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!!