sprauls.com

Many of you may not know that I (Greg) was a cyclist in college. Engaging in the sport of cycling made me a huge fan of the Tour de France which occurs every July. Well its that time of year again and I've been gearing up for the tour by visiting my favorite tour web sites. I was shocked to read today about a huge drug scandal resulting in two of the tour's biggest names being kicked out of the race (Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso) on the eve of its start. Despite the loss of the two favorites, I am looking forward to following the race as it rolls through France for three weeks. In case your interested in following "The Tour" for the first time, here are a few web sites I recommend.

• Read the daily reports from Phil Liggett - Phil has been covering The Tour for 30 years and is one of the best sports commentators I have ever heard.
• Watch the video for Eurosport.com - Eurosport is the ESPN of Europe and they will have some great interviews and behind the scenes coverage with a dash of british humor.
• Read Bobby Julich's diary - Julich is an American rider in this year's tour riding for Team CSC (the team Ivan Basso rode for). Julich has riden in several tours and it will be interesting to get the thoughts of someone who is actually riding in the race.