Tour de Who Cares?
 

Last year Fodors was abuzz with Tour de France news - no doubt spurred by Lance. Last year i watched every stage - loving to see the lovely French countryside. This year i've rarely thought about watching even though i'd see the same scintillating scenery. I mean to start watching.
But is it just because Lance is retired or the recent blood doping scandal that disqualified many top riders or what
Are you watching the Tour this year?

As this year there are only "normal"
non doped cyclists, I don't look at the tour de France...
Erik

You just bet we're watching--those sprint finishes are absolutely breathtaking. Robbie McEwen can appear out of nowhere--hard to see how he does it.

Also, there are a number of good American contenders...again.

My son is so into French.He is a rising HS senior, and just got his AP French score of 5, and a score of 800 on his SAT II test. Because of his great interest and as a reward for doing so well, I am taking him to France later this month. I am also taking French myself, and going to Alliance Francaise monthly gatherings. I find myself actually growing fond of France and French things (I never thought I would say that!). I also am watching the Tour. It's just cool.

Cycling fans care. The tactics involved are certainly interesting and as anyone one who has watched knows, a racer (even the top performers) can find themselves out of the race in flash through their own or anothers lack of focus.

The scenery itself is well worth watching.

Yes, but I do wish that more of an effort to identify the more spectacular sights could be made. It used to be that highlights were mentioned by name. For example, what was that huge castle with the five or six round towers just before the Tour entered Brittany? I've love to know! Someone could make a mint by issuing a DVD with Tour scenery.

I'm watching just as religiously and am enjoying it more so because it's so unpredictable. I'm also quite proud of the US riders.

I'm not sure what channel some are watching this on to be dissatisfied with the regional coverage, but OLN has done a wonderful job of sharing info on the regions and sites. They seem to really research and uncover interesting tidbits for everywhere they go...it's a bonus for travelphiles who are cycling fans as well.

We were at the "finish" of the Tour last year. It was rainy, cold and miserable. My son is 6ft2in so he could see what was going on over the crowd. I am much shorter and could only see what was going on on the big screen. I decided that in the future I would sit in a sports bar and enjoy watching with a beer. Well, I guess I am not a big fan because this post just made me realize that it was going on. lol :)

Yes, my summer addiction has returned. Although I was anticipating a great matchup between Basso and Ullrich and wondering if Ivan could possibly pull off the twofer, I am happily rooting for Georgie and the Disco Boys, Levi, Floyd and many others. So good to see Eki back. I love the sprint finishes, but it's so tough to watch the first week crashes. Looking forward to the climbing days and screaming descents. Scenery? What scenery?

We are still watching, although my familiarity with the riders has plummeted as the big "names" have disappeared. My husband is a cyclist and appreciates the post-Lance strategies more than I do. And the scenery is always incredible! I think the chateau might be the Chateau de Vitre, in the last stop of today's stage: http://www.ot-vitre.fr/
I can't find an overhead picture on line that looks exactly like the shot I saw a few minutes ago, but the descriptions I've found seem similar (search for it on the Fodor's site). Babs, I am with you, though, I do not have a desire to try to watch it in person. : )

What scenery? The route as it winds through the countryside is scenic enough, but the wonderful aerial views of the cathedrals, churches, castle ruins and chateaux of Germany, Belgium and,of course, France are superb! I would think anyone interested in travel would be impressed.

I agree with Underhill, I wish they'd mention the names of the castles, churches etc. I try to follow the route, but it's still difficult to identify the sights.

I especially enjoy the efforts made by the locals( farmers) with their artistic impressions made from haystacks etc.

We've seen the Château de Vitré up close and personal, and I don't think it's the one with the six huge round towers. That one came, I think, while the Tour was still in Normandy. Must get out a map and guide and go hunting.

How about today's time trial?! This continues to be a strange Tour.

It really is wide open. And Julich's crash made my stomach turn over--awful. It was so much fun with Lance--but now it is suspenseful. Dummy Tour for taking out the team time trial though.

Indeed, Gretchen--I wonder why. And also why the organization made Landis change his handlebars at the last minute when he's been using them all year. Hmmm.

I've also wondered why there will be no team time trial this year. Strange. The decision to ban Landis' handlebars at the last moment...strange. I doubt if we'll ever know the why's.

Does anyoe know what happened to Levi? Was it nerves? Doubtful from such a pro. Was he ill? Or, did he just have a bad bike day?

