{"id":21106,"date":"2013-07-12T23:44:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T21:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/tour-de-france-is-the-best-tv-you-need-to-watch\/"},"modified":"2013-07-12T23:44:12","modified_gmt":"2013-07-12T21:44:12","slug":"tour-de-france-is-the-best-tv-you-need-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/tour-de-france-is-the-best-tv-you-need-to-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France is the best TV you need to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t \"Reasons<\/p>\n

Reasons why the Tour de France is the best TV you\u2019re not watching. Photo: AFP \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Halimah Marcus<\/a> believes that it is completely worthwhile watching the Tour de France<\/a> on your television set. With two weeks left of racing and the Alps still to come, it\u2019s not too late to tune in. Here\u2019s why you should:<\/p>\n

You get the whole story<\/strong>
\n22 teams, each with nine riders to start, are competing in this year\u2019s Tour for a grand total of 198 cyclists. The Tour is a race that lays itself bare for 21 stages in 23 days, unfolding in one big beautiful mess of blood and sweat.<\/p>\n

The plot twists like the road<\/strong>
\nFrance is a smorgasbord of iconic climbs and punishing locales from which race director Christian Prudhomme<\/a> must chose. We can predict which days are likely to be the decisive ones for the overall standings, but where the true climax will come is anyone\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n

Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin<\/strong>
\nThe Madden and Summerall of professional cycling, these guys have been announcing the Tour for years now. Over the years they\u2019ve created a wonderful lexicon for the sport. Not least among their expressions: \u201cDancing on the pedals,\u201d \u201cputting the hammer down,\u201d \u201ca real job of work,\u201d \u201cwearing a mask of pain,\u201d and, one for the fans \u2013 \u201cthe tunnel of noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those scenic routes<\/strong>
\nYou\u2019ve seen Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and the like-nature shows with sweeping shots of earth and sea. The cinematography of the Tour holds up well in comparison.<\/p>\n

Crazy stuff<\/strong>
\nThe most memorable TV episodes are the ones that remind you how futile it is to guess what\u2019s coming next. Strong narratives consistently re-imagine the road ahead. The Tour may not have a writers room, but there\u2019s no shortage of surprises.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s suffering, but with a soul<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019ve seen enough to know that suffering sells on TV. One way to describe the Tour is as a showcase of suffering. Here is an argument of one longtime fan, as excerpted from the stellar documentary Hell on Wheels:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me suffering has two meanings. Suffering can be negative. If you try to suffer for it\u2019s own sake, that\u2019s bad. It\u2019s unhealthy. There is something wrong in your head. But when you talk about suffering that you must get through and that you can survive through enormous effort, that is something else. That is positive, good, and beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related articles<\/h6>\n