The Amazing Race and The Amazing Race

Normally not one to watch television regularly, the past few days have been a notable exception. Daily coverage of the Tour de France on the Outdoor Life Network has been the drug of choice as of late. I am truly addicted. Last night's coverage of Stage Three had me on the edge of the couch. The latter half of the race involved cycling on a narrow strip of cobblestone road. Dangerous both because of the width of the path and because of the cobblestone surface. But the most dangerous (and dramatic) part of the race came in the first half when all of the riders went full force (and took enormous risks) to be the first to reach the mouth of the cobblestone path (and avoid the inevitable bottleneck). The mad dash accounted for a particularly nasty spill that occurred early in the stage to a group of riders, including Iban Mayo, one of the heavily favored GC contenders. Mayo may be out of contention completely. Thanks to Hincapie and other USPS teammates, Lance avoided all spills and remained within striking distance of the GC lead (and the yellow jersey), only sixteen seconds back. Today's team time trial stage should propel him into the overall lead. Cool seeing Frankie Andreu (see prior post, A Full Cycle) working as the sideline reporter for OLN during the Tour. From one amazing race to The Amazing Race, the only reality show I have made a point of watching. The season premiere aired last night and it did not disappoint. Eleven teams of two in a fierce dash around the globe going by train, plane, car, boat, bike, horse, camel, rickshaw, whatever, to get from one country checkpoint to another (to avoid being the last team at each checkpoint and thus eliminated from the race). This season began with a flight from Los Angeles to Uruguay in South America. In the very first sprint out of the starting gate at the Santa Monica pier, two of the participants fell hard on the wooden planks of the pier. One was tripped up by another player. The second, a retired Army officer, fell on an exposed nail and gashed his knee open. And the madness begins. As usual, there were certain tasks that were required along the way. The most entertaining one was requiring each team to carry a sixty pound beef carcass a quarter of a mile down a Uruguayan street. Last season's highlight was during the Korean leg of the race when the participants had to down a plate of live octopus and also dive into a frozen lake during a typically harsh Korean winter. What can I say, the show appeals to my wanderlust.