Tour de France rest day blues (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Tour de France rest day blues
5:06pm Tuesday 10th July 2012 in Opinion
By Bob Hart, Web editor
Fans keep themselves amused during the Tour's rest day. Photo: PA
I hate the Tour de France’s rest days.
It’s not that I begrudge the riders having some time off – I know they’ve been working hard.
But all the same, I find the tension unbearable.
When you’re a confirmed cycling addict, you spend 49 weeks of the year looking forward to the start of Tour – so when there’s a day with no racing the withdrawal symptoms start to kick in.
We’ve seen a little bit of drama today, with the news that Cofidis rider Rémy Di Gregorio has been arrested on suspicion of doping.
That will at least give L’Equipe something to report on tomorrow, but it’s not the sort of news I want to hear from the Tour.
It’s the desire to find out what happens next that keeps cycling fans hooked on three-week bike races.
The inclusion of rest days not only leaves the fans wanting more, but also makes sure the riders have the strength to maintain their furious pace.
While the tension is unpleasant for the fans, it must be worse for Lancashire’s Bradley Wiggins – now leading the Tour by nearly two minutes after yesterday’s sensational time trial win.
He’ll have ‘rested’ today by riding his bike for several hours to ensure his body doesn’t seize up, and the difficulties of defending the yellow jersey all the way to Paris will never have been far from his mind.
The Tour enters a new phase tomorrow, with the top contenders likely to be working together against Team Sky in the hope of stealing back some time from Wiggo.
Meanwhile, a break in the racing means I won’t be spending the evening slumped in front of the Tour highlights show.
Instead, it gives me chance to sate my addiction by going out on my bike.
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