Cycling Excitement Continues as Tour de France Ends, Olympics Begin
by Bike tour guru
We know, you're totally sad now that the Tour de France is over and you can't watch cycling on TV every day anymore. We are too. Watching the riders take their final laps on the famous Champs Elysees on Sunday was a bittersweet moment for us all. It was incredibly exciting to see first hand Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky crowned the 2012 champion, becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France. From the Alps, where Andy met and dined with all the riders of Liquigas-Cannondale to our TdF bike tour in the Pyrenees, we experienced all the best parts of the action in person, and got to tackle all of the best roads ourselves.
Sadly, the action and excitement of the Tour has passed, and as much fun as it was, it's time to move on. Fortunately, we don't have long to wait. With the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games commencing tomorrow, July 27, the cyclists don't have much time off, and we get a return of cycling to the global stage mere days after the end of the Tour. With the road race on Saturday, July 28, we'll jump right back into the action.
After taking the yellow jersey at the Tour, Wiggins is looking to bring further glory to his country with a win in the individual time trial on August 1. After crushing the field in both of the long time trials during the Tour de France, Wiggins is easily among the favorites to win gold and add to his already impressive collection of medals from his track racing days.
Mark Cavendish, Wiggins' team member and reigning world champion, is among the favorites to win the road race on July 28. Cavendish won three stages in the Tour de France this year, as well as his fourth consecutive victory on the Champs Elysees, so you know his form is good at just the right time. But one can never discount Liquigas-Cannondale's Peter Sagan, who tallied three Tour de France stage wins of his own, and captured the green points jersey at the ripe young age of 22. If the race comes down to a bunch gallop, don't be surprised to see one of these two leading the charge.
And to top it all off, the Olympics are, of course, packed with tons of exciting events on the velodrome, from the sprint to the madison to the pursuit. Over the 16 days of the Olympics, you can count on plenty of two-wheeled excitement.
So stop looking so sad. There's still plenty of exciting cycling in the near future. Get excited and ride on. Though the Summer Olympics only come around once every four years, the Tour de France happens every year. If you're a cyclist interested in challenging yourself on the same climbs the pros ride, join us for a Pro Series Tour de France bike tour and live the excitement.
