When did you FIRST start following the Tour de France?

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Oct 1, 2010
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1982. I watched "Breaking Away" early that year and started reading every book I could find about cycling. New Zealand didn't get daily coverage of the Tour until the '90s and the only TV coverage available in 1982 was a 30 second segment of the final stage tacked on to the end of the sports news. They did note, though, that the winner that year, Hinault, had also won the Giro d'Italia. One of the cycling books I read that year was the Penguin Book of the Bicycle. In the racing section of that book was an account of the 1975 Tour de France. It was only half a dozen or so pages long, but it did make an impression on me; Moser's prologue win, Van Linden's crash before winning the points competition, Merckx in the rainbow jersey, then getting punched on Puy de Dome while wearing yellow, Thevenet biding his time before putting the Tour beyond doubt in two sweltering Alpine stages, the girl in the bikini with the "Bastille has fallen" sign on the col d'Izoard. Like I said, NZ cycling coverage sucked and even today, you have to pay for TV coverage. For several years in the early 90's I followed the tour through the newspapers (only a day or two behind). The internet and in particular Cyclingnews.com has been a godsend in that respect. Before that I got to read a lot of cycling books. Two I really recommend are Geoffrey Nicholson's The Great Bike Race (1976 tour) and Robin McGowan's Tour de France 1978. Really dated now (I read both 20 years ago) and probably falling apart.

Strictly speaking, I didn't actually follow a Tour de France from start to finish until 1992 (by newspaper). My first TV following of the Tour was 1995 when the flat I lived in had Sky. I've been fortunate enough to have been in France following the Tour in 2004 & 2006.
 
Sep 2, 2010
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I was in a hotel room in 2007. Slightly bored, just flipping through channels. All I really knew about cycling was that Lance Armstrong had won the Tour 7 times in a row and that someone from the area I had just moved to(Lancaster, PA) had won it the year before but had the title stripped because of steroids. I came across it on Versus and started watching. The only things I remember are the announcers talking about Tom Danielson and Tom Boonen winning a stage.

I didn't watch it again until 2009. I remember picking up on the tactics quickly and trying to predict when the break would get caught. The only reason I did then is that I had taken up cycling as a mode of transportation and a friend of mine sent me a youtube link of the 1986 Alpe de Huez. I enjoyed the 2009 tdf, but honestly.. I wasn't hooked on cycling as entertainment until Fabian's PR win this year.
 
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Feb 28, 2010
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BeachBum said:
Oh wow, this is a tough one. I remember in the mid-70s I wanted a Peugeot PX-10 because I saw some advertising that had Thevenet as a 2 time winner. Don't think I really followed it, it was only in the newspaper over here.

I've got an old Peugeot catalogue with the PX-10 in, the Lyotard pedals on the bike could be bought for £3.50 at the time!
 
Aug 9, 2010
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2003 - a good year, despite the final outcome. Since then I've read everything I can get my hands on. I just wish the other GTs had as much literature on them.
 
Oct 27, 2010
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I was at a mates house, we were teenagers and I'm afraid we were too stoned to turn the TV over when the coverage of Stage 1 of the 1994 Tour De France came on. The beautiful visuals combined with the action packed finish (not to mention that awful crash) had me instantly hooked, and I've stayed that way.

A few days later, I mentioned to my Dad that I'd been watching the Tour De France, which until then I'd assumed was some sort of defunct jolly from yesteryear notable for nothing more than inspiring a Kraftwerk song. His eyes immediately lit up and he began telling me abour Tommy Simpson and Eddy Merckx! He'd loved cycling as a young man, but totally lost tack of it in later years. Over the next couple of years we visited several UK races, a couple of stages of the Tour, and if you watch very carefully the ascent of Alpe D'Huez in 2007 you get a very brief glimpse of delighted retiree in a straw hat cheering them on.
 
Oct 6, 2010
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Ewbles said:
I was at a mates house, we were teenagers and I'm afraid we were too stoned to turn the TV over when the coverage of Stage 1 of the 1994 Tour De France came on. The beautiful visuals combined with the action packed finish (not to mention that awful crash) had me instantly hooked, and I've stayed that way.

A few days later, I mentioned to my Dad that I'd been watching the Tour De France, which until then I'd assumed was some sort of defunct jolly from yesteryear notable for nothing more than inspiring a Kraftwerk song. His eyes immediately lit up and he began telling me abour Tommy Simpson and Eddy Merckx! He'd loved cycling as a young man, but totally lost tack of it in later years. Over the next couple of years we visited several UK races, a couple of stages of the Tour, and if you watch very carefully the ascent of Alpe D'Huez in 2007 you get a very brief glimpse of delighted retiree in a straw hat cheering them on.

haha wow thats an awesome story of how you became intrested.

I started watching in 2007 (yes not long ago but im young) as my parents were, was instantly hooked, since then been getting more and more involved and loving it all :)
 
May 20, 2010
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My earliest memories of Le Tour (early onset brain fade means years mesh into one :)):

. Listened with dismay to Phil Anderson being attacked by a team mate and losing leadership of the team
. Watched Phil Anderson trying to finish in front of team mate Eric Vanderaerden and
. I recall Greg LM remonstrating with team management when BHinault was minutes back.

My fondest memory is more recent, mid 90's: I dropped into my folks place. All stopped as my Mum and Dad said: "Tour is on!" and another two converts to "The Great Race"! Sitting down and sharing the TdF with them was "special".
 
