Tour de France!

lainabaina

Cathlete
anyone else watching? i am glued to the TV during most of July thanks to this spectacular event. if you want to see some amazing athletes, watch the cyclists in the TdF. the climbing stages are great and the flat stages you get to see the sprinters do their thing. these guys reach speeds at 50+ mph in the final sprint to the line. just incredible.

i'm done gushing now...Vive Le Tour!!
 
I'm right there with you. I never get much done in July because I just can't pull myself away from the tv. I have been watching for about 20 years and each year I like it more. I love not only the athleticism, but the tactics, the fact that cycling is really a team sport, and the fair play that is expected of the athletes (ie, not attacking if a person is having a mechanical problem or just crashed). It is the only sport we actually watch in this house and it does really take over the heart of the summer.

And George Hincappe *sigh* :D;):p:D
 
Yay, glad to hear there are others watching. yes, you gotta love Big George! there are a couple local kids on the Hincapie Devo Team so they of course have met him. both of these young men are doing very well, even racing in Europe...really cool.
I also watch the Tour pretty much all day. I work from home, so the laptop comes downstairs & I work & have my morning coffee with Paul & Phil. and then watch it in the evening to see Bobke.
I've been watching for 8 yrs faithfully; the first yr I was dating my now fiancee. I was also new to road cycling. here is what a newbie I was...the TV showed this at the bottom of the screen:

LEADER
PELOTON

and then the next day I noticed the very same thing. so I turned to my boyfriend and said, "hey, that's the same guy that was the leader yesterday"

yep, I said it. LOL!!

i could not believe that stupid car that hit Flecha yesterday. lots of crazy crashes already this yr. i am most sad abt Chris Horner DNF'g because I was looking forward to watching him in the mtn stages. i have a lot of faves...Cancellara, the Schlecks, Levi, Cavendish, Hushovd (who has been amazing!), Jens V & not the biggest Cadel Evans fan but I hope he has a good race.

Laina
 
Do you believe they will charge Lance Armstrong? I heard Hincappe had to testify recently.
 
The Tour is incredibly exciting to watch, its insane how fast they fly down those mountains. Sometimes I can't watch, and some of the crashes this year, unbelievable.

I've always thought the guys in this race are so dang attractive, hard not to watch :rolleyes:
 
Oh yes! DH has been a fan for years and years, so I became one by necessity. Now it's the heart of our July, and we always celebrate the finish by riding in a local Century ride on the last day of the Tour. They always match the local ride to the last day of the Tour, and we cycle through all the little French towns around our city. And coincidentally, it's also always the weekend of our wedding anniversary, so this is how we celebrate that, too.

Has anyone else seen the photo of George Hincapie's calf, after 15 years of cycling the Tour? Freaky.
 
Fiddlefit - that is neat that you have a local century on the last day of the Tour. we typically do the opposite & have a big road ride in the North GA mtns on the opening day! lately it has become a friendly race between 2 teams, with a bragging rights trophy & everything. 75 miles and 7000 feet of climbing, it's a goodie.

Glad it was back on today, but my boy Cavendish didn't quite make the win, darn. he does not lose often. used to love Robbie McEwen, seemed like he would come out of nowhere & win a sprint finish, but Cav is just pure strength/power plus he has a great leadout train. as Phil & Paul say, it's textbook.

i have got to get over there one day & see it in person!!
 
I am from Briancon, not much of a rider but I love it when the tour goes through this part :) I used to sit on my balcony with binoculars and would watch them come down from Col d'Izoard all the time when I was little. You're making me want to go home.

Sorry for buttin' in on your thread. ;) You just made me a bit homesick......
 

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