We normally don’t cover international racing much at Austin on Two Wheels, but the Tour is the big one. With Austinite Lance Armstrong returning professional cycling to try for an eighth win, there is more interest than normal in the Grande Boucle. Here’s our quick intro to the Tour, where you can watch, and our handicapping of the race.

A quick Tour Primer

The Tour consists of 21 stages with two rest days starting Saturday, July 4 and ending on Sunday, July 26. The race covers 3500 miles in total and visits Monaco, Spain, and Italy this year in addition to France. Most stages are raced as mass starts but there are a few individual time trials where racers are riding by themselves against the clock and one team time trial where each team (9 riders) race as a unit against the clock. The mass start stages fall into flat, rolling or mountainous stages. The flat stages normally end with most of the field in a bunch sprint while the mountain stages normally end with a select few racing for the overall. Rolling stages fall in between with more often a small group of riders called a breakaway riding away from the field to win stages. If this is your first time watching bike racing, tune into the mountain stages (July 10-12, 15, 16-17, and 25) as these are the most interesting to watch (avoid the time trials.) The Mt. Ventoux stage the day before Paris (July 25) should be the most exciting with the overall winner likely still in doubt.

Only one rider gets the overall win for the shortest time covering the course, the yellow jersey, so the race has other prizes. In fact, at least half the teams will arrive with no riders in serious contention for the overall. In addition to the yellow jersey, there is:

• Green Jersey- Called the Points Jersey or Sprinters Jersey. Each day, the top riders to finish are give points toward this prize. The person with the most points at the end wins with sprinters from the flat stages given the best chance at winning.

• Polka Dot Jersey- The King of the Mountains Jersey. The top riders to finish each classified climb get points toward this prize. Normally, this is a climber who is not a threat to the overall lead who is allowed to go out ahead on one or two mountain stages to clean up on points.

• White Jersey-Best Young Rider. This is like the yellow jersey but for riders under the age of twenty five.

In addition to these overall prizes, any rider would give their right leg or more to win just one stage at the Tour.

Watching the Tour

If you get the Versus network, you’ll have lots of opportunities to watch the stages each day. There is live coverage usually from around 8 to 9:30 or 10 in the morning with rebroadcasts throughout the day. In the evening at 7, there is “enhanced” coverage with more interviewers, product advertising reviews, and a more novice oriented commentating. If you’ve watched racing before, you probably want to skip the evening broadcast.

In addition to the TV coverage, VeloNews does streaming posts of the race as it’s going on and video recaps each day. There is also the Tour de France Blog for fan written articles and the Peloton Post for race pictures.

Locally, Mellow Johnny’s is having a huge Tour kickoff party this Sunday with silly contests and a stage showing at the Alamo Draft House. In addition if you don’t have cable, you can always stop by Mellow Johnny’s or Bicycle Sport Shop which both have large flat screen TVs throughout the store with the race playing each day. Both shops have coffee bars, so you can get refreshments while you’re at it.

Those who watch the live coverage will quickly get used to the British voice of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, the play by play men of pro cycling. They repeatedly use colorful catch phrases, and now you can keep the flat stages interesting with Phil and Paul bingo.

Handicapping the race

For all the hoopla in Lance’s return, many have overlooked the fact that three other Tour winners will be competing in this race (including the odds on favorite who is on Lance’s team.)

Yellow Jersey

1. Alberto Contador

2. Cadel Evans

3. Lance Armstrong

I don’t think Lance has it in him this year and he certainly doesn’t have the same killer instinct. Contador is flat out great and Team Astana on paper has the strongest squad, but if the green eyed monster comes out in Big Tex, it could be his undoing. I’m afraid Cadel Evans will forever be stuck in second, though he’s shown an ability to not just follow the wheel of the leader lately. Last year’s winner Carlos Sastre is on good form but does not have as good a team to back him up this time. The Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, could be in the mix as well, but one of them could also be the first doping positives of the race in my opinion.

Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish

Cavendish is the fastest finisher in the world out there, and he has shown an ability to finish Grand Tours (not always a certainty with sprinters.) Previous green jersey winner Tom Boonen has gotten a last minute reprieve to race so he’ll give Cavendish a run for his money. If either falter due to crashing out, sickness, or an inability to handle the road when it goes vertical, look for Oscar Freire or Thor Hushovd to be in the mix.

Polka Dot Jersey: Whichever yellow jersey contender gets blown away in the opening week’s time trials.