deja vu, again

I think I have said this before....several times

     The Tour de France is the most physical sports contest around.
     I recently did a bike tour where we rode close to 160 miles over 6 days.      Today, the Tour riders covered 196 kilometers.  My math is not always great, but that should be about 117 miles.  In one day. 
     And tomorrow, they do it again.
     And then again.
     It total, they ride about 2,100 miles. 
     We stopped for coffee and lunch on our ride.  The Tour riders eat and drink on the run.
     I don't want to think what they do for the bathroom.
     Yesterday, at one point, the announcers said the front riders were hitting 42 mph.  I thought maybe he meant kilometers per mile.  Lance Armstrong once won a Tour averaging 24 mph.  24.  Over 2,000 miles.  21 days.
     No wonder none of them have pot bellies.
     We saw some riders in the Netherlands that could have been a team.  They whizzed past us and were inches apart from each other, their wheels nearly touching.
     That's how it is in The Tour.  The peleton is tightly bunched and there is no room for error.  A wiggle the wrong way could lead to a major crash.
     If you have never watched a segment, I think you would be impressed by what they do.
     And throw in the beautiful scenery and you have the answer to why watching a Tour de France in person is on my bucket list.
    Stamina, strength, courage, fitness.....all have to be present in a Tour de France rider.
     It truly is a great sporting event.