Tour de France - the sincerity poll

[Mellow Velo]

This is the worst week of the year (from a cycling perspective), even if you like the race.

+1
Cycling's mid season break. A black hole in the calendar.
Hate mid to late June with a passion.

 

[SafeBet]

It's on my calendar but I'm seldom very excited about it.

 

[silverrocket]

My feelings about the pro cycling calendar relate directly to my own cycling calendar. In spring Flanders-Roubaix is not just a thrilling period to watch cycling, it also coincides with the end of a long Canadian winter on the bike trainer and heralds the excitement of getting back on the roads. I love that time of year.

On the other hand the TdF is exciting partly because for some reason I ride best in July. Since July is actually a notable dead spot in the local racing calendar, I use the tour to motivate me for my heaviest training block of the year. It helps generate excitement for me when I am able to talk to more people about the TdF, and there is more TV coverage. I love that time of year.

 

[will10]

C'est le Tour.

 

[Carols]

Actually I schedule my vacations so they occur before the Giro and after the Vuelta

 

[Arnout]

My feelings about the pro cycling calendar relate directly to my own cycling calendar. In spring Flanders-Roubaix is not just a thrilling period to watch cycling, it also coincides with the end of a long Canadian winter on the bike trainer and heralds the excitement of getting back on the roads. I love that time of year.

On the other hand the TdF is exciting partly because for some reason I ride best in July. Since July is actually a notable dead spot in the local racing calendar, I use the tour to motivate me for my heaviest training block of the year. It helps generate excitement for me when I am able to talk to more people about the TdF, and there is more TV coverage. I love that time of year.

You say that and you're right. I always start with a lot of motivation in a new year, cycling when it's too cold to cycle etc. Then I get a dip from end of May to June, and then I realize that I need to build my form for my regularly planned cycling holiday in August (once in 2 years normally). Which I'm now starting to realize.

 

[gustienordic]

+1
Cycling's mid season break. A black hole in the calendar.
Hate mid to late June with a passion.

It is almost as bad as december when the withdrawal starts gnawing at your stomach (and then you thank god that at least there is cyclo-cross). Although even then the news stories are quite a bit better. Transfer season rocks, but now there are so many useless articles about what contenders to watch etc that most of us already know.

 

[TheRossSeaParty]

Voted no. Spring Classics win by a mile for me. The Giro is my favorite GT to watch and also the first one I ever saw live on TV. Lance just killed the Tour for me, it was so boring and predictable and then with Versus... being a cycling fan in the USA can be pretty miserable. And now that there is no Contador or Andy Schleck I have very little interest in the Tour this year. But I will still watch every stage

 

[Marcus135]

Personally, i find the spring classics to be far more exciting. The tour is an overhyped celebration of cycling which i still greatly enjoy but prefer to watch races throughout the whole year (i spend december watching races i recorded through the season such as the classics, giro, tour, vuelta and worlds).