July 3...and a New Chapter Begins....

I know...it’s actually only the 2nd but on the 3rd...the attention of the world will focus on what can only be described as the most prolific and physically demanding sporting event known to man...the 2010 Tour de France…or as followers refer to it…the TDF.


I have been a TDF fan since I was a child…imagining as I raced in the Salem Witches Cup and the Boston 50K race...as well as many others stage races across the country…that I was the iron man Eddy Merckx; the robot-like Bernard Hinault or even the flamboyant Laurent Fignon…all past TDF Champions…but on 3 July...just like many others across the globe…I will be rooting for Lance Armstrong…not because he can do it but because the guy just never quits…no matter his age. Having lived and worked in Kazakhstan for many years I was always a big Team Astana fan...(Kazakhstan's capital city and Lance's Team for many years) ...the team that has been atop the podium in the TDF over the past 10 years...now Lance races for Team Radio-Shack...or as it's called in the 21st century...The Shack!

Background

The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately 2,200 mi throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totaled to determine the overall winner at the end of the race. The rider with the lowest aggregate time at the end of each day wears a yellow jersey. The course change every year but it has always finished in Paris. Since 1975, the climax of the final stage has been along the Champs-Élysées. I have traveled to France numerous times and have had the great pleasure of running early morning on the Champs-Élysées…and remember feeling honored and humbled at the site…knowing that the greatest athletes in the world have passed over these streets since 1905. It was a moment for reflection…even if I don’t hold France in high esteem.

It is great to know that both of my boys are bike racers…and no...that is not one of them holding the flag in the picture...well maybe...but...no....nope...they were not in France in 2007 when this was taken...Jake's riding is geared more towards the triathlon distances…he has the short-term power that these racers require...while Ian has become quite the long distance rider...tall and lanky and able to drive the grears...but both on the bikes are very, very good riders. It would be interesting for them to have to grown up in Europe…I could see the lads both racing…they have the athletic foundations to do well in a sport that is all about perseverance and determination...attributes which they have in abundance.

If you have not watched the TDF the coverage is great on VS (Verus) or you can see it via the internet at http://www.versus.com/

Either way…to hell with the World Cup…it’s time to ride!

Brian