Parlez-vous Tour? Yes, it\’s that time again: the Tour de France is underway!

Any field has its own lingo, not excepting Le Tour. Want to hang on, or merely understand what they\’re talking about? Check out this list.

Little old me versus a pro Tour rider? No comparison, that\’s certain.

As followers of TdF know, it\’s not all glamor; not by a long shot. We see news footage and \”stills\” of the crashes that take place. Riders who crash wind up with torn clothing and skin that resembles raw meat; and sometimes broken bones, too.

I remember seeing in a video several years ago how one rider involved in a multi-bicycle crash went somersaulting over and over (I think 3-4 times!), while his bike went whirling through the air behind him. I\’m amazed that he didn\’t break his neck.

I don\’t envy the riders the cobblestone stages, or those hors categorie climbs. By one account after another, it\’s hard for TdF riders to eat enough. They burn so many calories that they have to eat just about all the time that they aren\’t asleep, and getting enough food down becomes a chore. I fact, they\’re likely to become catabolic towards the end of a multi-stage race. I think I\’ll skip it.

I\’m looking forward to enjoying the online pics of the race. I don\’t have TV, so I won\’t be watching it in action. Probably there\’s a way to get it on my laptop, but I have other things to take care of.

Parlez-vous Tour? Allez, allez, allez!