On The Fly

Watching Le Tour de France this year, I found myself transported back to August 1983 as the Peloton in Stage 10, Bastille Day, flowed through the French countryside like a brightly colored ribbon. I was in my twenties, visiting family in the Charente-Maritime region of France, completely obsessed with bicycle racing—and convinced I was much stronger than I was. My connection to cycling—and to France—runs deep. I was born in France, and my very first real road bike, at age fifteen, was a Mercier . To me, it wasn’t just a bicycle; it was a work of art made from beautiful French steel. I rode that bike for miles, through high school, into college, and until the day someone decided they needed it more than I did. I hope they at least appreciated the craftsmanship. Its untimely disappearance led me to a Schwinn Voyageur, and later, when I started racing around Illinois, to a Raleigh Competition . But during that summer of ’83, while staying with my Uncle Jean Paul in Lagord, just north of L...

Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the familiar voices of Phil Liggett, Bob Roll, and Jens Voight grace the television airwaves broadcasting  Le Tour de France    (Le Tour). The 106th edition of the Tour de France celebrates 100 years of the maillot jaune (yellow jersey), and this year's race honors Eddy Merckx with its Grand Departure from Brussels. Le Tour 2019 kicked off on Saturday, July 6, with three weeks of racing, including five mountain top finishes and a total of 3,460 kilometers. That’s the distance from our house in Vista, CA. to Elkhart, Indiana -  2,150 miles! When you have the audacity to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, tune into NBC SN Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July (July 6 - July 28, 2019). Quickly humility sets in. This year marks the 106th Anniversary - 21 stages and only two,  yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Cham...

Peter Sagan claims stage two of the 105th Tour de France following an uphill sprint win in La Roche-sur-Yon, 182.5 km (113.4 miles), after another hectic finale involved a major crash on the final bend and yet more splits in the field. Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Bob Roll, and Jens Voight grace the television airwaves broadcasting  Le Tour de France  (Le Tour). When you have the audacity to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, tune into NBC S N Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July (July 7 - July 29, 2018), this year on YouTube TV. Quickly humility sets in. This year marks the 105th Anniversary - 21 stages, a total distance of 2,898 kilometers (1,874 miles), and only two,  yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Bicycling magazine lists a few fun facts about Le Tour; racers will consume 16...

“ Mark Cavendish claimed stage one of the 103rd Tour de France at Utah Beach as he out sprinted Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan to take the first yellow jersey of his career.” Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, and Bob Roll, grace the television airwaves broadcasting  Le Tour de France  (Le Tour). If you have the audacity to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, tune into NBC SN Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July (July 2 - July 24, 2016). Quickly humility sets in. This year marks the 103 rd  Anniversary - 21 stages, a total distance of 3,535 kilometers, and only two,  yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Bicycling magazine lists a few fun facts about Le Tour; racers will consume 160,000 calories during the three-week tour. 200 bottles of water or drink mix (depends on the temperature) per race....

Team BMC 2015 Team BMC wins the team time  trial  by one second in  stage  nine! Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, and Bob Roll, grace the television airwaves broadcasting  Le Tour de France   (Le Tour). When you dare to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, just tune into the NBC SN Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July ( July 4 - July 26, 2015) . Very quickly humility sets in. To date, the riders in that race have ridden nine grueling stages, with an average distance of 186 kilometers, that’s 115 miles per day. This year is the 102 nd  Anniversary - 21 stages, a total distance of 3,360 kilometers, and only two,  yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Dare I say it – Le Tour can inspire even casual riders, take your bicycles from the back shed, dust them off, inflate their tires...

Summer on my calendar has officially arrived. The fourth of July celebrations have already come and gone and Le Tour de France is underway! This morning the sun peeked over the horizon in California at 5:45 a.m., a comfortable 60 degrees, the skies were turquoise blue, the winds calm, bird’s singing quietly in the background, and the fresh smell of the trees filled the air. Well, not exactly, you see today’s chore was to empty and completely scrub the cats litter box. As you might imagine the smells were not exactly that of a floral bouquet. Anyway . . .  For me, summer continues to build the anticipation of this year’s annual high Sierra adventure. This will be my fourth consecutive year wildness backpacking near Bishop, CA. It’s less than two weeks away and my motivation for training increases daily as the trip approaches. My challenge is to not overdo it, maintain a balance between workout and proper rest. As a devoted cyclist and French compatriot, anticipation al...

Fignon & LeMond Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, and Bob Roll, grace the television airwaves broadcasting Le Tour de France (Le Tour). When you dare to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, just tune into the NBCSN Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July. Very quickly humility sets in. To date, the riders in that race have ridden nine grueling stages, with an average distance of 186 kilometers, that’s 115 miles per day. This year is the 102 nd  Anniversary - 21 stages, a total distance of 3,360 kilometers, and only two, yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Dare I say it – Le Tour can inspire even casual riders, take your bicycles from the back shed, dust them off, inflate their tires, and hit the streets. It’s amusing to see people pretend, they are in Le Tour, competing for the coveted yellow jersey. It’s summer...