Tour de France
Ben Levine
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Op/Ed
To many Americans, who are used to football, baseball, and basketball, the Tour de France is that little race on bicycles that Lance Armstrong dominated. Few understand the intricacies and the beauty of the Tour. Too many people are afraid of the Tour because it is not easily relatable to the sports we already know. The differences between the Tour and the big four are what make the Tour great. Given the basic structure of the games of American sports, it should be refreshing to watch something different.
First, it must be made clear that the Tour is not NASCAR. The riders of the Tour are among the greatest athletes the human race has ever offered. The Tour is not a sprint, but a twenty-three day odyssey covering 2,200 miles.
It is not just the fact that they are covering that much distance, but the beauty and variety of the landscape which they cover. You haven't seen beauty until you see a long stream of cyclists flowing like an organism on pitch black pavement through verdant fields. After the countryside, they hit the mountains. The climbers attack the Pyrenees like Clydesdales straining to exert every last ounce of energy. However, the ascent is nothing compared to the race down the mountain. The riders careen downhill at breakneck speeds inches away from lethal drops.
There is immense variety between stages and even in each individual stage. Unlike the oblong track of NASCAR, the style of the Tour de France course provides for a unique experience during every stage.
Unlike a prototypical sporting event, there isn't a winner and a loser. In the tour, there are four jerseys to win: yellow (general classification leader), green (sprinter), polka dot (king of the mountain), and white (young rider). The polka dot jersey allows for an exciting moment around the half point. The green jersey is won by the rider who is the best sprinter. The sprint is not like track with clear white lines. There are a few inches in between each rider and there are often macabre scenes when a rider goes off course.
First, it must be made clear that the Tour is not NASCAR. The riders of the Tour are among the greatest athletes the human race has ever offered. The Tour is not a sprint, but a twenty-three day odyssey covering 2,200 miles.
It is not just the fact that they are covering that much distance, but the beauty and variety of the landscape which they cover. You haven't seen beauty until you see a long stream of cyclists flowing like an organism on pitch black pavement through verdant fields. After the countryside, they hit the mountains. The climbers attack the Pyrenees like Clydesdales straining to exert every last ounce of energy. However, the ascent is nothing compared to the race down the mountain. The riders careen downhill at breakneck speeds inches away from lethal drops.
There is immense variety between stages and even in each individual stage. Unlike the oblong track of NASCAR, the style of the Tour de France course provides for a unique experience during every stage.
Unlike a prototypical sporting event, there isn't a winner and a loser. In the tour, there are four jerseys to win: yellow (general classification leader), green (sprinter), polka dot (king of the mountain), and white (young rider). The polka dot jersey allows for an exciting moment around the half point. The green jersey is won by the rider who is the best sprinter. The sprint is not like track with clear white lines. There are a few inches in between each rider and there are often macabre scenes when a rider goes off course.