The Tour de France

Before we started cycling, I never watched the Tour de France.  I had heard about it, but mostly because of Lance Armstrong, but I really never understood it.  Now that we are serious cyclists (average 100-120 miles per week on the bike), I love the Tour and now it's on television, LIVE on the Versus channel Tour de France.  We get up early so we can watch in the am (since France is 8 hours ahead of us) and then we watch it again in the evening.  Slightly obsessed.  It's a brutal race, I think the hardest sport ever.  I love all the colors of the jerseys, so beautiful.

It's not as exciting as it was when Lance Armstrong was riding.  I wasn't a huge Lance fan, but he sure was amazing and always brought excitement to the Tour.  Now with all the doping allegations it's a different sport.  This is/was my favorite rider, Ivan Basso...he was just banned for 2 years for doping allegations!  He won the Giro (in Italy) last year, didn't ride in last years Tour because of doping allegations, got picked up by the Discovery team this year, saw him ride in the Tour of California in April (damn handsome), but then doping allegations came back to the surface and he quit the Discovery team and was banned from the sport for 2 years.  I think most every pro rider dopes, or at least did, hopefully with all the new tests and the fines and being banned from the spot everyone will stop it.  Times will be much slower though!

So, if you read my last post you know that I had a long night (for me) on Saturday but rallied and got up and went on a 40 mile ride.  Not like the Tour (110 miles in one day) but it was a hard ride, loads of hills.  I usually end up riding alone, because I ride with Bruce and our friend Steve came along.  They are fast and as much as I try, I just can't keep up.  I'm a pretty fast rider, but I'm a woman and over 40 and well, need I say more.  I have a great time, whether I ride with a pack or alone, sometimes I enjoy riding alone...clears my head.  It was a great ride and we were beat.  Today we did a short 15 mile ride, just to recover from yesterday.  I was a gymnast for 8 years when I was young and then was a runner and then did triathlons and now I can't run so I cycle and I must say that I'm in the best shape ever.  Cycling tones so much of your body, doesn't build bulky muscles, it gives you long and lean muscles.  I'm on my 3rd bike, no 4th.  My tri-bike was my first serious bike, then I got a Lightspeed and then a Cervello...they were great bikes but they didn't really fit me 100%.  2 years ago I got hit by a car on my bike...crazy lady turned left right in front of me as I was crossing over an intersection.  I had the green and I was in a designed bike lane - she was nuts!  I got a great settlement so I bought a new bike.  I have a Lemond Versailles bike, it's carbon fiber and it fits me like a glove..I love it. 

I'll never be a pro cyclist...it's a hard life, all you do is wake up, eat, train, sleep, eat, train, sleep, train and you travel all the time.  But I love to cycle and love to see the world on my bike.  We took our bikes to France last year and will take our bikes again this year.  There is nothing better than being on your bike.  You don't have to be fast, your don't have to have an expensive bike...just get out there and bike you will see your city in a whole different way. 

Comments

[Art Tea Life]

I dont ride...but my boyfriend lives and breathes it .... so in a way ! I almost do ! without the pain !

Every month we are trekking off to one ride or another.

I laughed when the download here revealed The Tour - I wake up to it in the morning on the television in our room.

It is pretty exciting. I love watching each summer and what would July be w/o it ?

We are in Southern California...do you guys every do any of the rides around here? The last one we went to was the Mammoth Two Hundred Mi. Ride. That was the first time at two hundred for T. and man I was a Mother Hen waiting for his return....But the Skinny Man breezed in like he was having the time of his life...I dont get it quite, but I see that You do ! laughing.

Nice to find you ! mayvbe one day we will see eachother at a ride ?
Our next one is a century ride in Ojai mid August. You ? (no I never ride...I go to the spa !)

Or mayyyybe ! we will meet at The Tour one day ? because I know one of these July's it will be me & T. at the side of the road in France and Italy cheering the riders on.

Love, S.

[Art Tea Life]

ps NICE BIKE !!

[Alisa]

Yeah, another woman who watches the tour. We live and breathe riding! We've done the Solvang ride but that's all. Not big on the "group" ride things. We ride locally around here 4 days a week and ride to work 3 days a week. We are around Marina del Rey, so we either go south to PV (and up and around it) or around Santa Monica and into some of the canyons. We also go to Palm Springs a bunch and love to take our bikes there (it's such a bike friendly city). Last year we took our bikes to France and road around Provence and the Dordogne. This year we'll take them again and ride around the South West of France and then around Girona Spain. Do you live near us? Where does your boyfriend ride and how much does he ride.
A.

[Colleen]

OK, that's IT! I put you on my blogroll. I love cycling (and have watched, followed it since LeMond.)