Bicycle Race

Le Tour De France starts today, and we have a chance, slim admittedly, of actually winning the thing with the scarily fierce and focussed Bradley Wiggins (sounds like a troubled mill owner from an Arnold Bennett novel), who came a creditable 4th last year. Born in Belgium, but brought up in London. he is the star of a team assembled with the sole intention of getting him as high up the rankings as possible, sponsored by Sky, and run by Dave Brailsford, the man responsible for Great Britain's cycling successes at recent Olympics. Having watched Le Tour for over 15 years, Wiggins is the only Brit I've seen who can face the mountain stages without breaking down in tears or running away, David Millar excepted who as a team workhorse will never get near the podium places, and he makes fellow Scot Andy Murray look like Mr Happy of Happyville.
Wiggins' main rivals are last year's winner and favourite Alberto Contador, and the unlovable Lance Armstrong, who is retiring for the second time after this year's race - woohoo! There are three of four others in with a chance including the Schleck brothers Frank and Andy who finished 5th and 2nd last year.
 

 

Go Bradley!

 
Also in the race is Mark Cavendish, riding for Team Columbia. A muscle bound bouncer on a bicycle from the Isle of Man, who won a remarkable 6 stages last year, and would have won the sprinters green jersey were it not for being disqualified on one stage for eating his rivals alive while they were still in their saddles. A feisty character bearing similarities to Wayne Rooney in temperament he is the favourite to win the sprinter's crown this time round.

 

Would you steal his pint?

 
Le Tour is 3 weeks of physical excess and madness, covering 3642 km (about 2275 miles) in 21 stages over 23 days, which includes 2 rest days. There are 9 mountain stages involving 23 mountain passes or summit finishes! The scenery will be spectacular.
 
 

Nurse!

 
Previously only capable of being completed by skinny blokes full of pigs blood, changed at regular intervals and boosted by a cocktail of weird chemicals. Now obstensibly drug free and competed for by athletes who verge on the psychotic in their relentless determination, Le Tour De France is an annual spectacle deserving of more support from this side of Le Manche. Watch at least the mountain stages, or one of Mark Cavendish's sprint finishes and you won't be disappointed. TV coverage on ITV, Eurosport UK, or Sky.
 

 

The Col de la Madeleine, one of the mountain stages this year

- Utter madness!