They are champions who use every inch of road to challenge each other, and every energy to donate it to gigantic, infinite thoughts. They run as if there is no tomorrow – and not even a night ahead – because pain and fatigue make you rest badly. They are the most sensational and generous display of talent
For Roland Barthes, following the Tour, the French discovered their country, the “big hedgehog” unrolled the name of the locality, of vineyards and hills, opened paths on the peaks and fixed them with companies, because cycling has memory, among all sport is the one who most believes in its history, who seeks it out, keeps it alive by listening to the stories, and places its heroes in the cities and on the mountains, gathers them together in memory.