I was talking with my neighbor the other day and she was waxing poetic about golf and Tom Watson’s recent near win.  My eyes glazed over a bit, partly because I don’t know the terminology nor do I have her passion for the sport, but her enthusiasm was certainly infectious.  It dawned on me that there are probably a good many folks who react the same way when I go on and on about the Tour de France.  Just as I wonder where the excitement is in men walking around with a stick trying to get a tiny ball into a little hole somewhere, so they wonder why men in lycra on bicycles riding up and down mountains would be remotely riveting.  They fail to realize (as I do about golf) the athleticism involved, the tactics, the finesse, the wondering what your opponent is going to do, the multiple types of knowledge and training needed for each stage of the course, etc.  Then add to that, the gorgeous views of France, the rivalries, and Lance’s return to the sport this year and, well…what can I say?  J’adore Le Tour!  C’est magnifique!