Tour de Lance

Every year for three weeks in July I am glued to the TV as the Tour de France (TDF) bicycle race winds its way through the sunny countryside and mountainsides of France. Unless you have been hiding in a cave, you'll know that this year is American cyclist's Lance Armstrong's record-setting six straight tour victory. Truly amazing. As I think about Lance's historic achievement, I reflect on how far the sport of cycling has come in the U.S. As a long-suffering TDF fan, I remember how difficult it used to be to catch any significant cycling coverage on TV. I recall having to wake up early in the morning back in 1989 to catch a footage on Good Morning America as American cyclist Greg Lemond won the Tour that year. 

And in the years before Lance, it was still a challenge to see any significant coverage of the TDF on network TV. Ever since Lance started racing in the TDF and people learned about how he beat cancer and came back to win consecutive Tours, American TV coverage has improved significantly. I now have the luxury of watching 4 hours of live coverage each day on the Outdoor Life Network. Ironically, the extensive coverage has left me quite overwhelmed - I found myself fast-forwarding through several sections of segments I had taped. Nevertheless, I am compelled to watch every stage of the 25 stages in July and will probably continue to do so for years to come. I think what makes the TDF so exciting and interesting for me is the beauty of the historical French countryside, the harmony of man and machine, and the human drama of the race.

Vive la Lance!