So a few years after getting cable and stumbling on the Lance channel (now Vs-Versus previously OLN-Outdoor Living Network) where they seemed to show Lance Armstrong riding his bike 24 hours a day for weeks, I have become a bit hooked on the Tour de France. It’s actually quite interesting once you learn some of the basics and once you figure out what parts of the tour you can fast forward through (no one should watch 3-6 hours of cycling a day). I’m still figuring it out but here’s where I’m at.

The Basics

The tour typically takes 23 days with two rest days. The route changes each year but circles the country popping in and out of other countries at times along the way with a finish in Paris. There are about 20 teams invited to the tour with 9 riders each. Each stage covers roads that range from flat to mountainous, with usually a few days in each of the Alps and the Pyrenees. All of the riders start together on these stages except for the couple stages that are time trials where the riders have staggered starts and must ride against the clock. Some tours include a team trial where the team as a whole rides together for time. Unfortunately at the end of the day, not all the riders finish due to injury on crashes, not finishing within the appropriate time (usually a percentage of the winner’s time), abandoning the race, and of course being kicked out for drug use. Though a few riders are still caught doping we’re hoping the fact that they’re caught means that the system is working.

More Than One Way to Win

So we all learned that yellow was good as we watched Lance roll into Paris wearing the yellow jersey (a record number seven times) which is awarded for the overall cumulative fastest time, the competitors for this are often referred to as the GC (General Classification). But that’s not the only jersey awarded, there’s the white for the best young rider (under the age of 25) with the best cumulative time, green jersey for sprinters who win points for their place in overall finishes and various points in the stages, and the polka dot jersey awarded for winning points on the mountains. And of course the winner of each stage. There are also a few other claims to fame including the overall leading team and most aggressive rider awarded for a day’s performance.

Really a Team Sport

So though individuals often receive the glory it really is a strong team that can make the difference in the race. There is a tremendous amount of strategy used within a team to make sure that their individual contenders have the best shot at their win. Cyclists draft off one another but they also may do things like move to the front of the peloton (the main pack of cyclists) and set the pace, chase down breakaways (those trying to go faster than the peloton), lead out sprint stages to set up for the win, and go back for water to bring to the front riders. Phil and Paul, two of the best sports commentators there are, try to explain all this and more during the many hours of coverage. Vs usually has a a live show at the crack of dawn and replays throughout the day in edited formats with a primetime show hosted by Craig and Bob (Al used to hold Craig’s spot but we think he’s too busy in an Olympic year).

Who’s On Top

So we’ve wrapped up the major mountain stages where the ride is so hard that it’s usually where the GC guys win or lose the stage, but the last men standing are still surprisingly close together. The next couple of stages aren’t thought to allow a break by anyone competitive overall and it’s thought that the final time trial on Saturday might be what determines who will finish up first. The final stage into Paris is almost never challenged by the GC guys and left for the sprinters to make their push for the line. The top four riders, Sastre, Schleck, Kohl and Evans, are all separated by less than two minutes which is potentially enough for things to change. All eyes are on Evans who is great in the time trial and is theoretically able to beat current leader Sastre by one to two minutes, but will he have the legs this Saturday? Time will tell.

Now he’s also a great athlete and apparently his feet are so big they act as flippers but… In catching some of the US Olympic Trials getting all geared up for the Olympics I couldn’t help but think he has somehow beat the system by picking the right sport.

First there is the injury factor, of course a swimmer could get injured, but not like these other sports. After watching those little gymnasts’ limbs snap like twigs I wondered if it was all worth it. Picking the team wasn’t just about picking the best gymnasts it was about predicting the future of kids held together with tacks and tape. How long will it take them to heal, how long will it take them to get back into shape? At the end of the day will they be the best?

And then of course there are the sports where you have to depend on someone else? Team sports like soccer and even the pairs of beach volleyball. Counting on someone else can bring an incredible camaraderie. But what happens when they have shoulder surgery and may or may not be ready for the event that comes once every four years. (#1 beach volleyball team member Carrie Walsh looks great with or without a 100% shoulder by the way)

Then there is the nice calm race factor where everyone stays in their own lanes and the competition is completely about how well you race your race.  No one is getting in your way, like those track people where they all smush together in the same lane, this one guy in track literally elbowed his way out of the pack to move forward, or cycling where people can actually crash and take you down with them (brings to mind speed skating of the winter Olympics).

And, I can barely imagine competing at world class level under any circumstances, but if you add random weather into the equation I might melt. Why Phelps he just dives into the water that is kept at whatever the appropriate world record setting temperature is. What could be easier?

Now I look at all of these things and already think he’s made the right call. Now add on to that the fact that he’s competing in a sport where it is possible to compete in a bunch of different events and win a bunch of different medals. This six time gold medalist (plus two bronze) has the possibility to get eight more at the 2008 games. He’s competing in five individual events, four that he holds the world record in and one that he beat the world record holder at trials, and then three relays.

Makes you almost feel sorry for those people who only win one gold medal…. Though who I won’t feel sorry for is a woman who is putting me to shame, can I no longer use my age as my reason for not being in great shape? 41 year old Dara Torres won the 100 and 50 free in the trials. Though she already has nine Olympic medals from her four previous Olympics, four of them gold. See what I mean. It’s almost like they’re cheating.