Why I Love the Tour de France

In about 24 hours, I’ll be going through withdrawal. Le Tour de France will be over for this year.

Perhaps only one in 100 Americans knows what it is. But for the rest of the world, particularly Europeans, this three-week professional cycling race through the mountains, valleys, cities, towns and small villages of France – this year through Monaco, Italy, Spain and Switzerland as well — is one of the most engaging, exciting and emotional events of their year.

People go crazy during the Tour – perhaps some were that way already. You see grown men dressed as cyclists, barbarians, pirates, knights, clowns, cowboys, women and gorillas sprinting up a mountainside cheering on racers as thousands stretch closer for a glimpse. Most are holding the flag of their country or regional heritage. If it’s a steep climb, they can almost jog beside the riders as they pat them on the back and even push them from behind. On the flat roads or descent, watchers see a blur of color passing at nearly 80 kilometers per hour.

I like the Tour for different reasons. It offers many important symbols and life lessons – an essential part of Personal Semiotics. And although the race may hold little meaning for others, it’s a symbol that is personal to me. Here’s why.

First and foremost, the race is about physical endurance. Today’s stage, number 20, concluded with a 6,200 kilometer climb up Mont Vontoux, the highest summit in Provence. After riding for close to 100 kilometers, the finish line was reached by pedaling uphill for 60 to 80 minutes.

The race is also about courage. Almost every day the race features a crash – sometimes a few – as racers risk their personal safety to fly down narrow, winding roads in a skier’s crouch or around corners slick with rain. To race at this professional level also means that everyone in the race is in constant pain in their legs and stomach. It comes down to who can endure more pain and still push harder. And after 4 years away from the sport and a major crash this Spring, 7-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong of Austin, TX is set to capture third place tomorrow at the age of almost 38.

The Tour also symbolizes teamwork. I never understood why riders spend so much time riding behind others in a pack. I learned it’s because they can work 30% less by hiding within the aerodynamic slipstream of the forward rider(s). So to be successful, any great racer needs strong and selfless teammates who are willing to sacrifice their personal goals by setting a vigorous pace to keep a fellow teammate in position for glory.

It’s also about love – for country, the sport and even one’s brother. This was evidenced in stage 18 when Frank Schleck of Luxembourg gave everything he had to pace his brother Andy to a second-place position overall. In turn, brother Andy and overall race leader Alberto Contador of Spain stayed with Frank but allowed him to win a Tour de France stage – a rare feat among 150 or more racers – when either could have zipped by him at the end.

As a marketer, I also admire the Tour de France as a dramatic, spectacular marketing event shown all around the world. France has managed to showcase its magnificent natural and man-made architectural beauty – evident practically anywhere you look. Also on display are its history, vital industries, the pride and excitement of its people and even it’s beautiful and fashionable women – waiting on every stage’s podium to offer flowers and double kisses.

Finally, the Tour is symbolic for me as it represents my overall life goal of getting back to France. And not just as a tourist; I’ve done that a number of times since I lived in Paris for two years with my family while working for IBM. I want to be successful enough to one day have an apartment in Paris or a French country home where I can stay for or a month or two at a time when the whim hits – which is often.

Watching the Tour de France reminds me of that goal and what I’m working toward. It shows aerial and street views of countless cities, towns, villages, churches and chateaus – some as old as 1,000 years — that preserve a cultural and historical beauty that can be breathtaking.

I also want to be thin enough one day to fit into one of those colorful, striking cyclist jerseys without looking like a sausage. But not the pants; that’s still a little too French for me.

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