Throughout Europe, there's no sporting event that quite manages to captivate audiences year after year, dividing friendships and families when people choose their allegiances. Is it The World Cup? That's small potatoes compared to The Tour de France.
For people in the United States, the idea of a bunch of grown men on bicycles pedaling through the countryside might not seem like a big deal. Worse yet, there might even be gross misjudgment in place that makes it seem like a delicate or easy endeavor to participate in.
But make no mistake about it--rather than a simple leisurely bike ride through the countryside, The Tour de France is one grueling bike race, and the trials and tribulations of even making it to the finish are why it's the most famous race in the entire world. Rides from all over the world are competing not just against one another, but also against the landscape, the conditions, and their own psyches. The three-week long race is broken into daily segments, with very little time for recovery from day to day.
In fact, a number of riders have actually not survived The Tour de France, whether it was succumbing to heart attacks after ingesting methamphetamine while climbing part of the hills, or simply not being able to keep a bicycle on the road in times of great exhaustion. Riding the race has been compared to running in a marathon non-stop for a month, and it's no wonder why this seems an appropriate description once viewers take a single look at those treacherous mountain passes.
It's not just mountain passes, though. The race usually weaves in and out of cities, and traditionally wraps up with a triumphant sprint down busy city streets in Paris. The race is also known for varying in length, with the route changing every year. Sometimes, the difference can be as sizable as a few hundred miles, but usually it's more of a matter of routes. Anyone who wants to participate, though, should be in top form, as even very athletic riders talk of experiencing a great deal of trouble at the prospect of tackling the race.
The riders who make it to the end, even if they don't win, almost have the same quality as those people who scale any part of Mount Everest. Even if one is not the champion of the race, there's an understanding that a great deal of accomplishment goes with simply finishing, and that it is not every cyclist who can even consider a shot at The Tour de France. This is why so many fans get so rabid and fervent when offering their praise, even if just for a moment--they understand that it's hard enough to get to some of the locations with cars, just for a day. On only a bicycle after two weeks of riding? It's almost superhuman.
And while Americans might not have historically cared very much about bicycle racing, that all changed in recent years.. Not only were all of the Americans hanging on the daily results, but there was a huge rise in the popularity of long distance bicycling. Ever since this historic reign of terror, interest in the race has been the standard.
Who managed to change American opinion on The Tour de France? A single rider, Lance Armstrong, who managed to win The Tour de France not once, not twice, not three times, but SEVEN times, in a row. He managed to come back from a devastating cancer diagnosis to triumph in the race, and led to a lot of bicycling-related patriotism for those Americans who might not have even been interested in the race in the first place.
No matter the reason, one thing is definitely certain about The Tour de France: it's not a sporting event for the faint of heart to participate in, and anyone watching has to give a whole lot of kudos to anyone strong--or crazy--enough to decide they're ready to take on the mountains and the landscape of France for three weeks at a time, with only a bicycle.
Damian Papworth, an enthusiastic cyclist understands how crucial hydration is in the sport, at all levels. As such, he created the Cycling Water Bottle website, offering free advice on bicycle water bottles
For people in the United States, the idea of a bunch of grown men on bicycles pedaling through the countryside might not seem like a big deal. Worse yet, there might even be gross misjudgment in place that makes it seem like a delicate or easy endeavor to participate in.
But make no mistake about it--rather than a simple leisurely bike ride through the countryside, The Tour de France is one grueling bike race, and the trials and tribulations of even making it to the finish are why it's the most famous race in the entire world. Rides from all over the world are competing not just against one another, but also against the landscape, the conditions, and their own psyches. The three-week long race is broken into daily segments, with very little time for recovery from day to day.
In fact, a number of riders have actually not survived The Tour de France, whether it was succumbing to heart attacks after ingesting methamphetamine while climbing part of the hills, or simply not being able to keep a bicycle on the road in times of great exhaustion. Riding the race has been compared to running in a marathon non-stop for a month, and it's no wonder why this seems an appropriate description once viewers take a single look at those treacherous mountain passes.
It's not just mountain passes, though. The race usually weaves in and out of cities, and traditionally wraps up with a triumphant sprint down busy city streets in Paris. The race is also known for varying in length, with the route changing every year. Sometimes, the difference can be as sizable as a few hundred miles, but usually it's more of a matter of routes. Anyone who wants to participate, though, should be in top form, as even very athletic riders talk of experiencing a great deal of trouble at the prospect of tackling the race.
The riders who make it to the end, even if they don't win, almost have the same quality as those people who scale any part of Mount Everest. Even if one is not the champion of the race, there's an understanding that a great deal of accomplishment goes with simply finishing, and that it is not every cyclist who can even consider a shot at The Tour de France. This is why so many fans get so rabid and fervent when offering their praise, even if just for a moment--they understand that it's hard enough to get to some of the locations with cars, just for a day. On only a bicycle after two weeks of riding? It's almost superhuman.
And while Americans might not have historically cared very much about bicycle racing, that all changed in recent years.. Not only were all of the Americans hanging on the daily results, but there was a huge rise in the popularity of long distance bicycling. Ever since this historic reign of terror, interest in the race has been the standard.
Who managed to change American opinion on The Tour de France? A single rider, Lance Armstrong, who managed to win The Tour de France not once, not twice, not three times, but SEVEN times, in a row. He managed to come back from a devastating cancer diagnosis to triumph in the race, and led to a lot of bicycling-related patriotism for those Americans who might not have even been interested in the race in the first place.
No matter the reason, one thing is definitely certain about The Tour de France: it's not a sporting event for the faint of heart to participate in, and anyone watching has to give a whole lot of kudos to anyone strong--or crazy--enough to decide they're ready to take on the mountains and the landscape of France for three weeks at a time, with only a bicycle.
Damian Papworth, an enthusiastic cyclist understands how crucial hydration is in the sport, at all levels. As such, he created the Cycling Water Bottle website, offering free advice on bicycle water bottles
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