196 prisoners will leave Lille with 124 guards, other penitentiary staff and coaches traveling with them. Breakaway sprints will not be allowed in this bike ride.

Penitentiary Tour de France 2009 press conference in Lyon
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10 comments:

  1. RonMay 27, 2009 at 5:44 PM

    Holy COW! I hope this won't turn out to be like in the movies, where one of the prisoners come up with a bright idea to escape during this bike trip. You can't have a better breakaway than that!

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  2. Yokota FritzMay 27, 2009 at 7:26 PM

    The possibilities for these convicts are endless.

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  3. kitMay 27, 2009 at 10:17 PM

    ...Except it should be called Prison Breakaway. Har har. I crack myself up.

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  4. kitMay 27, 2009 at 10:17 PM

    This should be the next season of the terrible CBS Drama: Prison Break.

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  5. bikesgonewildMay 27, 2009 at 11:42 PM

    ...originally, instead of bicycles, the prisoners were gonna do a kayak trip but it was too hard to paddle against the current when they were "sent up the river"...

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  6. bikesgonewildMay 27, 2009 at 11:57 PM

    ...i did hear those convicts were gonna be riding PAR(O)LEE bicycles...

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  7. GaryMay 28, 2009 at 6:56 AM

    Great idea! just like California where they come out of prison to brutalize and mug even stronger because of the prison weight program.

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  8. Yokota FritzMay 28, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    For some reason this news just invites jokes, doesn't it?

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  9. Adrienne JohnsonMay 28, 2009 at 10:48 AM

    It is kinda nice to see an attempt made to treat prisoners like people and maybe make them able to function when they are finally let out of prison. Very creative.

    Will the winning jersey be yellow stripes?

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  10. Cafn8May 28, 2009 at 2:02 PM

    I can't imagine why someone would want to escape from a prison where they're treated to things like 2 week bicycle tours through the French countryside. In the real world the best I can manage is a daily 8 mile commute. One of these days I hope to fit a vacation in.

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