Most people would argue that cycling is incredibly boring. For the most part I would agree with them, but for some reason the Tour de France ropes me in every year and I get so enthralled with the event. These guys are riding 2,000 miles over 21 days... pretty darn impressive. Beyond the physical feat, there is so much strategy and planning that goes into it. I get caught up in the drama. I get excited to see if a rider can deliver the goods when his teammates put him in position to win.
There is also the whole soap opera aspect of cycling. There are heroes, villains, and rivalries. It is fun to follow it all and see how it plays out. In the past I've gotten all excited for the "big" stages of the tour and they have come up short. There have only been a few times where I have felt the importance of the moment. The year Sastre took off up Alpe d'Huez was one of those moments. This year there isn't a clear favorite after the first week. Contador, last year's winner, has had a rough go of it so far. He has some catching up to do. I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks. It's shaping up to be the most exciting Tour I've seen yet. Of course, I did miss Lance's 7 wins. That would have probably been more exciting.
2011 has been rough year so far. There have been several major crashes. Today was a couple of the worst wrecks. A rider went off the road and down into a ditch. Seeing the roads they ride on it is amazing they don't have more people seriously injured every year. Then a television car ran off the road and they swerved back on right into a rider; taking him out as well as another guy, who flew up in the air and landed on a barb wire fence. It is amazing they were both able to complete the race.
I spend way too many hours every year in the month of July watching cycling. But it is one of the best sporting events of the year.
Velo Nation article
