2009 Tour De France

Are you into cycling? I am. Just more of a spectator and follower of the Tour De France now though. It's held every month of July, a three-week race consisting of some twenty consecutive day races they call stages broken up by just two separate rest days. It's intense racing for sure especially during the mountain stages where the men are separated from the boys.

Image credit: Cyclingfans.com

You'll find the most elite in professional cycling here. The likes of Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Alberto Contador, Jens Voigt, Mark Cavendish, and Thor Hushovd to name a few that stand out in the 2009 Tour De France. This race is ongoing at the time of this writing over there in... wherelse, France. Some stages cross the borders into other countries like Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. This year the TDF started in Monaco -- is that a country? I'm not so sure. I follow this year's event on [www.velonews.com].

The best of the best professional team managers, or as they are known in the cycling world, the Directeurs Sportifs (or just plain DS) give yet another face and personality to the sport with the interviews they give the media. The likes of Johan Bruyneel and Bjarne Riis who have been professional cyclists themselves before entering team management play a big part in the professional cycling scene.

I discovered the Tour De France when I lived in the States. My brother Ted was sort of following it because it was the Lance era back then and I got hooked. Been following it for some years now.

As for me riding a bike, I do it occasionally. Maybe if there was a group I could join I might take it up.

P.S.
Can't write about this sport without mention of the voices of the Tour De France -- Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. This awesome broadcasting pair on the Versus.com staff covering the race from year to year gives the best audio narrative and commentary on the planet. It's just not the same experience without these two providing the live coverage and witty commentary that they are famous for. They're on [www.versus.com/tdf].