[Oshkalaboomboom]

I live on the southern coast of Spain and I see people on bikes every day, many more on the weekends. Professional teams come here to practice and 3 years ago Vuelta a España, Spain's equivalent to the Tour de France, came on the highway near my house (Chris Froome won it). We walked up to watch it, got a good spot near the top of a hill so the riders would be going a bit slower when they passed us. We waited about 45 minutes and there they were. About 15 seconds later there they weren't. Had to be one of the most boring things I've ever gone out of my way to do.

Obviously I'm not a rider or a fan of bicycle riding but the rides around here are spectacular and you can ride year round.

[wita]

In the case of Le Tour, it is a much better view on TV than in person. On TV you have professional cyclists providing commentary from local stuff to team tactics. You get the big overall picture.

As you observed in person, On flat stages, you get to see the Peleton blow by at forty miles an hour for maybe what thirty seconds if that. Then you go home to the TV to find out the rest of the story.