I don’t know what it is that gets me excited in the Tour de France each year. I’m not an avid cyclist myself. I don’t particularly enjoy the fact that it’s 3 hours of footage each day for less than a month, then gone until a year later. I don’t identify to a strong degree with any of the riders and actually sometimes wish that American coverage of the tour was a bit less Lance-centric.
Is it just because I enjoy sports that most Americans shun? I enjoy a good curling match and am sometimes fascinated by the rules of games that only get shown on ESPN2 or 3, like cricket or Australian rules football.
Am I impressed by the mere fact that these men are riding bicycles for 5 hours a day for over 3 straight weeks? Is it the general physical prowess that draws me?
Or is it the subtle and slow-motion strategy that occurs on each stage, where at first glance nothing seems to happen but under the surface, teams and riders are conspiring every moment on how much energy they should be spending?
Regardless, several years ago, I started watching the Tour and I haven’t really stopped. It’s one of those yearly events that I get swept up in, like NaNoWriMo or Boxing Day. Are there any other Tour watchers out there? Does anyone else even know that it’s happening? Is it a bit sad that I had only a passing interest in the Stanley Cup being won by Pittsburgh but am captivated by Thor Husovd’s battle for the green jersey?