[Idyllchat] Tour de France

[Dick/Joan Stewart]

Fellow Travelers,

Three significant international sporting events are underway in Europe.
Italy and France play the World Cup soccer final in Berlin on Sunday.  The
Championships at Wimbledon are winding down as well.   As this is written,
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could meet in Sunday's final.  But that's not
the point.

The point is that the Tour de France, the world's premier cycling event, is
also underway.  TV coverage of the Tour provides an
opportunity to travel vicariously throughout France.  You want hour after
hour of French countryside?  It's there.  How about traveling in the
Pyrenees?  You can.  Prefer seeing the French Alps up close.  Not a problem.
Spectacular helicopter shots of the riders and surroundings add greatly to
the coverage.

Lance Armstrong's retirement and the doping scandal and
disqualifications prior to the start of this year's Tour aside, excitement,
especially in the last hour of each stage, is still there for cycling fans.
Those with no interest in cycling can enjoy the nonstop travelogue.  To
boot, each stage is planned to end at about 5 p.m. local time, which means
retirees in eastern US can catch the end of each stage live at about 11 a.m.
As a bonus, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, commentators on OLN, do a
fantastic job orienting the viewer and presenting strategic intricacies
unknown to most.

Can't catch the live coverage?  OLN has reruns and recaps in the afternoon
and in the evening.  See www.letour.fr for details on the timing for each
stage.  If the number is the same as in 1995, Michelin map 989, France, is
perfect should you want to see where you are while watching.

Happy travels,

Dick Stewart