Each year the tour takes over my month of July evenings. I started watching it years ago when Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen were the commentators for SBS Australia.
The tour is a marketing exercise as much as a sports race. The country of France combines funds with neighbours to promote the summer, food and wine, chateau’s and beautiful countryside that is France and the surrounds.
I loved learning about the chateau’s and their history from a couple of experts who also happened to love food and wine and yapped about their culinary experiences as they travelled the tour course.
For years I tried to figure out what it was that didn’t sit right with the current set of commentators. And eventually I understood. It’s not fun. Phil and Paul were fun, they were silly. They not only loved everything about the tour and what they did, but they were just having fun and joking around having a laugh while they yapped.
Accuracy about numbers, competitor stats and other thing are important. But when you’re just having fun, it shines. I hope Matthew and the current team eventually make it a little more fun. Adding Caleb has been a great change, we like people who do real talk.
Great things about the tour are: how close spectators can still get to the competitors, the endurance, location, massive reliance on data and evolving tech, connection to country, food and culture.
For now I really enjoy having the race on while I sketch away or write. It’s become a regular in July evenings, although it maybe on mute 🙉
The French summer looks so inviting and I’ll get there one day to explore the region, maybe at a slower pace tho 😂🥾
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