[Idyllchat] Tour de France Bicycle Race

[Pete and Maggie Haggart]

Dick:

My son and son-in-law were both involved with bike racing and I became a fan of the Tour. But the attraction of the sport to "main stream" television has never really taken hold. I always thought that it was interesting that the "Discovery Channel" sponsored a great USA team but never got the broadcast rights to the tour in this country. 

Therefore, I am forced to wait for recaps on TV. My satellite company does carry the VERSUS cable network - but only at the most expensive level. So I will keep posted on the tour website and delayed snippets on TV. My son got to witness the finish in Paris in 1989 when Greg Lemond grabbed the race away from Laurent Figno on the final day time trial to win by 8 seconds! Now that was a real Tour victory!

Pete

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Richard Stewart 
  To: Idyllchat 
  Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 8:08 AM
  Subject: [Idyllchat] Tour de France Bicycle Race


  Fellow Travelers,

  Hard to believe another year has passed so quickly.  The Tour de France bicycle race begins tomorrow in Brittany and ends July 27 on the Champs Elysees in Paris.  I know.  With all its recent doping scandals, it may be difficult to generate interest in this year's Tour de France.  Understandable.

  Yet, recall this is a travel site and not a cycling site.  Bear in mind that magnificent TV coverage of what is arguably the most difficult and demanding individual sporting event on your planet affords the opportunity to travel through much of France in the comfort of your favorite chair or sofa.  If nothing else, the scenery is often spectacular due to excellent helicopter shots and there is frequent citing of miscellaneous monuments, chateaux, and historical points of interest.

  The homepage for the Tour is
  http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_horscourseTDF.html

  A map of the Tour, which which includes the always exciting stages through the Pyrenees and the French Alps, along with descriptions, distances, and details for each stage is found at 
  http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html

  The TV schedule (on VERSUS) for the Tour is available at
  http://www.versus.com/tdf/article/view/758/?ss=tv&tf=Body.tpl

  For many viewers, this one included, on a par with the competition itself and the scenery is the live broadcast by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin.  These guys are fantastic.  It's doubtful  announcers in any other sport cover their event better than this pair.  They breath life into what easily could be a rather dull event.  Their expertise, quips, delivery, and sometimes brutally frank commentary about the physical state of the riders are unsurpassed in sports commentary.  For more on Phil Liggett see
  http://www.liggettfan.com/

  A convenient aspect of the live TV coverage has to do with the fact that all stages are timed to end at about 5 p.m. in France.  This means that each stage ends at about 11 a.m. EDT, a convenient time for many retirees and other layabouts (oops) to pop on the TV mid morning and experience a wonderful blend of excitement and relaxation before lunch.  Those unable to watch live can see the TV coverage repeated in the evening with the following caveat:  I believe the evening coverage does not use Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin.  If so, recording the morning coverage is recommended.

  There are twenty teams of nine riders each in this year's Tour de France.  This year there are two American-sponsored teams:  Garmin-Chipotle-H3O and High Road (recently renamed Team Columbia).  Note that "American-sponsored" in no way implies that the riders on the teams are American.  More information on these teams can be found at     
  http://www.highroadsports.com/team
  http://www.slipstreamsports.com/

  That's about it.

  Have a banner Fourth of July

  Happy travels,

  Dick Stewart





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