Do you think the Tour De France plays a major role in promoting tourism in France? That was the question asked on AardvarkTravel by someone who has clearly never had the fortune of lining the legendary race’s route.

The Tour de France follows an outstandingly beautiful course through the best of the majestic French countryside, gorgeous rural villages, and glorious cities. In answer to the above question, Le Tour attracts visitors by the thousands who gather en masse at key points of the race with their folding chairs and drinks coolers, all to get a relatively brief glimpse of a sweating swarm of stout-hearted cyclists speeding swiftly past. I’ve been one of those people and know how surprisingly fun the TDF is to watch, but I will leave it up to Carl to explain the excitement felt as he does so most effectively on his travel blog.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching it live and in person (while taking in the surrounding scenery, of course), get a taste of the experience courtesy of these photo albums from the BikeZone forums and Paris Daily Photo (be sure to follow the link there to see what it really looks like!).

Of course, the race is over now, the last of the participants have crossed the finish line and the last of the related blog posts have been published. For those who couldn’t get enough of it however, you might want to check out the last of Martyn Jones’ blog entries detailing what it’s like to actually take part in the gruelling event and the closing commentary about a similarly taxing obsession, the Tour de France Knitalong.

Alternatively, if you hate cycling and cyclists in general, you may find this link more appealing….