nonamedufus

I've been watching some of the Tour de France coverage this year. For me, oddly perhaps, it's not about the race but the photography. The French countryside through which the bicyclists travel is simply gorgeous. The coverage from day to day is like one big travelogue for rural France. The race itself can be exciting at times, like when someone sprints away from the pack. You sit glued to the TV to see if anyone else will break away and catch up to him. But one thing that annoys me is how some fans react. I think these guys have been standing out in the hot sun on a hillside too long sucking back the vin rouge. You see, as the bikers draw near and start to climb an incline the fans on both sides of the road crowd in and what once was a two lane road quickly becomes a gauntlet barely wide enough to fit a bike and it's rider. And the fans whoop and holler, wave flags and clap. The braver fans - or maybe the more inebriated - slap the bicyclist on the back or, stan...

I've been watching the Tour de France the last couple of weeks. You know, that four week race of doped-up bicyclists? Just kidding. It's a fascinating sport. Charges of performance enhancing drugs notwithstanding. I don't quite understand the strategy of the teams and why they sometimes work together and sometimes not but I just love watching these guys as they glide through the French countryside. And that's the first thing you notice about the tour coverage - the gorgeous countryside. The mountains, the valleys, the old towns, the historic buildings, churches and castles - the tour is a travelogue sure to entice tourists. But the other thing you notice is the fans. Some of these people are so dedicated it borders on insanity. As the cyclists hit towns with narrow roads, or climb hills with equally narrow patches of pavement, these fans pack each side of the route and crowd in leaving the bikers even less room to cycle by. Some fans take a step or two out...