Le soap opera; new Tour video now online

By Paul Verkuylen

The next Cyclingnews' video installment looks at just what it's like to ride the Tour de France with the support needed for the riders and the soap opera that unfolds on the road to Paris each year.

Each and every professional bike rider dreams of riding the Tour de France, and when they do, it is with great pride and joy that they take to the start line. At least that's how it starts out; three weeks later they may tell you another story.

Each rider deals with their own personal struggle to reach the end of the three week race. It is this struggle that makes the tour so fascinating and endearing to the spectators, possibly explaining the reason that the lantern rouge, the last placed rider on classification, often gets just as much support from the fans as the leader.

Riders will experience every emotion imaginable while on the tour, the ecstasy of winning a stage if they are lucky enough, or even just finishing one of the tough mountain stages, to the pain of suffering through the toughest day on the bike that they have ever had, all the while knowing that, they will need to do it all again tomorrow.

Click here to view the video.