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Escarabajo said:
In 1983 when the first Colombian team was sent to France:

Definitely followed all tours after that one, and especially in 1984 when Herrera took the first stage for a Colombian in a Tour.

In 1985, on my way back to France from Bolivia, I landed in Bogota with Avianca and because the airline employees were starting a strike, we had to get our luggage before being sent to a hotel.

Among my luggage was my bicycle ( or I should say one of my bicycles, luckily not the best one as it had been pretty badly mistreated on the way to Bolivia ) which I had used in La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba. When I appeared with my bike in the airport I saw all these people go wild. It turns out, as I quickly realized, that it was that day that the Colombian team was due back home after the Tour de France.
That was pretty funny, they didn't seem to realize that I was a good 15 years older that the average TdF racer.
 
Back on topic,
I didn't really watch the Tour "back then" as TV didn't reach my part of Brittany until the early sixties! So I had to make do with the radio, and reading the local papers or getting a few glimpses of real action on the news section before the featured movie in the theater. I also got to see a bit of the TdF on TV when my father took me with him to places like Paris.
I am talking about 1949,50, 51.
But then of course when I was 6 years old, maybe even before that, I knew about Robic, Bobet, Coppi, Bartali, ...

I remember in particular one day listening to the radio and a completely drunk Georges Briquet trying to narrate the action, Ruiz won the stage. All Briquet could do was repeat the name Ruiz over and over again. That must have been 1951.
 
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Mar 13, 2009
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Ewbles said:
and if you watch very carefully the ascent of Alpe D'Huez in 2007 you get a very brief glimpse of delighted retiree in a straw hat cheering them on.

To the best of my memory the TdF didn't go up l'Alpe d'Huez in 2007. You might mean 2006 (when Fränk Schleck won) or 2008 (when Carlos Sastre won)? Or else I'm missing something?
 
early 80's when 9's Wide World of Sports did their weekly roundup packages each saturday arvo.
phil anderson, fignon, hinault and lemond...
lost a bit of touch through the 90's and returned around 03/04 when I started riding again - stuey, magee, robbie, aitken, etc...
 
Aug 10, 2009
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1983 TDF on TV, Maybe? Can't remember

1984 for sure. Watched the Tour de France on TV and Olympics -I was fascinated with the finish between Grewal and Bauer. Loved the Tour coverage of Fignon. I started hanging out in the local pro bike shop. I loved the Asso bikes (and Assos clothes). Joined a club in 1985, watched Hinault win his 5th TDF on TV, started searching out Mirroir du Cyclisme and l'Equipe at the 'Fags and Mags' shops downtown and have been hooked ever since.
 
Le breton said:
In 1985, on my way back to France from Bolivia, I landed in Bogota with Avianca and because the airline employees were starting a strike, we had to get our luggage before being sent to a hotel.

Among my luggage was my bicycle ( or I should say one of my bicycles, luckily not the best one as it had been pretty badly mistreated on the way to Bolivia ) which I had used in La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba. When I appeared with my bike in the airport I saw all these people go wild. It turns out, as I quickly realized, that it was that day that the Colombian team was due back home after the Tour de France.
That was pretty funny, they didn't seem to realize that I was a good 15 years older that the average TdF racer.
Now that is funny.:D

Man, you beat everybody on this forum as far as the first to watch the Tour de France.:)
 
Jul 8, 2010
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Early 70's. I was a huge joaquim agostinho fan. He was one of those forgotten strong heroes. Remember very well seeing his 79 win (was it 79?) at l'alpe d'huez.
 
Oct 11, 2010
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I believe it was 1919. Ah yes... I have fuzzy memories of Firmin Lambot taking yellow via Eugène Christophe's broken fork. Been hooked ever since.
 
Oct 22, 2010
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I had been very lucky , it was the 71's one , so one of the top of history .
At the beginning of this year, i bought the panini album , the famous "Sprint 71" which had been at the origin of my passion.

But i remembered also listening to the radio the stage won by Alain Vasseur in 70

And i finish to follow in 01, it became boring at least the GC .

some flat stages with beautiful sprint stay thrilling, however
 

Polish

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Mar 11, 2009
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The "Grand Boucle" begins soon, less than a week:)
THE Race of Races.
Nothing compares. Giro? Vuelta? Are you serious?
Vive le Tour!!!!!! Vive Vive Vive!

Thought I would bump this thread, Le breton great post....
Anyone else remember the first time?


Le breton said:
Back on topic,
I didn't really watch the Tour "back then" as TV didn't reach my part of Brittany until the early sixties! So I had to make do with the radio, and reading the local papers or getting a few glimpses of real action on the news section before the featured movie in the theater. I also got to see a bit of the TdF on TV when my father took me with him to places like Paris.
I am talking about 1949,50, 51.
But then of course when I was 6 years old, maybe even before that, I knew about Robic, Bobet, Coppi, Bartali, ...

I remember in particular one day listening to the radio and a completely drunk Georges Briquet trying to narrate the action, Ruiz won the stage. All Briquet could do was repeat the name Ruiz over and over again. That must have been 1951.
 
my first tdf memory was Lemond with his kid on the podium in Paris in 1990, but I really started following it in 1993, the stage over the Tourmalet and Aubisque. The excitement in the voices of the tv-commentators when Rominger dropped Indurain got me hooked ever since.