It was a French Gendarme directing traffic in Pau who once yelled my now-favorite phrase, "allez, go go go!" as if yelling the normal word for "go!" to keep things moving wasn't enough. His little bit of Anglo flair added a delightful, comic touch to what is an inherent challenge when covering the Tour de France. It's all about logistics and keeping things moving (physically and spiritually) is the name of the game.

And so this catch phrase has become the name of my column here at Road Bike Action, where I aim to capture the flavor of daily life at the Tour, from the amiable start villages to the rally car drives to the finish to the long hours in the press room and searching for parking, hotels, and one square meal a day. There is no lack of characters and oddities at the Tour de France and if I can expose our readers to a mere fraction of the madness, my job will be done.

I lived in France for three years and covered the Tour each of those years, along with the rest of the road racing calendar. After moving back to New York City and spending a few years away from the action, I couldn't be happier to be back in cycling and returning to the Tour first-hand with RBA. In addition to this column I'll be writing race reports, features, and taking photos along the way. It's a tough three weeks but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Excitement for the Tour appears fairly universal this year. Why? because all of the elements are there. To name a few:

1. A fantastic parcours with international flavor including Monaco, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, and a hint of Italy.

2. Last year's race was short on previous Tour winners but this year the count jumps up to three with defending champion Carlos Sastre taking on his compatriot Alberto Contador and the most successful Tour rider in history, Lance Armstrong.

3. Speaking of Contador and Armstrong, who doesn't foresee a bit of drama as these two kings seek their own places in history? Team Astana puts on a unified front in the press but Bernard Hinault also promised Greg LeMond he would support him at La Vie Claire in 1986 and we all know how that Tour played out.

4. The Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux. I have a profound love for this mountain and to know that it could play the final, decisive role in the general classification couldn't please me more. Except for the fact that we journalists will have to make a five and a half hour transfer at the end of a long day back up to the Paris region on the eve of the final stage into the French capital.

As I write this I am packing the last of my luggage in preparation for a flight from New York to Nice. It's odd to be leaving for the Tour from New York instead of Paris but the preparation is basically the same. There's something of a launch sequence when covering the Tour, knowing that once things start moving they won't slow down until the last rider has crossed the line on the Champs Elysées in Paris in three weeks time.

So gear up, settle in, and get ready for a spectacular three weeks of thrills, chills, and spills. On the race course and beyond... 

Allez, go go go!

Chris Henry