For those of you with a hat, go and put it on as at some stage I am sure you will want to take your hat off to these guys. Why you may ask? Well, try this for size: the race is 3427.5 kilometres long, starting and ending in Paris with a little ride around the French countryside thrown in. Lets hope they can ride fast in the time trials and on the few flat stretches and have enough strength in the legs to take on the almost heart-breaking climbs that get thrown in along the way. And when I say climbs, I mean climbs as the boys trundle through the Alps and the Pyrenees on their little sojourn.
This race stops the nation in France for almost a month in July each year, the hottest time of the summer as almost 200 riders set off to search for glory in the 100th anniversary of the race. As a sporting spectacle I, like many others, find it to be one of the most compelling, fascinating and watchable events on the world sports calendar. Like a moth to the flame I am drawn to the event each year, partially to watch how the Aussies go but mainly to marvel at the physical attributes and mental strength required to complete this awesome challenge. If you are picking up on the fact that that I like this one, youre right. The DVD runs for 180 minutes and like a good book I just couldnt put it down. I had to watch it right through and thoroughly enjoyed it all.
In some ways the concept is a simple one. 200 guys hop on bikes and ride around for 20 odd days doing a circuit of France. There is a prize and much prestige for winning the whole thing but there are other prizes for the best sprinter, the best rider in the mountains and the best overall team performance. There are plenty of back up personnel to help each rider on the way round, including tacticians, doctors, masseurs and teammates. They stay in good accommodation, get to travel through some marvellous scenery (I wonder if the riders have time to take it all in?) and have absolutely huge crowds all along the way.This years event was the 100th anniversary of the first race so there was added prestige for the winner. Lance Armstrong was attempting to become the second man to win five in a row. He is most famous for winning the fight against testicular cancer and going on to set records in this event that place him on the podium with the other great riders of yesteryear. Jan Ullrich is a big German who had never finished worse that second in his other 5 attempts, HAVING won in 1977 and being runner-up to Armstrong each year since then. The Aussies were mainly hopeful of winning the sprinters green jersey as the mountains seem to find out the boys from Downunder.
An individual time trial prologue gets us underway before an almost relentless set of long rides sorts out the wheat from the chaff. On Day 2 a big stack brings down much of the field in a reminder of what a danger the sport can be as you cycle along for 168 kms but O’Grady hits the front. Hey, why not back up on Day 3 for a leisurely 204.5 kms when you can fall over a TV cameraman? A Stuart OGrady comments at the end of the day the sprinters must be a bit rooted  now theres an understatement. Day 4 is only 167 kms with another fall right at the end. A 69 km team time trial where the 9-member team tries to stay together for as long as possible features on Day 5. The time for the team is calculated on the time for the fifth rider across the line so you cant afford to lose anyone along the way, especially as you need to average 52 kms/hour to win.
On Day 6 there is excitement for the Aussies on the 230 kms stage as Stuart OGrady tries to outrun the field. He gets away and stays away for 200 kms only to be caught in the last 400 metres  how heart breaking must that be? But there is no time to dwell on it as the riders butter up for a little 230.5 kms stage next day in 33-degree temperatures. A Frenchman wins the stage and takes the lead, much to nearly everyones delight. Comments from the Aussie riders such as they rode like animals today and that guy is a bit soft spice up the after ride press conferences. And boy do they have a lot of press and TV people on hand to stick microphones, cameras and tape recorders in the riders faces almost as soon as they get off the bike? You bet they do!
The next day is a punishing 219 kms that takes around 6 hours to complete and includes some of the toughest climbs that look as though they would be difficult in a car, let alone on a bike. Armstrong took the lead in this stage and to SHOW he can be the master of the understatement commented that today was tougher than I expected. The boys continue with successive days of 184.5 and 219.5 followed by a well-deserved day off. Then it is back with 153.5 kms followed by a relatively short 47 kms individual time trial. Ullrich shows his class in winning over a technically difficult course and was the only man to break the magic hour. Aussie Greg Rogers talks about seeing pink fairies and blackspots in the final stages of his ride to give some indication of the hell they go through.
Then back to the longer stuff with a tidy 197.5 kms to get us going again. The winner of this stage actually put a dummy in his mouth as he came up the finishing line and I doubt that the commentators have any greater insight into why he did it than I do. 191.5 kms on Day 14 with Armstrong retaining the lead, but only by 15 seconds over his closest rival. The next day was only 159.5 kms included 20kms downhill towards what the commentator calls a beast of a climb. Armstrong slipped off his pedals and ..almost lost his manhood on the cross bar before crashing, regaining his bike, powering back to the head of the field and winning the stage. This was an incredible ride and is almost the highlight of the whole package. It showed just how physically and mentally tough you have to be to compete at this level. I am glad I can do it from the lounge chair.
A punishing 197.5 kms ride took its toll then next day and it is almost sad to see the officials hovering behind one distressed rider as he pulls out of the race. The poor bloke is hardly off his bike before the official is taking his race number off him so he cant continue. But Day 17 sees a breakaway that started one km into the 181 kms stage and ends in glory as the Dutch rider Servais Knaven hangs on to win. 203 kms face the boys the next day and Robbie McEwan takes the Green jersey for best sprinter on a stage described as flat as a pancake.
After magnificent weather throughout the 49 kms individual time trial is run in rain for the first time. Trying to catch the leader, Ullrich falls on one of the corners and just about hands the trophy to Armstrong who has a 1 minute 16 second lead with only one day to go. An easy 152 kms around Paris finishes the race. It must be easy because they have vision on Armstrong riding along drinking champagne. Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwan have a ding-dong battle over the last three sprints and Cooke eventually emerges triumphant as the Green Jersey holder. It took Armstrong 83 hours, 41 minutes and 12 seconds to complete the course which means he averaged over 40 kms, a phenomenal effort.
I hope you didnt get bored with the constant reference to stage lengths. I think it is important to put into perspective what these guys do, day in day out, sitting on a bike. I think it is extraordinary and I will certainly be looking out for the highlights next year.

THE EXTRAS

This is the single biggest disappointment in this DVD. I was looking forward to an extensive set of statistics, bios, historic facts and juicy insider information. All I got was a written reprise of the length of the race, the stage types and the race times for those who completed the course. A pretty weak effort I would have thought, given the high quality of the 180 minutes of highlights.

CONCLUSION

Join the SBS commentary team on the 100th anniversary Tour de France as 200 riders wend their way from Paris around 3427.5 kms of French countryside and back to Paris again. Marvel at the physical and mental strength of the winner as he wins for the fifth time in a row to equal the race record. But be prepared to be captivated by the whole spectacle and absorbed throughout the 180 minutes.