As I’ve mentioned, we are staying here in Normandy for our holidays. Temperatures remain reasonably cool here during the summer which is just right for me. Friends on holiday in the south are telling us it is too hot there – nearly forty degrees centigrade last week.
Unfortunately the Tour doesn’t pass through the west of France this year. After going to the Le Mans 24 hour race, I would have liked to catch one of my other highlights of the sporting year.
However, like last year, it will be a treat to watch as many stages as I want, live on TV. Most of the action is in the mid to late afternoon when I am trying to stay cool and resting at home.
I tried to claim that the 24 hours race at Le Mans was some sort of sporting metaphor that could help those of us with a long term illness. I’m not sure if I can make a similar claim for the Tour.
The race itself is quite brutal. The competitors put themselves through three weeks’ of physical torture that would kill the vast majority of people. The overall winner has to rely on selfless teamwork, perfect strategy, high-level psychological warfare plus amazing fitness and cycling talent.
Professional cyclists stand out from the rest of humanity by their extreme physique and their extreme single-mindedness. Everything is focused on winning and the high intensity training damages professional cyclists’ immune systems – so they are more susceptible to coughs, colds and viral infections.
Of course, focussing on winning means that there is an ongoing battle between the sport’s officials and those riders who use artificial methods to get an edge over their rivals. Drug scandals are so numerous in the Tour’s recent history that it is no longer a surprise when an amazing performance on a stage is found to be drug-fuelled.
I’m not saying there are any similarities here with the average person with Crohn’s disease (particular the performance-enhancing drug aspect), but I have been fascinated by the Tour de France ever since I came across it in my teens.
I could claim that cycling is truly a noble sport and shows us what we can achieve if we really set our minds to it. However, despite being a really enthralling and, at times, incredibly exciting three weeks, I think what it does show us is that being obsessed with physical perfection doesn’t actually make you a very nice person.
So, I will continue to follow cycling (see picture below from the Tour of Normandie earlier this year) rather than being tempted to get on a bike myself. I don’t think my body would ever forgive me – a leisurely walk or a dip in the pool is about as much as I can get away with.
