Every year during July, former world time trial champion Emma Pooley hears the same question: Why aren’t you riding the Tour de France? And every year, the British cyclist is forced to give the same answer: Because there is no Tour de France for women.
~Jen See, "Women Petition to Ride Tour de France"
Midweek Motif ~ Le Tour de France
Your challenge is to write a vivid poem . . .
. . . about the annual event or any one of its parts, locations, personalities ... take us there with rich imagery!
For this once you may use a poem you wrote anytime during this year's race--it doesn't have to be new today.
Here's inspiration ~ Tour de France Poetry
from Bicycling Magazine:
Today was the final day
in the mountains
and the fog descended,
as did the mists, over wet
roads making for dicey riding.
Froome pulled Wiggins
up the final ascent
while Vincenzo Nibali appeared
to drift away both mentally and physically,
perhaps dreaming prematurely
of the Champs-Elysees
or a vacation somewhere at sea level
with a cool drink in his hand
and warm sand beneath his calloused feet.
Cadel Evans, clearly under the weather,
looked sluggish and burnt,
his dimpled chin tucked down
to his chest, sweat dripping
onto his red and black jersey,
his race is nearly over
you could see it in his face today.
One in a series of poems written for the 99th Tour de France by Todd Colby. To hear Todd Colby read this poem, click on the title above.
from Bicycling Magazine:
BY TODD COLBY
Today was the final day
in the mountains
and the fog descended,
as did the mists, over wet
roads making for dicey riding.
Froome pulled Wiggins
up the final ascent
while Vincenzo Nibali appeared
to drift away both mentally and physically,
perhaps dreaming prematurely
of the Champs-Elysees
or a vacation somewhere at sea level
with a cool drink in his hand
and warm sand beneath his calloused feet.
Cadel Evans, clearly under the weather,
looked sluggish and burnt,
his dimpled chin tucked down
to his chest, sweat dripping
onto his red and black jersey,
his race is nearly over
you could see it in his face today.
One in a series of poems written for the 99th Tour de France by Todd Colby. To hear Todd Colby read this poem, click on the title above.
~
Please:
1. Post your "Tour de France" poem on your site, and then link it here.
(Next Week's Midweek Motif will be Boycotts.)
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Thought I'd better stop expanding my post further, before I start ranting about the bizarreness of it all [ is this a word?].
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun.
Thanks for starting us off again. I haven't written mine yet, but your poem gave me an idea!
DeleteAs usual more of a detour around the prompt than a direct sprint..i am toying with how to slip in a yellow jersey...peut etre a plus...thank you for the theme..happy cycling..
ReplyDeleteI'm heading over in a minute, Jae Rose. Good to see you this early morning!
DeleteSusan, I came across a poem that really moved me.So delicate and only indirectly about the tour.
ReplyDeletehttp://angelatopping.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/cycling-poem-not-quite-the-tour-de-france/
If you don't want this, then please remove this comment.
Thanks! Me too. I left a comment there. Perhaps the poet will stop by and link the poem.
DeleteMy poem is up! I'm afraid it's not serious. Someone else will have to join jo-hanna on the trail of the poetry and place of beauty in the race. From video to video I have seen places magical that I wouldn't dream of without this so-much-more-than-a race.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteTrying to leave a comment, but they disappear!!!
My poem reflects the demise of the reputation of The Tour de France in recent years. I no longer have much interest in following it these days!!
I didn't know comments disappeared! I' check that out. As for ambivalence about the race, I'm getting that from quite a few poems, Yu are not alone. Thanks for posting, Eileen. It's good to see you.
DeleteSorry I am late. My computers (both) are having issues so I am struggling to do anything but look at the screen and I broke my phone yesterday. It's a device overthrow!!
ReplyDeleteOh to be in France watching these guys fly...
i have gotten to enjoy the rush of local races, time trials and riding with hundreds of cyclists over 100 miles of terrain.
You are not late--I check back through Saturday morning. Thank you for taking on the challenge.
Deleteive realised my poem is not really with the prompt.. but in my defence i read this prompt at 5 in the morning after a very long flight and scribbled the first few things i could think about... im really sorry about the off topic misleading poem! :(
ReplyDeleteI read your poem as if it was about the Tour! Ha! Could it not be?
DeleteThat's all for this week, poets! SEE US TOMORROW IN THE PANTRY!
ReplyDelete