One of the great spectacles of sport ended today. The almost superhuman, epic journey of 180 men and their bicycles through the valleys, flats, hills and mountains of France known as the Tour de France. (And, I'll admit, that's one of the reasons for the lack of posting lately.)
It’s a beautiful event that has, sadly, been under a pretty dark cloud in the last few years as the transgressions of entirely too many have sullied the reputations, dreams and livelihoods of everyone else. But the three-week odyssey that ended with a triumphant circuit of the Champs Elysees in Paris, I believe, started a new chapter in its 100-plus year history this year with the rise of a number of impressive young riders and a handful of new teams that have taken a stand against the cheaters and for the beauty, integrity and courage of the sport.
I was first introduced to cycling three years ago while watching the final days leading up to Lance Armstrong’s final of seven straight victories in the Tour de France. It was a historic moment in the world of sports and I’m a sucker for historic moments. I never watch the World Series, but the year the Red Sox foiled the curse, I tuned in with everyone else. I never watch college basketball, but when George Mason went to the Big Dance, I watched, and I did the same for the University of Maryland’s women’s team when they won their first championship.
But after witnessing the end of the Armstrong era, I couldn’t help but tune in again the following July to find out who would step up…again, an historic moment in sports. I watched the tour from start to finish. I found myself glued to the TV every night for three weeks straight – mesmerized by the glory of the French countryside, the dazzle of 180 multi-colored jerseys flying through fields of sunflowers like a cloud neon Skittles, the drama of the sudden and sometimes spectacular crash, the dashed dreams, the heroic triumphs over injury and physical suffering.
And I was hooked. I’ve watched the last two years, start to finish, and I have to say no other sporting event captures my imagination quite like the Tour.
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