Well, they’re off: the 2008 edition of the Tour de France started yesterday. Here’s a clip from 1987: Stephen Roche surprisingly beats Pedro Delgado, in La Plagne. Roche then collapses and needs to be given oxygen on the finish line. It’s obvious why last year’s Tour and the editions before that, were marred by allegations, founded and unfounded of dopage. 2007 was a disaster, perhaps this year will be better in that respect. Whatever scenario may unfold, following the Tour de France is three weeks of unmitigated joy. Note: Dutch television broadcasts integral étappes every day on channel 1, starting from 1 PM (online live streaming here). Radio Tour de France, which I will be mainly using, can be found online, here, from 2PM onwards.