Tour de France

While your average American may be an out-of-shape couch pomme de terre, the ones who turned out to ride the Tour certainly buck the trend. <br><br>Stage 1 finishers # 1(Zabriski), 2 (Armstrong), 4 (Hincapie), 6 (Landis), 11 (Julich), and 14 (Leipheimer) threw down hard.<br><br>Watching Lance ride by Ullrich like he was passing a tourist on the Burke-Gilman was amazing. On your right!

I really got into watching the Tour last year and learned much about the strategy and such. I'll be watching as many of the stages this year as possible. It may be boring for some, but I like it. My cousin is actually traveling over there later to watch some of the later stages in person.

A lot like Miguel Indurain blowing by Lance in a Tour TT ~10 years ago.<br>Unfortunately its also reminiscent of my brief USCF race career.<br>Tailwind or not a 40.7 mph TTT is beyound my comprehension.  Hopefully the US will be able to support a few races someday so you dont have to fly to France (or Georgia).  Hyak, I've got about 300 stages on VHS if we get a far worse winter then last.<br><br><br>

Got any of the '03 tour on tape? That was the year I got into it & what drama there was that year. With Beloki crashing to Ullrich crashing in the rain in the individual TT....Man, good stuff.

With Beloki crashing. . .

<br><br>Armstrong cyclo-crossing across the field to avoid him is still one of my favorite moments in Tour history. Also Johan Bruyneel going off the cliff in the Alps, stopping on a tree about 70 ft. down, climbing back up and asking for another bike . . .<br>

What great athletes these Tour de France riders are!! It's truely amazing to watch the riders as they deal with all kinds of conditions and circumstances riding the Tour. The training that is involved to sustain an average heart rate of over 166 for the entire stage of race is astonishing. <br>I'm a recreational bike rider, preparing for a three day 172 mile, three mountain pass ride in August and think of the Tour riders everyday I've been out doing my training. Hopefully a little bit of Lance will be under my wings as I head toward my own mountain stage .