WATCH SPORT ON TV – THEN DIY
Watching the lycra-clad peloton of the Tour de France is possibly the closest most people will get to pedaling through the magnificent French countryside.
For a small minority, the Tour is a case of ‘ABC’ (another bloody chateau), but for the majority of viewers, the event represents the A – Z of beauty, inspiration, endurance and achievement. All that breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, passionate locals and of course, the appeal of the delectable French cuisine is enough to get even the laziest of couch potatoes on their feet (or rather, on their bikes)! After all, those professionals make it look like a walk in the park. But it’s clearly not a cinch – with the riders burning around 124 000 calories during the two weeks and working those pedals at 90 revs per minute (translating to around 490 000 pedal strokes)!
It would be fun to know whether TV viewers are inspired to take up a sport once they’ve watched it on television. Perhaps watching Wimbledon or the US Open gets people out on court for the first time or seeing joggers cross Manhattan Bridge in pursuit of the finish line in the New York Marathon gets them on the road?
While attending any of the world’s major televised sporting events is the stuff of dreams for most people, here’s something that can bring a little part of that dream into reality. A new take on gifts – gift certificates for experiences such as a cycling trip, yacht cruise, rally driving gift etc – is a great way of making someone’s dream come true.
It’s as simple as changing the TV channel. Click, click with the mouse to the world of the online adventure gift shop … and a treasure trove of opportunity awaits. Reputable online shops such as BigThanks offer secure payment systems so that gift vouchers can be bought from anywhere in the world – check out their range of gifts in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth etc. So if your uncle in Melbourne is a cycling enthusiast – a mountain bike gift would be good to go.
On the subject of cycling – the famed yellow jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de France was first introduced way back in 1919 because it was the colour of the pages of the magazine that organised the tour in those days – L’Auto magazine. Between inception in 1903 and 2010, the distance covered in the Tours over those years is equivalent of cycling from the moon to earth. Now for mere mortals, touring France on a bike is about as remote as an alien landing, but with adventure gift vouchers – the next best thing could happen. Have a look at the websites of various online retailers and get your gift onto the winners’ podium.