Tour de France
Ben Levine
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Op/Ed
For those who like to watch college football, the white jersey is for you. This is the best rider under 25. It is interesting to watch riders who previously won the white jersey climb to win the yellow - the maillot jaune.
One of the most fabled aspects of the Tour de France is the breakaway. Some of the most exciting races are those in which a rider or a group of riders breaks away from the peloton - the main body of riders. The viewer will often watch as the gap between the breakaway and the peloton reaches its peak and then begins to slip to nothingness. The viewer can see a look of utter despair on the face of a rider looking back to see the peloton swallow him up.
The most entertaining part of the Tour de France can be the fans. If you think Raiders fans are crazy, think again. The courses are scattered with mobile homes in which the fans have been sleeping. They tailgate like you wouldn't believe. Sleeping next to the courses allows them to start drinking as soon as they wake up, which can make for some interesting scenes.
Fans dress in a wide variety of costumes. The typical fan will run along with the riders waving their countries' flags above their heads. A man who dresses up as the devil every year and follows the riders on foot is a fan favorite. Because of the length of the routes, policemen cannot stand along the whole course.
Usually, the peaks of the mountains are the most harrowing areas. Crowds spill onto the road, allowing riders only a few inches between them and the fans. The people of the French countryside also pose entertainment. They will make messages out of bales of hay or, in some cases, themselves.
Unfortunately, steroids have done to cycling what they have done to other sports. Floyd Landis was the worst thing that ever happened to cycling. However, there have been drastic steps taken in order to clean up the sport. Not only did Landis detract from the sport itself, but from Lance Armstrong's legacy. In the course of his career, barring a successful comeback, Armstrong won seven yellow jerseys. Watch him look back at Jan Ullrich then commence to reach another gear, that nobody ever reached before, and there is no way to not admire the athleticism needed to be a successful cyclist. Now, a thirty-seven-year-old cancer survivor with every non-American hoping to prove that he took steroids, his story is irresistible.
The Tour de France is a thing of beauty which could take years and a greater understanding of the intricacies of racing and of the stories behind the riders and their rivalries. However, the scenery, the athleticism, the relationships; make an irresistible combination.
One of the most fabled aspects of the Tour de France is the breakaway. Some of the most exciting races are those in which a rider or a group of riders breaks away from the peloton - the main body of riders. The viewer will often watch as the gap between the breakaway and the peloton reaches its peak and then begins to slip to nothingness. The viewer can see a look of utter despair on the face of a rider looking back to see the peloton swallow him up.
The most entertaining part of the Tour de France can be the fans. If you think Raiders fans are crazy, think again. The courses are scattered with mobile homes in which the fans have been sleeping. They tailgate like you wouldn't believe. Sleeping next to the courses allows them to start drinking as soon as they wake up, which can make for some interesting scenes.
Fans dress in a wide variety of costumes. The typical fan will run along with the riders waving their countries' flags above their heads. A man who dresses up as the devil every year and follows the riders on foot is a fan favorite. Because of the length of the routes, policemen cannot stand along the whole course.
Usually, the peaks of the mountains are the most harrowing areas. Crowds spill onto the road, allowing riders only a few inches between them and the fans. The people of the French countryside also pose entertainment. They will make messages out of bales of hay or, in some cases, themselves.
Unfortunately, steroids have done to cycling what they have done to other sports. Floyd Landis was the worst thing that ever happened to cycling. However, there have been drastic steps taken in order to clean up the sport. Not only did Landis detract from the sport itself, but from Lance Armstrong's legacy. In the course of his career, barring a successful comeback, Armstrong won seven yellow jerseys. Watch him look back at Jan Ullrich then commence to reach another gear, that nobody ever reached before, and there is no way to not admire the athleticism needed to be a successful cyclist. Now, a thirty-seven-year-old cancer survivor with every non-American hoping to prove that he took steroids, his story is irresistible.
The Tour de France is a thing of beauty which could take years and a greater understanding of the intricacies of racing and of the stories behind the riders and their rivalries. However, the scenery, the athleticism, the relationships; make an irresistible combination.