 The Riders Move On; the Land Remains A morbid thought crossed my mind the other morning while I was transfixed in front of the tube.
No matter what, the Tour de France is going to end on Sunday with the ceremonial ride up the Champs-Elysées, and then it will go away for the next 49 weeks. Why does it have to go away? The Tour catches my attention like no other sports event; I’ve covered parts of six or seven, sometimes driving the course just before or just after the riders. Now I watch the live show on NBC Sports Network every morning (Tuesday is a rest day.) as the cyclists flit from mountain to coastline, from country to city, always something different around the next turn. The riders all look alike, with their thrust jaws and wraparound shades and wiry physiques hunched aerodynamically. For the viewer, the cyclists come to individual life through the expertise of Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett, two Englishmen who have been broadcasting the Tour since humankind invented the wheel. They know all 198 riders registered for the Tour and, as the day’s race unfolds kaleidoscopically, they discuss which rider is a sprint specialist and which one a mountain man. One thing is certain: the Tour endures despite the retirement and current legal troubles of Lance Armstrong. Whatever he was doing chemically, we all saw him whup a bunch of riders who actually did test positive. He was a great force but he is long gone now. And the land and the riders remain. As seen by camera from a Tour helicopter, a knot of riders banks to the left around a curve on one rainy desolate section of country road. In the background are sheep or maybe one tent pitched in a field. A couple stands by the wayside, clapping politely. The mind snaps the picture and the camera rolls around the next bend. While the network breaks for a commercial, the camera may focus on a crumbling hilltop castle. Here is the ultimate truth about the Tour de France: the star of the show is one of the most beautiful and diverse and historic countries in the world. I know, I know, one does not need the Tour to drive through Normandy or down the Rhone valley or across the haunting Massif Central. (I tremble as I type that name.) For three weeks a year, the network brings France into my house. I try not to dwell upon that grim moment, coming next Monday, when the Tour goes away.
Brian Savin
7/16/2012 03:43:16 pm
I have to confess that a large part of my own keen interest in this year's Tour is my conviction (fantasy?) that given all the scrutiny, investigation and bad publicity, this Tour has finally turned the corner and is being conducted as an honest sporting event among (reluctantly?) honest athletes. I so much want to believe because of all the reasons you mention.
George Vecsey
7/17/2012 02:18:27 am
Brian, I agree with you. I always feel it is the responsibility of the sport or the federation to make sure the athletes are as clean and healthy as possible. MLB let Fehr stall them for ages on the issue of privacy and rights. Cycling did not want to know. The NFL laughed off brain injuries. Road cycling is so appealing; but who really knows what they are using. Enjoy. GV
Frank Barning
7/17/2012 03:38:35 am
I wish more baseball fans knew Donald Fehr's role. It appears that he had Bud Lite by the short hairs, and please correct me if I am wrong in this judgment.
George Vecsey
7/17/2012 07:40:23 am
Frank, it was a labor-management impasse on one level. And MLB did not want to know about the new set of muscles on everybody. And Fehr threw out smoke about human rights when many other industries and of course sports were testing people. It wasn't as if Selig could unilaterally impose testing. Nobody comes off well, in retrospect, including my own profession. GV 7/17/2012 07:49:33 am
The TdF is an unofficial three-week advert for France's stunning countryside.
George Vecsey
7/17/2012 08:27:08 am
Dear Mr. Thomson: Thank you for alerting me. I will fix the mistake shortly. I met Liggett on my first Tour in 82 when I was following Jonathan Boyer and I got to see Liggett and Sherwen during the later Lance Tours. They are such familiar companions for these three weeks. They actually remind me of the days when Tony Trabert and Pat Summerall broadcast the US Open tennis -- two very secure people who didn't need to overwhelm every second, but also knew their stuff. I appreciate your expertise, GV 7/18/2012 02:51:51 am
George, We share that Tour de France passion. I made the pilgrimage three times. My strategy was always to follow the last week- with my main focus in the mountains. That meant '03 & '05 were in the Pyrenees and '04 was in the Alps including the first Alpe d' Huez time-trial. The favorite was 2005 because of the racing certainly, but also I was solo and used only public transportation, my feet and occasional bicycle. Before the Tour I stopped ten days in England, mostly for Shakespeare. Several months later I rode my last century in Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses against cancer. At age 65 it was a very sweet year. PS For 2008, I created another literary/bicycle race trip. Again the start was Shakespeare, but then it was off to Spain for Cervantes and Don Quixote followed by the last week of the Vuelta a Espana in the mountains of course.
George Vecsey
7/18/2012 04:50:37 am
Jerry, I'm impressed. Best I do is some of the modest hills in town, not even the big ones on the North Shore. My friend Sal Ruibal used to ride the course when he worked for USA Today -- he'd do a few hours in the morning and then cover the race. I'm settling for the stationary bike today....GV 8/20/2012 10:44:47 pm
I wish more baseball fans knew Donald Fehr's role. It appears that he had Bud Lite by the short hairs, and please correct me if I am wrong in this judgment. 8/24/2012 09:12:59 pm
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