A gentleman’s sport. 

Every July, I get nerdily excited at the prospect of 21 days of broadcast cycling through my favorite French scenes.  I’ve always been impressed with the way cyclists balance spandex, fierce competition and a gentleman’s agreement.  For example, if anything happens to the lead rider of the stage, the peloton will slow down to allow him to regain his lead.  It’s this kind of ingrained behavior that solidifies my love for the sport beyond beautiful French scenery.  

Yesterday saw the tragic loss of Wouter Weylandt during Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia. (In English: Tour of Italy.)  He was 26 years old with a baby on the way. Reports of the downhill crash sound horrific.

Like it’s French neighbor, the Giro d’Italia spans 21 stages.  Today, Weylandt’s fellow cyclists hit the road for a somber stage 4.  Competition it was not.  Instead, the men took to the streets riding in solidarity.   As the men approached the the last miles for the day, the peloton naturally backed off, allowing Weylandt’s Trek Leopold team to lead the group across the finish line.  

There’s something undeniably unique about the significance of this gesture.  No one won today.  I’m hard pressed to think of another professional sport where the importance of being a gentleman exceeds the value of winning.