Being new to road cycling, I now appreciate the riders in the TdF

[jasont]

Things like - Maintaining a high average speed for hours on end in the flat stages or riding for hours and then climbing Alpe d' Huez or the guys that do the Giro and TdF back to back...Yeah, none of that even sounds fun.

Of course I knew the Tour was hard before I started road cycling but I could never appreciate how hard until now. I know I've suffered on my pitiful little rides so I can't imagine what they go through.

I realize they train for this stuff and perhaps I've suffered like they suffer (ok, probably not) but looking at what it takes for them to suffer, it seems almost impossible.