7/7/2006
Vive la Tour
Hundreds of millions of people in the United States are glued to their television sets watching as men bicycle around the country of France. OK, maybe I lied. It's probably more like hundreds of Americans are tuning in to the Tour de France on OLN (Outdoor Life Network,) and I'm one of them.
With the absence of Lance Armstrong, the greatest American athlete ever, due to his retirement from the sport a year ago, and also Tour favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso due to a doping scandal, the race is wide open. Riders with a very good shot of winning the three week race are actually American. George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and Pennsylvania native Floyd Landis are all contenders to wear the maillot jeune (yellow jersey) on the Tour's final day in Paris on July 23.
The racing so far in week one has been very entertaining. The strategy, the stage victories and even the crashes have been exciting to watch. And it will only get better because weeks two and three contain the grueling mountain stages.
So if you thought that the Tour de France was some boring bicycle race not worth watching, I recommend you sit and watch a stage with an open mind. You might just get hooked.
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After a hard day at work, these Observer-Reporter staff members like nothing more than planting themselves in front of the television for a moment of relaxation and entertainment. We'll talk about TV's spuds and duds and which hot potato show you should be watching. We call ourselves "The Couch Potatoes." Join us and we'll be sure to grow on you.
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You surely have run out of things to watch on TV this summer, Greg.