Tour de France 2014: Suggested Reading

Three books on the iconic sporting event that has this year claimed its first victim on the first day.

The Fall of Lance Armstrong

I don't even know what to say.

Those Unsung Heroes of the Tour de France

Today's stage was full of horrifying crashes, but I did find something else worth pointing out about the Tour.  There are a bunch of hilarious people running a website that declares its intention as "Celebrating the unsung heroes of the Tour de France.  That's right.  The cows."  

Here it is in all its goofy bovine glory: http://www.lesvachesdutour.com/

Le Tour 2012: Come Obsess with Me

I've been busy with nerdwork and juggling Nerd Lord demands, so I haven't been as bloggy as usual, but don't you worry - my friends and I are as engaged in our annual July obsession as ever.  I still want a dress that's the same pattern as that polka-dot jersey!  (Wear with a big straw hat with a red ribbon and a floppy brim, a straw tote, and cute sandals ... maybe espadrilles.)

Tour de France: All Hail Andy Schleck!

What else needs to be said for the Luxembourg rider in Stage 18?  Watching him attack in the mountains was a joy. Kudos too to Thomas Woeckler of France, valiant defender of the yellow jersey for 10 days in a  row. As for Alberto Contador, is his goose cooked?  Probably, and turned into pate (this is France, after all).

Tour de France Awesomeness in Stage 13

All hail the Norwegian god of thunder!  Wow.  And Jeremy Roy.  What a day in the mountains!

An Epic Race Finds Its Hero, the Flying Dutchman

Yesterday was a rest day for the competitors of the Tour de France, and while I (like many another fan) suffered from withdrawal, there's no doubt that they needed a day off.  The ninth stage was sheer madness, and one part of it was utterly horrifying:

Johnny Hoogerland of the Netherlands somersaulted in the air and fell into a barbed wire fence. He needed 33 stitches to close his bloody gashes. But he managed to finish the stage despite the untold agony of his injuries and even to wear the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey. That's heroics, people.  Not to mention the manliest tears ever.

So as we return to the road today, MM salutes the courageous Hoogerland. Johnny, you look great in those polka dots.

This year's Tour seems to be dogged with crashes, disasters, and injuries -- carnage on the road. So many people have had to drop out, and Alexandre Vinokourov's hair-raising crash ended with a fractured femur and a helicopter ride to Paris for surgery.  

Awesome: a Fourth of July Tour de France Stage Win by American Cyclist Tyler Farrar

I watched this thing live this morning -- and it's like gilding the lily on this sunny, glorious holiday.  Awesome!  Congrats, Tyler!

Bonjour! The 2011 Tour de France Is Here!

It's my usual summer delight -- working on papers while watching the Tour.  From today until July 24, it's going to be a good time indeed with the 98th Tour de France.  If I had any literary pretensions or skills, I would write an Ode to the Peloton!  Not that you need a reminder of why the Tour is so awesome, but here's a photo:

Nerd Journal: Post-Tour de France

Is there a rehab clinic for treating Tour de France addiction?

I'm serious! I need to detox or something, because I have Tour withdrawal! After 3 weeks of nonstop obsessing all day every day about the glorious Tour, I wake up this morning, and there is no Tour! What a horrible Monday when all Mondays are already horrible!

Oh, I'll obsess about the new Team Radio Shack from now until next year's Tour, but it's small potatoes.

I'll write a Tour retrospective post later when I'm over the cold-turkey withdrawal! All I can say is this: today I distracted myself as much as I could by running errands and going to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" this afternoon (movie review coming soon!). I love Harry too, but I hadn't bothered seeing the flick though it premiered 2 weeks ago because -- well, it'll be in theaters for a while, and I was busy with something that wouldn't wait!

Oh, here -- Have fun with this!

Japan Represents in the Tour de France

I -- and probably a lot of folks -- have spent the last three weeks obsessing over the Tour's leading riders (especially Lance in his fantastic comeback), but as the race turns toward Paris, it's time to pay homage to everybody who will finish!

Here is a little news for you. Among that glorious number of conquering heroes are two Japanese athletes. This is the first year that the same Tour has had two Japanese participants, and they will both ride triumphantly into Paris.

(In the history of the Tour, there have been 2 other Japanese cyclists, but neither one finished.)

So! For the 2009 Tour, congratulations and best wishes to Yukiya Arashiro of Bbox Bouygues Telecom and Fumiyuki Beppu of Skil-Shimano! (Just saw the two of them riding and chatting. Sweet.)

Nerd Journal, Tour de France Edition: Mont Ventoux

Only two more stages left! But SUCH excitement. Today it's the Giant of Provence!

Here is why it's a big deal as explained by Bobby Julich. Here it is on webcam. Look at this great panoramic photo.

Here's a little bonus: an English translation of Petrarch's climb of the mountain (not on a bicycle, though -- Petrarch can't claim being a Tour de France athlete among his many skills!).

UPDATE: The estimate is that there are nearly 500,000 fans out by the side of the road today. I love watching the fans!

Nerd Journal, Tour de France Edition: Individual Time Trials!

GLUED TO THE TV. THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY. I *LOVE* WATCHING TIME TRIALS.

