OK! I lied. I must face the reality that I am a junkie. After watching Valverde's extraordinary performance on the first day of TDF I have to come clean and face the reality that I am hooked. I have to say that it has been fun to watch. The TDF is like a powerful drug, once you've started watching you can't stop. You even resort to watching reruns in the off season during sessions on the trainer at home or at spin class. Be very careful because this addiction can be dangerous. I hate to say this, but the damn French really do have something beautiful going here.
Take todays stage for example, three Frenchmen out on the brake for nearly the entire 232 km of the race. The last one (Nicolas Vogondy) to be swallowed up by the peleton with a mere 75 meters left to go. Oh the pain and the agony.
And then of course there is George Hincapie, who was dropped by the peleton 10 km from the finish because of a mechanical. He fights his way back into the peleton (which by this time is flying full speed) and with 3 km to go is at the front leading team Columbia and Cavendish to the finish. Cavendish, from the Isle of Man. How can you not cheer for someone who comes from a place with a name like that? Tomorrow will bring on the heat and the hills of the Massif Central followed by the high mountain passes such as "The Tourmalet" of the Pyrenees on Sunday and Monday. Beautiful!
I told the Amigos before this years tour that I was not going to watch. It was insignificant without the defending champ and team Astana there. OK, I lied.
I'll enter rehab when it's all over.
3 comments:
I knew you would give in!
Now email me and tell me what the SAAB word of the day is.
After last years tour I said I was done. I've been following the TDF since 1978. I barely endured the LA years with the best doping machine ever, Team US Postal/Dicovery. But the combined Tyler, Floyd, Vino, Rasmussen, etc scandals did me in. I don't have cable or satellite tv but I made the mistake of checking the results and write-ups after stage one and I was hooked again. It's definitely one of the few sporting events I follow, and I love it.
That sums it up nicely!
Great blog!
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