My Tour de France Withdrawal

Well, I see that this blog is quickly becoming a cycling blog--perhaps now that the Tour is over, I'll begin to write about something else. Soon, but not yet. I think I'm still going through withdrawal. As a recreational biker and cycling fan, I was quite excited for this year's Tour. However, I had no idea just how much I would enjoy the spectacle of the Tour de France. Being in France during the Tour is simply amazing. The Tour receives so much coverage!! I read about it everyday in the famous sports daily l'Équipe, subscribed to the French radio podcast, and then Tivo'd just about every TV program there was: pre-race, race coverage, post-race, highlights show. It's unbelievable.
[happier times: pre-withdrawal, post-publicity caravan]
During the race coverage alone, France television has reporters at the stage start, 2 commentators (one of whom is cycling great Laurent Fignon) following the stage from the finish, 2 reporters (one of whom is the omnipresent Laurent "Jaja" Jalabert--I think he's been mentioned in at least 1/2 of my blogs) following developments on the course directly from the back of motorcycles, and, this being France, a guy who tells us about the history of the various châteaux, churches, and historical sites that the race goes by (normally accompanied by a brief pause from the race to show some of the sights along the way). It's also entertaining to hear non-natives speak French. While George Hincapie, Cadel Evans, Levi Leipheimer, and Greg Lemond don't speak great French (actually, Lemond speaks pretty well), the French press truly appreciated the effort (since most of the other riders don't know French and speak through interpreters).

What I didn't appreciate in the States is how big of a cultural/social spectacle the Tour de France is. For many of the small towns that the Tour passes through (the course goes primarily through rural France), the Tour is in many ways a showcase of their region. Each day there is a TV talk show that takes place in the village where that day's stage departs. They highlight local celebrities, history, famous sights, and speciality foods (this is France afterall and just about every town has its own special cheese, alcohol, confection, etc). So in addition to seeing a bike race, you also get to learn about the area the race goes through. It's quite nice. The locals also go out of their way in preparing big signs and displays welcoming the tour which the TV coverage loves to show! And you see lots of people who take the day to have a picnic out in the countryside and then cheer when the race rolls by. The French will take any excuse to have a pleasant meal outdoors--wouldn't you?

Given the daily soap opera involving le dopage, the social/cultural aspect of the Tour is, in my opinion, what has kept the Tour afloat (at least for the moment). Thank god, because this year's Tour was quite a scandal. Every day there was something unexpected happening off the bike, which was sad because there was a lot of good action on it. To give you an idea, here were the headlines of l'Équipe on 4 consecutive days (and my feable attempt at a translation/explanation) showing how crazy it was:


7/23: "IL EST TROP FORT" / He Is Too Strong (talking of Rasmussen winning at Plateau de Beille)

7/24: "LE COURAGE DE VINO" / Vino's courage (Vinokourov's stage victory after failing miserably the day before)

7/25: "LE CHAOS" / The Chaos (the very next day, the same courageous Vino (whom the French loved) tests positive and is kicked out of the Tour)

7/26: "EXCLU!" / Excluded (Rasmussen kicked out due to very suspicious behavior)

While quite intriguing (I would anxiously look forward each day to buying l'Équipe), the scandals surrounding this year's Tour and the history of doping in general definitely made me more cynical. I still love the majesty of the Tour and the many great mountain passes it traverses, but I'm also disappointed by all that has happened. Interestingly, the French press always talks of Lance Armstrong as having been doped. While there's never been any hard evidence, I'm having a difficult time believing even his story these days. Maybe I've been in France for too long!