Le Tour de France - An Adventure Like No Other

August 08, 2016

Shortly after the end of the 2015 Tour de France, it was announced the 2016 edition would begin at Mont-Saint-Michel. At that moment, I knew I had to go.

Although I had been watching cycling on and off since the time of the Lance Armstrong era, I had been avidly following it the past few years. Of course, since I had taken up road cycling also in the past few years, albeit on a casual level, that also helped my appreciation for the sport grow.

If that wasn't reason enough, the icing on the cake was the mere fact I would get to go back to France, which is one of my favorite destinations - the culture, the food, the people.

Although I could go on and on about the trip itself, watching the Tour was much more than a bike race, as it reinforced some important lessons. It emphasized:

Importance of Teamwork: although one person got to wear the coveted yellow jersey, it was without a doubt, a team effort. Stage after stage (21 days of racing total), team work was evident.
Resilience: even after everything France has been through, from children to adults, it was amazing to see each town come alive at the start and end of each stage. And, it was even more exciting when stopping at random locations along a stage to only be welcomed by camper vans and many other spectators.

Lastly, and most importantly, this entire Tour de France 2016 experience reinforced the importance of simplicity. Especially as I live in Manhattan, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of life. Yet, when it's just you, your bike and what seems to be an unending mountain climb ahead of you, life becomes a whole lot simpler.