Throughout Europe, there's no sporting event that quite manages to captivate audiences year after year, dividing friendships and families when people choose their allegiances. Is it The World Cup? That's small potatoes compared to The Tour de France.
Those in the United States might not understand the appeal of the race, but getting to know The Tour de France means starting to get excited about watching people on bicycles, too. For most amateur athletes, even a vague understanding of how fit one has to be to even consider making it to the end, let alone winning, is enough to give the race a little bit of time in between other television programming.
One of the biggest sporting events not just in France, but all over Europe, is The Tour de France. A race that pits riders from countries all over the world against one another, themselves, and the elements, it is not a race for the faint of heart. Lasting over three weeks, the race is broken down into day-long segments, known as stages, which can involve anything from the final sprint into Paris to climbing some of the most heart-popping sections of the Alps...on nothing but one's own leg power.
In fact, a number of riders have actually not survived The Tour de France, whether it was succumbing to heart attacks after ingesting methamphetamine while climbing part of the hills, or simply not being able to keep a bicycle on the road in times of great exhaustion. Riding the race has been compared to running in a marathon non-stop for a month, and it's no wonder why this seems an appropriate description once viewers take a single look at those treacherous mountain passes.
But not just anyone can qualify--or survive--a ride in The Tour de France. Riders planning on tackling The Tour de France have to be in peak physical shape, because the race is one of the most demanding sporting events in the entire world of sports, not just bicycle racing. With very little time to rest and recuperate, and literally hundreds of miles of biking up and down mountain roads ahead of them, riders have to train for months and months to get anywhere ready to compete.
Aside from that, the race is known for being daunting emotionally, since much time is spent alone, unsure of one's standing in the race, and dealing with the very real thought that, after the next hundred miles, 900 more are waiting. It takes a lot out of anyone, even a famous bicyclist, to compete in this race.
While Europe has long praised the race, worked itself into a fervor over the conclusion, and pointedly supported riders the way that long-term Red Sox fans root for their home team in baseball, America has gotten on board in recent years since they became one of the big winners. Ever since one of their own started pummeling the Europeans, interest in the race, and in cycling in general, has grown.
Lance Armstrong is one of the reasons that Americans sat up and took notice of the race, and that is why, for the first time ever, The Tour de France is enjoying a great deal of publicity outside of Europe, and in The States, where bicycle riding is usually only an activity of earnest green-minded college students in San Francisco and Boston, and those too young to have cars. Thanks to Lance Armstrong, the sport is enjoying a surge in its viability States-side, so many more promising riders will be over challenging the Europeans soon.
And finally the Americans understand what it is that the French, the Swiss, the Italians, and so many others have been enjoying for years and years, since the races' humble beginnings almost a hundred years ago. It's not about the sport of bicycling, so much, it's about the idea of a single person, on their own on the side of a mountain, trying to last until tomorrow. The physical and mental endurance of taking on a race that lasts almost a month is legendary, and no matter what the vehicle, worthy of a great deal of applause.
Those in the United States might not understand the appeal of the race, but getting to know The Tour de France means starting to get excited about watching people on bicycles, too. For most amateur athletes, even a vague understanding of how fit one has to be to even consider making it to the end, let alone winning, is enough to give the race a little bit of time in between other television programming.
One of the biggest sporting events not just in France, but all over Europe, is The Tour de France. A race that pits riders from countries all over the world against one another, themselves, and the elements, it is not a race for the faint of heart. Lasting over three weeks, the race is broken down into day-long segments, known as stages, which can involve anything from the final sprint into Paris to climbing some of the most heart-popping sections of the Alps...on nothing but one's own leg power.
In fact, a number of riders have actually not survived The Tour de France, whether it was succumbing to heart attacks after ingesting methamphetamine while climbing part of the hills, or simply not being able to keep a bicycle on the road in times of great exhaustion. Riding the race has been compared to running in a marathon non-stop for a month, and it's no wonder why this seems an appropriate description once viewers take a single look at those treacherous mountain passes.
But not just anyone can qualify--or survive--a ride in The Tour de France. Riders planning on tackling The Tour de France have to be in peak physical shape, because the race is one of the most demanding sporting events in the entire world of sports, not just bicycle racing. With very little time to rest and recuperate, and literally hundreds of miles of biking up and down mountain roads ahead of them, riders have to train for months and months to get anywhere ready to compete.
Aside from that, the race is known for being daunting emotionally, since much time is spent alone, unsure of one's standing in the race, and dealing with the very real thought that, after the next hundred miles, 900 more are waiting. It takes a lot out of anyone, even a famous bicyclist, to compete in this race.
While Europe has long praised the race, worked itself into a fervor over the conclusion, and pointedly supported riders the way that long-term Red Sox fans root for their home team in baseball, America has gotten on board in recent years since they became one of the big winners. Ever since one of their own started pummeling the Europeans, interest in the race, and in cycling in general, has grown.
Lance Armstrong is one of the reasons that Americans sat up and took notice of the race, and that is why, for the first time ever, The Tour de France is enjoying a great deal of publicity outside of Europe, and in The States, where bicycle riding is usually only an activity of earnest green-minded college students in San Francisco and Boston, and those too young to have cars. Thanks to Lance Armstrong, the sport is enjoying a surge in its viability States-side, so many more promising riders will be over challenging the Europeans soon.
And finally the Americans understand what it is that the French, the Swiss, the Italians, and so many others have been enjoying for years and years, since the races' humble beginnings almost a hundred years ago. It's not about the sport of bicycling, so much, it's about the idea of a single person, on their own on the side of a mountain, trying to last until tomorrow. The physical and mental endurance of taking on a race that lasts almost a month is legendary, and no matter what the vehicle, worthy of a great deal of applause.
About the Author:
Damian Papworth, an enthusiastic cyclist knows how important hydration is in the sport, at all levels. For this reason, he created the Cycling Water Bottle website, offering free advice on bicycle water bottles
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