The Essence of Presence

Why do millions undertake expensive, exhausting journeys for fleeting glimpses of cyclists? The answer transcends sport. The Tour offers rare opportunity for unmediated experience in increasingly mediated world. Standing roadside as riders pass provides authentic moment—no commentary interpreting, no replay analyzing, just direct witness to human effort at extremity.

The Sacred and Profane

The Tour experience blends sacred and profane elements. The suffering of riders approaching spiritual transcendence. The commercial carnival of the caravan. The natural cathedral of mountain passes. The very human needs for toilets and sandwiches. This mixture, jarring to purists, actually enhances experience by grounding transcendent moments in earthly reality.