I would be interested to see how many people are keeping up with the Tour now that it is no longer the Tour de Lance. In some ways Lance was supposed to have made the tour boring. Barring a bad collision, or injury, or meteor strike, it was a safe bet he'd be wearing yellow at the end. But waiting to see just how many victories he could string together had a lot of people watching who have no idea what "peloton" means.
Most kinds of racing can be difficult to watch, but the bicycle is an almost perfect device for translating certain virtues of body and soul (those having to do chiefly with endurance) into a sustained brilliance of motion. The Greek word for virtue, arete, or perfect excellence, describes what is on display.
It does look as though another American is going to keep the yellow jersey. From Molly Moore at the Washington Post:
PARIS, July 22 -- American Floyd Landis has given the Tour de France its greatest roller coaster ride in years.
In Saturday's final time trial through the Burgundy countryside, the 30-year-old Landis reclaimed the top overall position for the fourth time in 19 days of racing.
Though Landis is poised to become the third American to win the Tour de France Sunday in Paris, his 59-second lead over Spain's Oscar Pereiro, the potential for errors and the unexpected twists of this year's race leave just enough suspense to make the final stage a true test of skills and perseverance rather than a largely celebratory victory lap down the Champs-Elysees.
Recent Comments