The news of Lance Armstrong's win of the "Tour de France" reminded me of a remarkable memorial sundial that I had seen in the Pyrenees Mountains in south west France. On July 18, 1995 the Italian cyclist, Fabio Casartelli died in a crash while descending from the Col de Portet d' Aspet. The Society de Tour de France and Casartelli's sponsor, Motorola, commissioned a memorial sundial to be placed near the site of the tragedy. There are now good descriptions and pictures of this sundial on the web. Click on this address http://www.geocities.com/bikepyrenees/hi/randonnees/casartelli_memorial.htm . Click beside the picture of the memorial to see the details of the sundial. Declination lines trace the path of the shadow on the dates of his birth (11 Aug), Olympic Gold Medal (01 Aug), and death (18 July).
This is an excellent example of the use of a sundial to a commemorate specific date and time. Roger Bailey Walking Shadow Designs N 51 W 115 -
