Playing favorites in typically viewed with disdain. For instance, the advice goes that a parent shouldn\’t favor one child over another.

When the Tour de France is on, it can be very difficult to keep from playing favorites. Who’s your favorite pro rider?

If I actually have a favorite, it’s Nairo Quintana.  He caught my attention the year he won the white jersey in the Tour de France, and was in second place overall. Gosh, was that 2015? To me it seems like year before last.

I think I’m drawn to watching him because he, like me, is “little”. True, he has six inches over me when it comes to height, but he’s been described as “diminutive” often enough. Seeing how he can climb, though, I’ll bet his power-to-weight ratio is off the charts.

While we\’re talking about \”favs\”, don\’t we all have a route that we\’d rather ride than any other that we know? Give me the local segment of the MRT. I don\’t have to ride alongside traffic! The drawback is that I\’m on top of the levee, and that can get tough when there\’s a strong wind.

How about your favorite \”ride\” food? I\’m a bit undecided there. I\’ve tried a lot of different things, including rice cakes a la Feed Zone. Some things, while I like them, don\’t have enough \”oomph\” for long-ride snacks, so I know it\’s important to choose your on-bike food wisely.

The list of favorites could go on indefinitely: favorite jersey, favorite chain lube — even a favorite pair of socks!