It's July again so it's time for one of the world's greatest sporting events, the Tour de France.

This year is notable for a few reasons. It's the hundredth anniversary of he first Tour in 1903. It's alos the a rare chance for a rider to win the race for a fifth consecutive year. Of course, that rider is Lance Armstrong. It's hard not support this guy. His story is incredible. If you're not familiar with him, which would be shocking at this point, but you never know, check out book, It's Not About the Bike. It will inspire you.

I've been watching the Tour for years. I'm wierd about it. I'm one of these people who'd like nothing better than to pull up a chair, grab a bottle of wine and some cheese, and watch 5 hours of men riding through the French countryside in colorful shirts. I'm very jealous of the European coverage. Of course, this year, I won't see any of it. I'll just have to deal with following it online.

Last year I watched the TDF on OLN (Outdoor Life Network). The coverage was decent. The usual stuff with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, but every day the program ws distilled down to an hour or so. It wasn't enough for me. I'm greedy for the Tour.

One of these days, I'm going to travel to France and follow the riders around the country or at least be there, on the road, as the peloton whizzes by. Maybe on the heights of Alpe-d' Huez. It's one of my dream vacations.

There's a really interesting looking class being taught at the University of Toronto called A Cultural History of the Tour de France. It's too bad they are not offering it online. There are tons of good links on the website for the class.

Time to wrap this up. Good Luck, Lance!. I'll be watching you from Samoa.