When did you FIRST start following the Tour de France?

[craig1985]

First Tour de France was in 2003, and I watched Paris-Nice and Paris-Roubaix for the first time in 2004 as highlights on SBS and by dad then encouraged me to buy my first proper ride bike and join a club and start racing, which I have since done. I also bought my first cycling magazine in the same year with Lance on the cover with the photo of him training and it as on US riders, with a photo of Floyd, Levi, Tyler Hamilton, and Dave Zabriskie all about to leave on a training ride. They also had an interview with Greg Lemond and he said he was sorry for any misunderstandings wrt to Lance and wanted to be 'his friend' (this is pre-Tour, even before the Giro, 2004).

How times have changed.

 

[gregrowlerson]

2001 'The Look'

 

[Derrick]

1956. Won by Roger Walkowiak.

 

[Polish]

1956. Won by Roger Walkowiak.

That was an exciting edition I bet.
Although Roger was a very unpopular winner it seemed.
Not enough "panache" blah blah.

Walkowiak's name passed into the language,
so that to do something "à la Walko" meant to succeed unexpectedly or without panache.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Walkowiak

 

[Franklin]

My first TDF images must have been 78-79, but I was 8-9 years old and it really didn't interest me.

Then 80 was a huge event due to Joop winning. I certainly followed the last week of that one (as did every Dutchmen).

But to be fair I really became hooked in 1981 due to Peter Winnen. His haunted look on the Alpe because Hinault was steamrolling from behind... god that was epic. Then 1982 we had Winnen versus Van de Velde (I was a kid, I followed my countrymen). 1983 was the year we all thought Peter would win it especially when he got those minutes the day after Alpe D'Huez. With hindsight its quite naive considering he was competing with Lolo

The funny thing is that nowadays I think Peter is full of himself and quite strange. I guess it's always a disappointment learning more about your childhood heroes

 

[cocteau_ireland]

1987 My entire family (7) literally on edge of seats (no internet) watching the climax to la plagne. Was 13 and hooked. Fell out of love by mid-90s as indurain was a complete boring freak n 6ft 2in 11stone guys were competing for mountain-top finishes. Back in love now tho,pretty much

 

[Derrick]

In response to your post Polish,you're dead right Walkowiak was an unpopular winner. It was claimed that Gilbert Bauvin ultimately second at less than 2 minutes, his Geminiani team mate should have attacked him but didn't because they were mates and shared a room. In fact Walkowiak rode well and was in the right place at the right time every day {I've still got the daily result sheets}.
Much was made of the fact that within 18 months Walkowiak was back working sweeping streets and emptying bins. What ever job he ended up doing it would have been much more useful than being a racing cyclist

 

[peacefultribe]

1986, about two years before I started racing.

 

[Nederick]

Would have been very early '80s, although dad ended up getting highlights videos back to '77 or '78. And these were pretty grainy video tapes that were usually copies of a copy of a copy that had been passed around. I loved le tour through the '80s but that's when I was racing (as a junior) too. Also we'd be getting Cycling magazine off the slow boat, but loved reading about the classics and also the 6 day meets when Malcolm Elliot, Stephen Roche et.al. were mixing it up there too. Most of the '90s I had very little interest in. Sparked up again with Riis, then Ullrich and Pantani in the late '90s. Totally lost interest post Festina and only caught up occasionally through the Armstrong era. Although an interesting approach running the peleton to max behind the blue train to start with, I found this type of racing pretty boring pretty quickly! Getting back into it now though. It still appeals as one of the most beautiful sports out there, IMHO.

 

[rzombie1988]

I saw alot of highlights on ESPN during the Lance era but my first tour wasn't until 2008. I don't think I knew where to find it on tv. I got really into tdf 2008 but everyone I liked got kicked off for doping, and I stopped shortly after Ricco got kicked off. I watched 2009 pretty religiously as I did with 201. I know alot of people didn't like 2009 but believing that Lance had I chance, I was really into it. 2010 was exciting for the Andy/Alberto battle and so far 2011 is great.

Out of the TdF's I've watched since then online, I like 2007 the best. Rasmussen was the man and his duel with Contador has got to be one of the best ever.

 

[dbrmuz]

I was 8 or 9 when Phil Anderson's name was being splashed around by the Oz media,but coverage was non-existent.Phil was my first knowledge of the Tour,though have no memory of anything else about it.Started following cycling properly in either late-1988 or early '89,mostly due to reading (somewhere,but don't ask me where-too long ago ) about Greg Lemond,so was really hoping he'd win.