I was devastated when Bobby fell. He's been a longtime favorite of mine. He couldn't have won the tour, but it's possible he could've made the top ten.

This year's tour is certainly interesting.

Leipheimer said that he just couldn't seem to get going. Sad.

The Tour mandates all bike specs months before the opening prologue.

Landis has been tweaking his riding position all year and may have hoped his non-approved handlebars wouldn't be noticed. Right. Sometimes riders/teams purposely show up with equipment configurations and materials they know will be banned but want to create a confrontation with Tour hierarchy to make a point. Or to get some attention for their equipment suppliers.

Strategies are not only played out on the roads.

Good point. I would still like to know all the details.

The tour is still exciting to me. I miss watching Lance, but I have always enjoyed watching the other riders too. I was lucky in 2002 to be in Paris for the finish and see Lance ride in. We stayed around after the race was finished and watched the other riders being interviewed by various tv and radio crews. I guess if you love cycling the tour is great to watch no matter if Lance is there or not.

Three stage wins to Robbie McEwan, Cadell Evans a definite possibility for outright winner, Michael Rodgers sitting at Third overall, Stewie O'Grady riding with a cracked vertebra, you can bet that the Tour is beng watched in Australia, even if the direct telcast starts at 11.00PM!

I'm watching it since it has become interesting again : a bike race and not just a 'Lance parade'

I haven't watched a second yet but reading the above posts makes me want to watch it all from now on - if just to see the lovely Frenchscapes if nothing else!

I've been watching for years and in the days before OLN and the Tour online, trying anyway possible to watch the race.

It was my misfortune to spend the first week of this year's Tour at the beach without access to OLN and internet so I had no idea that many of the favorites were out. Then my first day back to watch and it's a rest day, ugh ;;)

I'm happy to see not everyone has abandoned the Tour de France. I enjoy all the strategy involved. Deborah

Still watching although the coverage has (obviously) not been as good. Hincapie has a shot, if he can stay out of trouble. That would be fitting since he supported Lance for so long.

The news about Floyd Landis's hip makes his high standing in the GG really amazing. I don't know how he can ride the way he does with such pain.

I just finished reading the cover story in Bicycling magazine about Floyd Landis and Dave Zabriskie. Floyd has a quote that is something like "Pain is good, I just don't feel it. Hot, cold, up, down, it's all good." I guess you just get conditioned to work through it.

Possibly not; see this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/sp...mp;oref=slogin

This has turned into one of the most exciting events in a long time. Yesterday and today were unbelievable!! It is certainly a roller coaster ride this year...terrific!

I've been watching every day. I think the coverage is every bit as good as years past. I think OLN does an amazing job. Today was just amazing.

The World Cup is over. The Tour is almost finished. Wake me when it's over.

USNR - Wake up - the article in today's local fish wrap says since Landis 'hit the wall' the Spaniard now in first has the tour virtually wrapped up - it's over!

The OLN coverage is a mix of its own profiles and interviews and the "France 2-France 3" television feed for all of the aerial and scenic shots. Channels 2 & 3 in France have made the Tour de France a visual feast over the past several years, and they have managed -- in France and around the world -- to interest a lot of people who don't have much interest in cycling into watching a fabulous trip through France and the surrounding countries.
But to address the original question, in Europe at least, the Tour de France is finally interesting again -- in the past several years, the winner was more or less announced two weeks before the end. And this didn't just happen with Armstrong but also with the other major champions like Indurain and Hinault -- so boring when there is no suspense. At last, after a drought of several years, the passion has returned.

Strange then that the article i read says the Spaniard had wrapped it up - me i don't know and haven't been really following much this year.

Maybe the Spaniard will get a red card and get thrown out of the race. Sort of like Zidane.

Wrapped it up? The Tour was blown wide open again today with Landis back in the running. Clearly, some people are really not paying attention. (I didn't see any of it today because I was in the TGV returning from Avignon.)

Pal, your article was a day old. Landis did indeed look like he was out yesterday. But today he pulled off a stage win, 6 minutes ahead of everyone else. He's only 30 seconds behind the yellow jersey and can no doubt make that up Saturday's time trials.

Wow - strange - they had absoutely written Landis off - they even quoted Landis himself saying that he had given up hopes of winning the tour after his disastrous day. Incroyable...and great! USA, USA, USA

What a stage!!!

Try to keep up!!! What a stage. It is being called the best single day's race in cycling history. And the one thing that can be said for Floyd--he is NO quitter. Eight minutes down to 30 seconds back!!!! It is tres exciting!!