Le Tour de France

Two years ago, my entire family spent nine weeks in the summer traveling around central and eastern Europe. We become hooked on the tour, and all of us are now huge Lance Armstrong fans. Last year, I was able to teach in Paris during July, and the whole family was there for a trip to Normandy, where we watched one of the stages. Of course, you see much more on television than in person, but the sight of the peloton -- about 150 riders -- screaming past at roughly 35 miles per hours was the most exciting sporting event I had witnessed since September 8, 1999, when I sat in left field as Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run. This year, we will be watching again to see if Lance can win his fifth straight, tying Miguel Indurain (1991-1995) as the only other rider to achieve five straight tour victories. Good luck, Lance!