Most of the time there's more entertainment on this board than on the actual race. In fact, I just watch the race to get the context for what's being discussed here.
Just a quick note on this: fans of riders might not want to believe it but the absolute vast majority of French people watching the Tour do so because of the countryside and vistas.
It's a particularity of the Tour de France i.e. even without the 'biggest stars', viewing figures really would be samey or thereabouts.
It's not like other sports that need stars (tennis etc.). The TdF is all about the road trip.