Le Tour de France, Demain!

Le jour de l'indépendence américaine... et commence le Tour de France!

Tomorrow begins a 3-week event that is definitely one of my favorite times of the year - the Tour de France! Over the course of the next 23 days, 180 riders will be making a 2,141 mile journey through France and its surroundings.

Unlike other racing sports like running or swimming, success in cycling depends just as much on tactics and teamwork as it does on physical fitness. Even Lance Armstrong could not have won without having carefully planned a strategy over the course of the 21 stages, nor could he have won without the dedication and support of his teammates. I will not delve too deeply here into the intricate strategies associated with a race as long as this, since it would take me hours to explain.

Even putting strategy aside, there's no doubt that the race is majestic - majestic enough for millions of people to come see the race each year. Even when the riders travel at a "casual pace," the Tour organizers make sure the route takes them through breathtaking scenery. (I should add that a "casual pace" for these professionals is done for tactical purposes and is still actually very fast - perhaps from 20-25 mph. )

Even on days where the whole pack stays together, you can hope for a bunch sprint at the finish, where sprinters can go over 50 mph, traveling within inches of each other!

On other days, the Tour takes riders through the mountains, which feature climbs that can go over a mile high. And in most cases, this means they need to go back down afterwards! There's no break for these riders, who must go through dangerous, technical descents at speeds exceeding 65 mph, immediately after these large climbs.

These stages are where the top contenders like to make their move on their opponents to gain some valuable time. As you can see in this photo, the roads aren't gated off so much on the ascents, which make the atmosphere quite chaotic. One in a while, you may see one of those crazy fans wrapped in a flag and running up the slope with their favorite riders.

Every year, the Tour ends with a traditionally ceremonial "march" to Paris (where I'm also hoping to watch the race) and 10 laps around the Champs-Elysees, which culminates in arguably the most prestigious sprint in all of cycling.

Tomorrow is Stage 1, which is actually entirely in Monaco. The Tour starts each year with a short time trial to make some preliminary standings. This year's course is 9.6 miles long, so it should take the best time trial riders less than 20 minutes to complete. The course starts off on the famous racetrack that runs through the streets of Monte Carlo and is used for an F1 race, before traveling through some hills around town and coming back.

Because the stage is a time trial, we'll get to see riders one at a time, instead of in a peloton, which is the term for a large pack of cyclists that ride near each other for aerodynamic advantage. The major advantage of watching a time trial, in addition to getting to see all your favorite cyclists one at a time, is seeing all of the sweet time trial bikes!

Because riders can't draft behind others, specially-designed bikes are used for time trials, where everything - the bike's frame, wheels, the rider's suit, helmet, shoe covers, and even the water bottle! - is all about aerodynamics. On the straightaways, the rider also adopts a position that sacrifices steering control and balance for... guess what... improved aerodynamics.

Once again, in the time trials, it's all about aerodynamics. These bikes are not allowed, nor are they desirable, in the longer, group stages. The bikes there are more about being light and comfortable, since riders can draft behind others, nullifying the need for aerodynamics.

Monaco is expecting 150,000 people to come watch Stage 1, as well as the sendoff for Stage 2. Wow, this is crazy, especially considering the fact that Monaco is only 3/4 of a square mile in area! We will be leaving Monaco during the middle of Stage 1 and head over to Nice, in France. Stage 2 is a relatively flat stage that travels 116 miles westward along the southern part of France, and it will pass through Nice along the way, where I hope to catch a sight of the peloton as it passes by for about 10 seconds.

The internet situation tomorrow is uncertain, but we'll see. I'm sure I will have tons to share about Monaco, Nice, and the Tour de France!