Today is the last day of this year's tour. I feel like we have known who was going to win for the last 2 weeks. The tour this year was a letdown.
As soon as I started cycling myself I became a fan of watching the sport on television. The pinnacle of the cycling year is always le Tour. It is a month long event that occupies up to 5 hours of coverage every day. That is a large investment of one's time. I have not watched all of it this year... not even close. Most of the time I dvr the race, watch the beginning, then fast-forward to the end. The mountain stages are a little more interesting and I tend to watch more of those. Today it is all over, and I feel like I have pretty much wasted a month.
It is like a reality show in the sense that if you try to describe to an outsider what is going on halfway through The Bachelor you will seem like a total moron. If you just peak in on the tour it might (probably will) seem stupid. Usually I start watching from the beginning and get swept up in it all right away. Even if you thought it was stupid I would defend it. This year I'm not sure I can.
The more I watch the more I learn about the sport. The strategy behind it makes total sense, which I could not say the first few years I watched it. The race usually has drama that results in some compelling television, but this year it was mostly just boring. I wanted excitement but it served up frustration. Bradley Wiggins put forth an impressive performance and got a solid win, but it wasn't fun to watch. I guess now it is time to wait for next year.
Filed Under: Cycling, Sport, Tour de France