Go, Lance, go! He had a tough day yesterday, and I really want to see him on the podium in Paris. The man is nearly 38 years old and still a great athlete. Amazing.

Also, get-well wishes to crash victims Levi Leipheimer and Jens Voigt. We miss you guys!

Oh, I have nerd work scattered all around me. A least I'm only organizing bibliography, so I don't have to use much of my brain. GLUED TO THE TV. And the streaming video on my laptop. Sensory overload!

The greatest cycling race in the world is rocketing to a finish. I don't know what I'm going to DO once the race is over. I might actually have to (gasp!) do my research! Noooooooo!

UPDATE: Lake Annecy is ridiculously beautiful. I can only dream of visiting it someday. For now, though, I'll settle for the TV!

Nerd Journal: Taking Fashion Hints From the Tour de France

I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF THE TOUR THIS YEAR. There have been some amazing performances; I'm still reeling from George Hincapie from yesterday. Plus, we're in the mountains again -- the Alps, and that is always thrilling. And Alberto Contador in Stage 15! The new yellow jersey! Heck, everybody in Stage 15!

On a related note, my fixation with the polka dot jersey idea remains as strong as ever. So it's making me wonder, hmmm, how do you think I would look in a pretty white sundress with red polka dots? Add some cute red wedge sandals to match and maybe a big straw bag and a straw hat with a red, red ribbon. Summertime fun, no? Something like this:

Nerd Journal: More Tour de France

The Lance Armstrong Show -- I mean, the Tour de France -- rolls on, and there's plenty of good and plenty of bad. A few random thoughts:

~Following Lance on Twitter is FABULOUS!

~What was the deal with the radio ban a couple days ago? It seemed to be a collective fit of nostalgia for how cycling was done long ago. Trying to turn back the clock to a simpler era? (Here's a snarky British commentary.)

~Levi Leipheimer crashed and broke his wrist yesterday, and he's out of the Tour. Oh, no! That's horrible! (There's a fresh video update from him on his website -- cast and all.)

~Is this the rainiest Tour ever or what? Here in Nerdworld, the rain is never-ending, too.

~A thought: Actual racing and cyclists aside, commentator Bob Roll is one of my favorite things about the Tour. He's crazy, amusing, energetic, and completely unlike any other commentator. I found this article about him from 2007, and the basic ideas are still true. If you don't know who Bob "Bobke" Roll is, check out this little blurb from him:

"On Tour," says Roll, a former professional cyclist and member of the original 7-Eleven cycling team, "no matter how perfectly you spoke French, [French waiters] pretended like they didn't understand you. That got old real fast. To get revenge, I decided to mispronounce as many French words as I could. Then I got to doing it all the time."

That's simply hilarious . . . and sounds pretty much like the sort of stuff I would do.

Come On, Are You Watching the Tour de France?

The Tour headed into the mountains today, and it was a stunning ride! I just have to say, watching Alberto Contador rocket up the mountainside was pretty amazing (check out that smile). And poor Fabian Cancellara, former owner of the yellow jersey, had two flat tires -- hard luck!

Anyway, there is something so elemental about the mountain stages. In the end, it's about a guy and his bike, taking on Nature itself. (Plus the whole thing is like a metaphor for grad school!) It's about endurance and grit, and I love how the fans cheer on everybody. All those guys are amazing athletes, and they're going to be doing punishing rides nearly everyday until July 26 when the Tour ends in Paris. This whole thing is an epic odyssey.

So! Are you gentler readers out there watching the Tour too?

Here's something else you might find interesting: a BUNCH of my friends are rabid Tour fans with me. Every summer we're utter addicts and junkies for the entire duration of the race. Are you surprised that the ladies love the Tour too? (And no, it's not only about Lance.)

Tour de France -- a Question

Riddle me this, Batman -- if it's the Tour de France, why are we racing in Spain today?

Just askin', is all!

Nerd Journal: Busy -- But Not *Too* Busy to Watch the Tour de France

Blogging may be light for a little while because of work, but if you're wondering what I'm doing when I'm not working on writing projects, you can go to the Tour de France website and check out the excitement for yourself.

All I'm going to say is: after Stage 4's team time trials, the one and only Lance Armstrong is a fraction of a second away from the yellow jersey. OMG!

I'd been all excited when he announced that he was riding in this year's Tour, and all I can say right now is "Wow." Oh, and you can keep up with Armstrong and his ride for glory in the Tour de Lance at Livestrong or with his official Twitter and Facebook page.

The Tour -- a summertime tradition here at Nerdworld.

For your amusement, I give you this archived satire!

PS: Yes, I still love the polka dot jersey too.

Tour de Lance 2009: Tour Director Not Excited

Are the French fretting already? Perhaps they thought they had finally got rid of the American who made the Tour his personal playground for seven years. Au contraire!

Tour de Lance 2009!

The rumors are true! The confirmation is on Armstrong's official website.

The Texas titan Lance Armstrong rides again in the 2009 Tour de France!

We missed you, Lance! For that and your Lancerrific awesomeness and the manliest name in recent sport history, you're getting your own blog tag.