 The boys in blue—that is red, white and blue—are riding like the wind for 23 days over more than 2,100 miles of terrain in France. They are the eight cyclists of the U.S. Postal Service team that has been dubbed the "Blue Train."
These men are an exceptional group of athletes comprised of individuals from the United States, Spain, Russia and the Czech Republic—a mini United Nations of sorts on wheels. And they have formed a determined alliance, with one major goal—getting American rider Lance Armstrong to the finish line first so he can claim the Tour de France yellow jersey for an astonishing fifth time in a row.
In the 100 years that the race has been going on, only one other individual has accomplished such a feat—Spain's Miguel Indurain. Three other men have won the race five times, but not consecutively.
But the race gets limited coverage in the United States, and Americans by nature are only marginally interested in cycling. The nine-hour time difference is also not a big plus in the world of live sports coverage. But this year, with Armstrong racing for his fifth straight run on the event's 100th anniversary, we might just want to sit up and pay attention to what is happening across the Atlantic.
The more I read about the race, the more I have come to appreciate this astounding feat of athleticism. It's an event where cyclists ride for almost two weeks over terrain that is level and then punishingly steep, climbing several thousand feet before dropping back down. This is an event in which cyclists will ride more than a 100 miles per day, averaging speeds in the 30 mph range, in a pack of 150 riders where anything can happen and any rider can be hurt.
The event has 20 stages—each stage varies in distance and difficulty—and in celebration of The Tour's centennial year the original six stage cities of Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes are once again part of the course.
But this year something special seems to be part of the competition compared to prior races, and I find myself following the results daily.
There is Armstrong and whether he can make it five in a row. He has already overcome astonishing odds—beating testicular cancer—then coming back to dominate the tour, which onto itself is mind-boggling.
There are the French, who are actually pulling for Armstrong to win, with French journalists referring to him as l'effet cinq—(meaning the fifth factor). This is probably one of the few times the French and Americans have managed to be on the same page from the start.
And perhaps, more than anything, after better understanding the nature of the event, I have come to realize that the most remarkable feature about the race is that it's the ultimate example of teamwork.
Being unfamiliar with The Tour, I thought this was a race about a solo athlete winning a grueling event as he streaked down the Champs-Elysées to the finish line in Paris on July 27. I never really considered the obvious—that there is no way one person could ride 2,100-plus miles on his own. In fact, I really had no idea how the whole team thing worked.
But now I better understand the event, which is truly a study in tactical strategy, with each team member part of a synchronized unit jockeying for position in order to help team members win various parts of the race, and achieve the ultimate goal—capturing the yellow jersey.
And although throughout the race individual team members win various stages and the teams score points in the overall standings, in the case of the Blue Train the goal of the eight men is clear: to get Armstrong his fifth win. And the only way to accomplish this is to race as if eight were one.
The Boys in Blue have become so in tune that the group has its own jargon and the members their own unique identities. American cyclist George Hincapie coined the term "no chain," which is used when he is feeling like nothing can slow him down. It's become the team's handle for riding strong. Then there is Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov, who Armstrong nicknamed "nails" because of the strength and protection he gives Armstrong during the ride. And then there are the two Spaniards, Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera, who are Clark Kents off their bikes and Supermen as soon as their feet hit the pedals. And there's the team's tactician, Johan Bruyneel, who's dumped riders from the team when they weren't in sync. The Boys in Blue call it "Dead Man's Rules."
This colossal event of individual strength and skill also demonstrates that going it alone is a tough if not impossible task. The event is a perfect analogy for life, demonstrating that the "we" factor goes a lot farther toward generating a positive outcome than the "me" factor. The event is something corporations, governments and citizens can take a lesson from.
And no matter what the outcome—winning for the fifth time or not—Armstrong said it best when speaking of his quest for that fifth yellow jersey and voicing the importance of teamwork.
"I figure I only deserve the zipper," he's said. "The rest of it—each sleeve, the front, the back—belongs to the guys."
Moryt Milo is the editor of The Willow Glen Resident. She can be contacted at 400.200.1051 or mmilo@svcn.com.
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