The Tour De France

I admit it. I’m hooked.

Every morning, I turn on the Outside Living Network for live coverage of the Tour de France. It’s not that I’m a cycling maniac…I’ll pedal around town now and then on my mountain bike, but nothing really serious…but it is some of the most compelling TV I have ever seen.

As a sports fan, I enjoy the drama and spectacle of competition, particularly when it is on the international stage. The World Cup, Grand Slam tennis and golf tournaments, and the Olympics all get my juices going. But the Tour adds so many elements that make it special…the footage of glorious alpine villages, the motorcycle cams that get way up close to the cyclists and give us the cyclists’ view of the scenery as it flashes by, and the crowds of people and their unpredictable behavior make for a spectacle unlike any other in sports, or life, for that matter. The high drama of the competition is often upstaged by a spectacular wipe-out or an enthusiastic but clueless fan getting clipped by a racer as he tunnels through a sea of people.

The last three days in the mountains have been awesome. Floyd Landis, the American riding for Phonak, takes the yellow jersey on the first day, bonks badly on the second and loses more than eight minutes on the field. The following morning, both the newspapers and the race announcers opine that he is finished; too much time to be made up for any chance at victory. Landis rides incredibly, picking up all the time and more, before fading just a bit to finish in third overall, but just 30 seconds behind the leader. At a point where the leader generally has as many as 5-10 minutes on the field, half a minute separates the top three riders. Great stuff!

Part travelogue, part sporting event and part freak show…it just doesn’t get much better.


(Posted Aug. 15) ...Well, it does get worse, doesn't it? Floyd, say it ain't so. Wait...you already have.