I *LOVE* Le Tour

Every year, I say to myself "Yeah, it'll be nice to watch the Tour de France," saying so casually because I know I like it.

I don't just like it. I LOVE it.

I get wrapped up in the moment by moment attacks by riders, the crushing climbs up mountains, the crashes, wondering whether breakaways are going to stay out ahead, and watching unexpected winners win stages and jerseys.

It's interesting that I have as much fun watching the live, text-based moment-by-moment coverage at cyclingnews.com nearly as much as I like the TV-based coverage on the Versus network. I still watch the Versus coverage, even though I know who a stage winner is. It's like being able to eat a good meal twice, and enjoy it both times.

It's also fun to watch how the french people really make this event so fun. Scenes like this (where residents do something cute for the overhead cameras) are common throughout the tour.

This is a favorite time of year for me.