Tour De France
When the air temperature has warmed and the fields are growing rare in colour, a very fantastic sporting event takes place once a year. The Tour de France (Le Tour) has been the cornerstone of spectator sport for me since I was young enough to leave the stabilisers in the garage. As a keen (casual) cyclist I have nurtured a fondness for the speed, the colour, the blaze of glory and sheer thrill of seeing cyclists push physical and mental endeavor beyond the fathomable.
The tour is flecked with history. Some of it has been painful as with the deaths of Marco Pantani, Tommy Simpson or Fabio Casartelli. Some of it has been incredible, such as the Greg Lemond and Laurent Fignon head-to-head, the likeable Raymond Poulidor’s consistently unrewarded efforts or Lance Armstong’s cross-country hay ride. Then there are the super-humans: Miguel Indurain, Lance Armstong and Eddy Merkcx to name but a few. What I love the most is that the tour peaks and troughs for two weeks. It undulates and winds like a great elastic caterpillar through wonderful scenery and a plethora of climates. It is vintage and modern at the same time. There is so much to see and it all flies past if you blink your eyes. In particular, I think the bike design and the team kits are something pretty special too. Each year, the kits change and bikes are modded the next level of ‘ultra engineering’. It’s hard not be impressed by the flash of colours, typography, tanned limbs, iridescent sunglasses and carbon fibre. I urge any of you who haven’t given up time for ‘Le Tour’ before to give it a go this year. You’ll be surprised how quickly it ingrains itself with you. Before long, you’ll be wincing at the mountain stages, shouting at Mark Cavendish’s inevitable controversy and whistling Kraftwerk notes to yourself in the shower.
One gripe this year, is that terrestrial TV coverage in the UK has been handed from the capable Channel 4 to ITV4 – a digital service. It also seems they have overlooked the availability of re-watching the day’s riding in full via an online player as with the previous year. Only a crappy four-minute highlight is available from the official site. Truly a let-down to those of us who miss the day’s racing because of work. Come on guys. Sort it out. Allez!