From France And Beyond: Getting To Know The Tour De France
For most Americans, the initial images that come to mind when one mentions sports are group athletics on a field. Football, baseball, and basketball are the holy trinity of sporting events States-side, but to Europeans, older and more traditional activities reign supreme.
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.
But make no mistake about it--rather than a simple leisurely bike ride through the countryside, The Tour de France is one grueling bike race, and the trials and tribulations of even making it to the finish are why it's the most famous race in the entire world. Rides from all over the world are competing not just against one another, but also against the landscape, the conditions, and their own psyches. The three-week long race is broken into daily segments, with very little time for recovery from day to day.
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.
Though most of the accidents seem to occur during stretches through crowded mountain areas, as well as on the more hilly terrain, the race isn't all climbing and sprinting down mountains. There is a substantial amount of distance endurance riding through moderately hilly countryside, as well as some of the most famous stretches in cities, including that final lap through Paris, where thousands of locals and visitors congregate to see their favorite rider pass through and complete his epic race through France.
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.
Perhaps the most world-famous superhuman winner of The Tour de France is not some muscular Swiss rider or a scrappy-looking Italian, but a bona-fide American. And this American didn't just win the race a couple of times--he swept almost a whole decade, taking home seven wins in a row. This man? Lance Armstrong, the ex Mr. Sheryl Crow, and a cancer survivor. Even the European cycling fans had to admit his talents after win number two, and every year after that, it was anyone's guess as to whether or not this old (for racing standards) man could manage to pull it off again.
That one rider, who beat not only The Tour but also managed to triumph over cancer, is none other than Lance Armstrong. At the top of his game, truly, the man managed to win The Tour De France seven times in a row, often far ahead of the other riders. Armstrong is not just a legend to those in his home country, but also to many Europeans, who begrudgingly accepted him as one of the greatest cyclist of our time, and are just as excitedly rooting for him as he takes on the course as they are when their home country favorites whiz by.
No matter the reason, one thing is definitely certain about The Tour de France: it's not a sporting event for the faint of heart to participate in, and anyone watching has to give a whole lot of kudos to anyone strong--or crazy--enough to decide they're ready to take on the mountains and the landscape of France for three weeks at a time, with only a bicycle.
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 information on bicycle water bottles
Tags: bikes, Biking, Cycling, exercise, fitness, health, health and fitness, lifestyle, people, sport, sport and recreation, travel
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