Cycling is a great activity. The freedom found moving three times faster than normal walking while on those country back roads is an excellent experience. Convenient in towns also, bar the psychotic drivers, environmentally healthy, relatively cheap, good for fitness and just good fun. A great experience cycling.
However, I watched a few mnutes of this years Tour de France and soon found myself exhausted. How do they ride uphill at 30 mph? I could not do that downhill, I had to get off and push. Today they race on through the rain, lycra hidden behind rain jackets, helmets dripping and roads slippy. I await the crashes on those white lines at busy junctions. In fact it was the downhill in the forest that brought the first accident. Rubbed down by the Medics and his bike replaced off he went, slowly.
I used to watch this every year, I remember the Spaniard, name forgotten, attempting to win five times in a row, failing sadly at the end, but what an effort. Since then I have watched much less. Most of the time I was not interested in the race at all, I was looking at the world around them. French landscapes pass by, the Alps offer great views, chateau's, castle's, church's, war graves, memorials, housing of various styles, villages and ancient towns, rivers, and their contents, wildlife, and the people desperate to see the 'Tour' go through their town.
In fact I was losing interest I no longer fantasised that I was the break away hero seven miles ahead of the chasing pack, desperate to reach the final before they catch up, and always, always failing.
Today, I care not. In fact I find myself wondering why these men do this? I can understand the need to prove your fitness, to 'be a man,' to 'beat your previous time,' and play your part in the team, after all this is how they make a living. However, I just find myself thinking, "Slow down, enjoy the view, you might never see this again." Racing along at high speeds in a crowd these men see nothing of the country they pass through. I begin to wonder what is the point? Of course I may be jealous, not getting out much is annoying, and as I see them climbing through a forest, uphill, it causes me pain. The fitness levels are high among these men, not to say the drug consumption. Don't say that!
Then there are the motorcyles. Cameramen, standing up to catch the pictures while going round wet corners, a variety of other bikes for TV or security, photographers, who knows what. Then there is the Skoda team cars to supply drinks and food and bits of bike, and the crowds along the way. No matter how obscure the area, no matter how high the mountain, people will be standing along the route, sometimes having waited there since late yesterday evening. Would you? I would certainly watch if it came by, though when it did a few years ago it remained two miles from here, but clambering several thousand feet high to watch them go by? Not me. How long does it take for the parade to end? Several minutes, including those trailing after falls, but not long enough for me.
Now I want to get the bike fixed and get out, maybe one day soon.
4 comments:
Coverage of the Tour must be the best advertisement the French tourist Board has.
Was it Miguel Indurain you were thinking about. He had an incredibly low resting heartbeat something like 30 and a huge lung capacity.
I've never been a competitive cyclist just happy to ride and enjoy the scenery, why rush and miss so much.
Dave, Indeed, Indurain! 5 times winner.
The tour came by us once....and suddenly money was available to aort out the appalling state of the roads!
Fly, The Tour is important, people are not.
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