'89 is when I started buying up whatever cycling mags I could get hold of here (Bicycling,Winning-even Triathlete mag,as I was particularly keen on the cycling component),so '89 is when I really started following Le Tour.

 

[Pinslot]

My first post on this forum.

The first TdF I really followed was - lucky me - the 1989 belter. I had finished re-doing my A-Levels and was looking forward to moving from Manchester to Sheffield (outskirts were fantastic for cycling) and had plenty of time, but little money, so telly was a good option. One day I turned on the box and came accross the Channel 4 highlights of Stage 1 of the TdF. My mind was instantly blown. You literally couldn't have made it up, from Pedro's inauspicious start to the dodgy use of new technology, the great commentary, to the unbelievably tight finish. The press really played up the rivalry between Fignon and LeMond, so even my Mum got caught up in the drama although I don't think she's ever watched a TdF since then.

I came accross this forum looking for coverage of that TdF. YouTube has some of the stages and I have a film of the whole tour on DVD, but does anyone know where you can watch all of the Channel 4 coverage of that race?

 

[red_flanders]

My first post on this forum.

Welcome! Great first Tour to see, quite the intro to the sport.

 

[kn0s]

Definitely the TT in 89

 

[pastronef]

surely 1992 Sestriere stage

 

[rallybanana]

My earliest TdF memory is from 1983. The crash between Michel Laurent and Henk Lubberding in Saint-Etienne. I don't remember anything else about the race, just that crash must have caught my attention as a child. My next clear memory is the Hinault crash in Saint-Etienne in 1985. I remember seeing it on the evening news. Thankfully I don't think there have been any bad crashes in Saint-Etienne since.

 

[scribers]

LA looks like he is in a rogaine or hair club for men commercial photo.



I was definitely aware of Lemond's achievements and probably looked in rather casually as a result. I enjoyed following the Indurain domination, if yet casually again. Became hooked when Armstrong came to the front. I had to follow most of '99 via internet as television coverage was nearly non-existent.

I think that is the typical American story.

Same broseph

 

[RedheadDane]

Around... 2003-ish, I think.
A gradual thing; first watching only a bit here and there, then I gradually started watching a bit more.

 

[Froome]

2003, Luz ardiden, when Lance armstrong "greets" sylvain chavanel.

 

[Squire]

1999. I remember being fascinated by Cipollini and Armstrong, but took a particular liking to Escartin, which is ironic considering I now tend to like riders who look good on a bike. Then I watched more or less the entire 2000 edition, cheering for Jimenez and the Kelme boys in the mountains.

 

[red_flanders]

1999. I remember being fascinated by Cipollini and Armstrong, but took a particular liking to Escartin, which is ironic considering I now tend to like riders who look good on a bike. Then I watched more or less the entire 2000 edition, cheering for Jimenez and the Kelme boys in the mountains.

No kidding, that style was tough to like!

 

[rallybanana]

My first post on this forum.

The first TdF I really followed was - lucky me - the 1989 belter.

I must warn you that some younger posters here get a bit tired of us older folk going on about the 1889 tour.

Exhibit A:

When people talk about that one race it's like when old people ramble on about The Beatles. It's a little tiring because all you can experience now is some grainy pixelated youtube footage. What I have learned about the 1889 TDF: on halloween Greg Lemon in a grizzly bear costume was shot by some hunters omg Laurent Fignon the unusual man with the eye glasses lost overall cause of a pony omg omg Bernard Hinault was super mad all the time argh Pedro Delgado was so sleepy omg. Sounds like a fun race but I didn't watch it.

 

[houtdffan]

2001 TDF. First year of live US coverage

 

[RedheadDane]

I must warn you that some younger posters here get a bit tired of us older folk going on about the 1889 tour.

I don't think anyone on this forum is that old.
Jokes asside, I agree; it does get tiring.

 

[Bolder]

Um, 86 for sure, maybe 85. Unusual for the US, but we lived in eastern Pennsylvania and there was a vélodrome built in the area in the early 80s, and Bicycling magazine publisher Rodale was nearby, so cycling was actually pretty popular. Plus the movie "Breaking Away" came out around the time.
My friends and I knew all the stars of the 1984 Olympics, as well as Jacques/Jock/Jonathan Boyer.

I ccan't remember how we followed it, probably through a single highlight show on TV plus reading about it later in magazines.