Let's just get this out of the way: I LOVE THE TOUR DE FRANCE. The first three weeks in July are a very special time for me. Not sure when exactly it happened, but it was around 2000... probably due to a certain Texan, but once I got into it there was no turning back, Texan or no Texan.

I watch every stage, twice, sometimes three times if it's a critical mountain stage. I have to watch the first early morning broadcast, with Phil Liggett & Paul Sherwen. This year I downloaded the $15 iPad app, so I can watch it live wherever I am. Thankfully Josh is just as into the tour as I am, so I've got a buddy to watch it with.

Here's a picture of us at the 2004 Tour de France, walking up to the finish of Stage 13, at Plateau de Beille.

For the past five or so years I've played fantasy TDF online too, where you create a team of riders and select them for each stage. I've never done better than top 1/3 but every year I keep hoping to get lucky. I check cycling news websites every day of the year, so I'd like to think I know some things about what's going in the peloton. Most years I register at least three teams, making slight tweaks between them. However, this year I am only going with one team (one dream). Here's the list of riders:

• Fabian Cancellara
• Mark Cavendish
• Alberto Contador
• Philippe Gilbert
• Matthew Goss
• Thor Hushovd
• Tony Martin
• Alessandro Petacchi
• Yaroslav Popovich
• Luis Leon Sanchez
• Andy Schleck
• Frank Schleck
• Tejay Van Garderen
• Christian Vandevelde
• Thomas Voeckler
• Chris Horner
• Andreas Kloden
• Jose Joaquin Rojas
• Tyler Farrar

Viva Le Tour!