5 Things – What I Learned from the Tour de France

I don’t understand why the Tour de France bike race captivates me since I haven’t even been on a bike in decades. But for several weeks in July, my evening conversation took a bizarre twist, and I started casually using terms like “peloton,” “breakaway,” “feedbag,” and “traffic furniture.”

Although I have no desire to pour my aging body into a cycling skinsuit (the in-the-know term for those formfitting cycling outfits) and finally figure out how all those gears work, I think there is a lot to learn from watching this race, even for aging, non-cyclists like me. Here are five things I discovered this year:

1. The fitness level of these elite cyclists is tremendously inspiring.¹ I couldn’t walk some of these mountain courses. They routinely cruise through mountain courses of 7-12% grades which go on for miles. (If you’ve ever attempted to walk any distance on a treadmill at these inclines, you have an idea of just how tough this can be.)
2. In addition to being incredibly fit, the cyclists also aren’t afraid to push themselves to their limits. This reminds me that we’re often capable of more than we think we can do. Of course, genetics count for a lot, but with persistently applied effort over time, our bodies can continue to adapt and grow stronger (even as we age). It’s easy to get complacent about our exercise (as well as other types of challenges!) as we get older. But the Tour de France reminds me that an inherent joy comes from pushing ourselves to accomplish more than we thought we could achieve. And although we need to be smarter about this as we age, we should never abandon it altogether.
3. This race is a team sport. I didn’t realize this for a long time – I thought each rider was out to win the overall race. But that’s not how it works. Each team has a rider who is competing for the overall win. This is called the “general classification (GC) win,” and each day, the current GC leader wears the famous yellow jersey. For all the other members of the team, their race goal isn’t about their own win but rather about using their abilities to support their GC rider. This requires a considerable amount of selflessness. Some of these support cyclists set the pace and are in the lead pack for a large part of the race, only to drop back at the end of the day to allow their GC rider to take the win. The team determines how to use the particular strength of each rider to maximize the overall win for the team. Although it might never give them a stage win, these riders work incredibly hard! They push themselves to exhaustion for no personal gain. Only to help their team. `In a culture where it’s often all about ourselves, this reminds me that we all live in the context of community. And sometimes, sacrificing my desires for the greater good of the community is the right thing to do. Unlike the Tour de France, this doesn’t have to be a big dramatic sacrifice for me. It may just mean minor inconveniences, done with a spirit of generosity and kindness.
4. There are multiple categories of “winners” in the Tour de France. The overall “winner of the Tour de France”- the GC winner – is the one we typically hear about. But there are overall winners for an additional four “classifications” and winners for each stage in the race. And the stages are designed so that they favor different types of riders. Some stages favor the sprinters, others the riders who excel during a final long downhill stretch, and some the cyclists who perform best in the mountains. This means there are moments for many riders to have their victories. It acknowledges that we’re all different – with our specific strengths and abilities. How wonderful it would be if we recognized and appreciated all the many “wins” in life rather than just using a narrow set of criteria for being successful.
5. Another part of the Tour de France that entrances me is the course itself. The race winds through small French towns that have remained essentially unchanged for hundreds of years. These villages (each with a magnificent church!) have endured the ups and downs of human history. This makes me dream about living a slow, simple life in a little village on the edge of the Alps, taking daily walks to get fresh baguettes at my local boulangerie, and drinking local Beaujolais at the town bistro. While pushing ourselves and “winning” is often a worthy pursuit, there are always more important things. Family. Community. A way of life that provides meaning and joy no matter what we achieve or what bodies we have.

1. Although we now know enough to suspect some of this is achieved through illegal performance-enhancing methods (and I will never recover from my disillusionment around the Lance Armstrong scandal), I’m still inspired by these athletes. ↩︎

A Closing Prayer

God, thank you for the opportunity to sit comfortably in my living room and yet get immersed (for a little while) in a totally different lifestyle. Let the inspiration of these athletes motivate me to push a little harder in the things that challenge me. Whether it’s lifting a little extra weight at the gym, walking a bit farther, or maybe even getting on a bike for the first time in many years.

And although it’s not likely I will end up living in a French village, recognizing this desire makes me realize there are lifestyle shifts I am now yearning for. Guide me as I determine how to incorporate aspects of a slower, more meaningful life into the life I currently have. Help me be mindful so that I can see the opportunities you provide and then savor the experiences as I learn what lifestyle best suits me at this stage of my life.

Amen