Vive Le Tour! Part 4

Wow, these Tour posts are starting to rival the number of stages of the Tour de France.

13. Like taking a trip without leaving the house. I've enjoyed seeing the scenery of the various areas. The aerial shots can be quite spectacular and the broadcasts give some history and so forth.

14. The combination of team and individual in this sport. Each rider is part of a team but there is also a lot of individual stuff that goes on. I suppose you could say the same is true of any other team sport, except that sometimes a group of individuals from different teams will work together. Basically the strategy determines what will happen, so two riders might help one another at one point and do the opposite at another.

15. The different jerseys. By this I mean not only is there the famous "maillot jaune" for the race leader (which can switch backs each day) but also a polka dot king of the mountains jersey (polka dots though??!) and a green jersey and a white jersey for best virgin. (Ok, that last part wasn't *totally* true).

16. Sprints. The sprints at the finish are something to behold. Sometimes parts of the stages can get pretty boring, but near the end it's a crazy mass of bikes and bodies. This can't be captured in words, you need to see it.