TdF
The Tour de France is my Superbowl. Where other patrons of this great country sit themselves down in front of the teevee, eat their hearts out and spit out in excitement that self-same food when their team scores a touchdown in February, I sit down in front of the teevee, eat my heart out and spit out my food when there's a crash or an attack in the month of July. My heroes are not Brett Farve or Barry Bonds or Willie Mayes. My heroes are Dave Zabriskie or Levi Leipheimer or the Schlecks. My teams are not the Giants, Raiders or Ravens; they're Garmin-Slipstream, Astana and Saxo bank.
I've followed the Tour de France for many years, before Lance Armstrong started his world-record defeating seven seasons. I remember when commercials, their actors pantomiming shots of "proper" sports (baseball, football, running), never included bicycling. Now, it seems that nearly every commercial includes a shot of bikers doing their thing. I love it. Finally--finally--my favorite sport was recognized in the United States. The mainly European sport of cycling has finally jumped the pond. And yet, the people I meet still do not know how the sport is run. When asked about first downs or how many points a touchdown scores, most Americans are able to answer these questions. But how many people can answer the questions: what does the polka dot jersey signify? How does one gain points in the tours? What is a peleton? (King of the Mountains: the man who gains the most points from the summit; points are gained by finishing sprints and climbs before anyone else; Peleton: the group of riders riding together to conserve energy and to decrease wind resistance.)
So I try to introduce as many people as I can to the Tour de France, the Superbowl of cycling. I think I've succeeded--a bit. I still get questions every once in awhile, mainly people trying to keep themselves occupied while watching. The sport, if not understood, is boring. Seriously boring. Guys on a bike, biking, for 100 miles. But when seen as a legitimate sport, when looked on with the love and patience that people have for other sports, cycling is interesting. It has drama. It is a gentlemanly sport, but it also involves attacks and fights for the finish line. Cycling has personality. I'm pleased that the sport has made the jump into mainstream American society, but I want it to go further. I want people to sit down for two weeks in July to gawp at cycling the same way they do in February for the Superbowl or October with the World Series. Lance Armstrong's return to cycling may have helped that. I hope even after that god of cycling has retired (for real this time) cycling will still be watched and loved by Americans. So I will wait, and hope, and dream. One day my sport will be wholly appreciated.
I've followed the Tour de France for many years, before Lance Armstrong started his world-record defeating seven seasons. I remember when commercials, their actors pantomiming shots of "proper" sports (baseball, football, running), never included bicycling. Now, it seems that nearly every commercial includes a shot of bikers doing their thing. I love it. Finally--finally--my favorite sport was recognized in the United States. The mainly European sport of cycling has finally jumped the pond. And yet, the people I meet still do not know how the sport is run. When asked about first downs or how many points a touchdown scores, most Americans are able to answer these questions. But how many people can answer the questions: what does the polka dot jersey signify? How does one gain points in the tours? What is a peleton? (King of the Mountains: the man who gains the most points from the summit; points are gained by finishing sprints and climbs before anyone else; Peleton: the group of riders riding together to conserve energy and to decrease wind resistance.)
So I try to introduce as many people as I can to the Tour de France, the Superbowl of cycling. I think I've succeeded--a bit. I still get questions every once in awhile, mainly people trying to keep themselves occupied while watching. The sport, if not understood, is boring. Seriously boring. Guys on a bike, biking, for 100 miles. But when seen as a legitimate sport, when looked on with the love and patience that people have for other sports, cycling is interesting. It has drama. It is a gentlemanly sport, but it also involves attacks and fights for the finish line. Cycling has personality. I'm pleased that the sport has made the jump into mainstream American society, but I want it to go further. I want people to sit down for two weeks in July to gawp at cycling the same way they do in February for the Superbowl or October with the World Series. Lance Armstrong's return to cycling may have helped that. I hope even after that god of cycling has retired (for real this time) cycling will still be watched and loved by Americans. So I will wait, and hope, and dream. One day my sport will be wholly appreciated.