Outside Magazine did a fine job previewing the 2004 Tour de France in its July 2004 issue. Five major articles including:
- An interview with Lance Armstrong when he was still training in California. (Excerpt available on-line.)
- An article about Tyler Hamilton, including many more details of his life before cycling than are typically provided.
- A lengthy article about Victor Hugo Pena and training for the Tour around his home in Colombia. Too bad he was named as a USPS reserve rider.
- An article about Phil Ligett and Paul Sherwin, the television hosts of the Tour de France on the Outdoor Life Network.
Plus brief articles about:
- the five leading contenders for the Yellow Jersey in this year’s Tour: Jan Ulrich, Iban Mayo, Ivan Basso, Alexandre Vinokourov, and Roberto Heras, (Vinokouov is out of the Tour this year with an injury),
- three “living legends” who each previously won five Tours de France: Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, and
- illustrations of important Tour stages and terminology unfamiliar to new Tour viewers.
Overall, it’s a surprisingly good issue– well worth the $4.95 charged on the newsstand.