Le Tour de France

The month of July means Le Tour de France and for many years, my ritual was to get up and turn on the television (think Outdoor Life Network and Vs.) and watch the day's stage.  The success of Lance Armstrong increased the Tour's popularity in the United States, but the drug scandals have counter-balanced the respect and attention the entire sport receives.  For three straight years, I attended the Tour of Missouri, seeing many of the sport's top stars, including Hincapie, Cavendish, and Contador.   Last year, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge marked a return to Colorado, but I missed it.  That was disappointing until I realized that by going to the Olympics this year, I would also be able to attend the biggest of the them all  . . . Le Tour de France!

The parade of sponsors begins an hour before the start.

The Mayo Jaune:  England's Bradley Wiggins

I arrived in Luchon for the finish of the 16th stage and decided to walk back from the actual finish line to see the final climb of the day.  It was a ten mile hike up the mountain but well worth it.  Hundreds of amateur cyclists were riding to the summit from both sides, with their reward being the ride down after the race had passed.  France's own Thomas Voeckler came across first to great cheer and after the peloton flew by, I started back down so that the riders near the end would pass me at full speed.  By the end of the day, I had walked close to 25 miles.

First over the mountain: Voeckler

Found a spot at the start of the stage in Luchon

Because the next day's stage started in Luchon, everyone stayed in town and it was one big party all night.  The riders, obviously, ate privately with their teams, but many members of the support crew were in the local establishments into the long hours of the night.  In the morning, I commandeered a great spot between the starting line and the officials tent so that I could see and hear all of the introductions.  The riders were close enough to touch and the cheers for the leader in yellow, Bradley Wiggins were enormous.

The moment I realized I was actually here

The Brits were out in force to support Team Sky.

After skipping the next two stages for a side trip to Barcelona and the Mediterranean Coast, I returned on Sunday to watch the final ride into Paris and the laps around the Champs-Élysées.  As I was walking from the train station, I turned the corner and saw the tunnel that is always shown on TV and it hit me that I was really in Paris for the final stage of the Tour de France.  I walked my own lap around the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde, talking to every British person I saw.  Many of them had ridden their bicycles the day before after it was clear that England would place two on the podium and possibly capture another stage win.  This was achieved when Mark Cavendish was launched early and held on for the victory, while Wiggins and Chris Fromme placed first and second in the overall tour.

The first Englishman to ever win the Tour de France.