Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Le tour

Three armchairs; three knee rugs; three personal electronic devices; one crackling fire; one TV tuned to SBS. Welcome to a living room somewhere in Camberwell. Sleep is a luxury and watching the Tour de France a necessity on these cold winter nights.

We are watching out for our favourite bike (Pinarello), our favourite team (BMC) and our favourite rider (Cadel). The travelogue of the French countryside and historic sites adds to the magic.

First we watch the previous day's highlights. Next, Gabriel Gaté's Taste le tour inspires us to use even more butter in our crêpes. And then the stage begins.

Now we are learning the history of a 12th century church; next we see a close-up of the breakaway group at 'la tête de course'. Oops, a crash - but this is what happens on these nasty little roads in Brittany, according to Phil and Paul. Some of the riders enjoy a natural break. The team car hares up the left-hand verge and overtakes the peloton. We see an aerial view of a chateau which has been turned into a town hall - cut to Mark Cavendish flexing his legs, followed by the most tattooed man in Le tour.

Le tour - we love it.