ooh la la, les velos!

We are so excited about the start of the Tour de France in our house that I made a little bike-inspired treasury on etsy to celebrate. This was a very easy treasury to put together as the majority of bike-related items had a cheery greatness about them, so I had plenty to choose from after one quick search. Looks like I'm attracted to yellow at the minute too!

Graham (and his friends) have loved the Tour de France for ever. I always hated it when I was growing up and it was shown on Channel 4, partly because it seemed unbelievably dull and partly because it meant all the good shows like The Wonder Years weren't on for weeks on end. Since knowing Graham, I've gradually come to understand the attraction a bit more and have really enjoyed it over the last few years. The tactics and soap operas are great (it helps having an expert on hand to explain - I still had a lot of questions even last night) and I love watching mountain stages and sprint finishes. Plus the spectators and graffiti are really entertaining. There are lots of great old-school elements too, for example the way the cyclists grab newspapers from the spectators and shove them up their tops before starting a scary descent after a long climb. What other sport has world-class athletes using something as everyday as a newspaper as part of their equipment?

This year I think I will be supporting Andy Schleck. I was rooting for him last year and after the shocking chain incident of 2010 I think he deserves the win this time around. Oh, how I laughed at Contador's misfortune yesterday! Serves you right, Alberto! Given that Alberto Contador was my favourite a few years back, though, I wouldn't be surprised if my allegiances change halfway through the course. I still don't really know what's going on half the time, so reserve the right to be fickle!

Anyway, go and have a look at my lovely bike treasury :)

I'll be back later with news of a day's charity shopping yesterday.