The Tour de France: The World's Biggest Sporting Event

Photo: Instagram/wimbledon

Overview - The Tour de France is the world's biggest annual sporting event, with 3.5B television viewers and over 12M spectators annually. It starts on July 1 and runs through July 23. It covers over 2,115 miles and features 22 teams of eight riders. There are 21 stages (i.e., mountain or flat) that make up the race. Out of the 23 days of the Tour, the riders only have two days of rest.

1. Until the 1960s, it was common for participants to drink alcohol to hydrate and numb the pain. Despite its 'healing power,' alcohol was later banned because it's a stimulant. BRAKE FOR BOOZE

2. It's not all about the benjamins. After enduring three weeks of grueling terrain through France after starting in Spain, the many winners of the stages and the race divide up $2.5M in prize money. (For comparison's sake, the Wimbledon men’s and women’s champions each take home $2.9M). The man to beat for the cash prize is defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and two-time champion Tadej Pogacar.  CASHING IN

3. While you may fly solo while spinning away on your Peloton at home, in the Tour, a big group of riders is called the peloton, or French for "group." Other terms you might enjoy dropping into conversation include a musket bag, a shoulder bag containing food and water handed to riders at feeding stations. Then there's a SAG wagon. You and I might know it as an Uber, but it's a vehicle that follows cyclists and picks them up when they can no longer ride, whether from fatigue, injury, equipment failure, etc. OUI

4. There are two American teams in this year’s race (out of 22 teams). Their riders are vying for the yellow jersey. Why the different colored jerseys? The overall leader in the Tour wears a yellow jersey, the points leader wears a green jersey, and the red polka dot jersey goes to the best hill climber. SO FASHION-FORWARD

5. When Le Tour is over, the excitement doesn't stop. It’s the second year of the Tour de France Femmes, the new stage race for pro-women, which runs from Jul 23 - 30. the eight-stage race packs in 594 miles across central and southwestern France. LET’S GO, GIRLS

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Tour de France

If you’re looking for motivation to jump on the Peloton this weekend, turn on the Tour De France, which starts on Saturday. Here's a fun fact about the tour. Until the 1960s, it was common for participants to drink alcohol to numb the pain. Despite its 'healing power,' alcohol was later banned because it's a stimulant. This 21-day race with only two days of rest will make your 30-minute HIIT class looks like a breeze. SADDLE UP

Overtime

This week, retired Chicago Cubs (MLB - Major League Baseball) player and former World Series MVP Ben Zobrist filed a lawsuit against Byron Yawn, his former pastor who was allegedly having an affair with Zobrist’s wife, Julianna. Yawn provided the couple with marital counseling and worked with Zobrist on his depression and anxiety while carrying on the alleged affair. Unbeknownst to Zobrist, he hired Yawn to be the executive director of his foundation, which is where the lawsuit comes into play. There won’t be a happy ending for anyone, but this story is far from over. SO MANY SECRETS

Sideline stat

Manchester United (European soccer) star Marcus Rashford spent the pandemic concerned with how the children in his country would eat. He rallied Parliament to provide support for children who received free lunch. After failing the first time, he raised millions of dollars for the cause and then on his second try, he successfully secured a $556 million grant to provide meals into 2021, impacting the lives of 1.7 million children in the UK. Rashford will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2021 ESPYS on July 10. Rashford was also recently named to Time's Top 100 List for his advocacy work on homelessness and child hunger. GOOD GUY ALERT

Coaches’ corner

It’s been a day or two since Ted Lasso (aka Jason Sudekis) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) announced the Olympic roster for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. But if you need a smile this Friday morning, it’s worth checking out. EXPERT OPINION

Calgon, Take Me Away

Monday, we meet again.

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The Last Night’s Game Team

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Tour de France/esports

Egan Bernal took home Columbia’s first Tour De France win and the title of the third youngest winner ever at the ripe old age of 22. As the winner, he took home a check for $556,000. Making the 22-year-old not only feel old but underpaid, Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf, 16, won the Fortnite World Cup (esports) and $3 million in prize money. BATTLE OF THE BABYFACES

Overtime

If the grim reaper shows up on the sidelines of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL – National Football League) game for head coach Bruce Arians, it’s time to break out the bottle. When asked about his heath, the 66-year-old coach said he wasn’t concerned and if he dies on gameday, then fans should have a drink in his honor. CHEERS?

Sideline stat

It has been seven weeks since former baseball player David Ortiz was shot in his home country of the Dominican Republic. This weekend, after three surgeries for injuries sustained when a bullet damaged his stomach, liver and intestines, he was released from the hospital in his adopted hometown of in Boston. MEDICAL MIRACLE

Coaches’ corner                 

From undrafted to the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) All-Star Game MVP, Erica Wheeler took home the honors in Las Vegas this weekend. She lost her mom to cancer when she was in college, worked her butt off to make a team and now has the distinction of being the best of the best. INSPIRATION FROM ABOVE

What to watch

The Alex Rodriguez-Jennifer Lopez birthday love continues. Alongside his daughters, J-lo presented her fiancée with a birthday cake live on Sunday Night Baseball where he is a broadcaster. BIRTHDAY BOY