We all have our own unique methods to overcome Tour de France withdrawals after three weeks of 24/7 coverage.

I watched much more of the Tour this year than in recent memory.  The last five years I had not made it a daily must do, but this year was different for me.  Maybe it was the personalities of the contenders (minus Lance) or maybe my heart was just open to seeing some "real" bike racing.  The reasons do not matter as much as the fact we did get to see an exciting Tour.  Nobody would have predicted such a tight race going into the final weekend before the decisive time-trial, but of course all of the drama leading up to it certainly helped hold our attention.

The consensus appears to be the 2010 Tour was cleaner than any in recent history, but because there's no scandal yet and lack of positive doping results it usually means the "preparation" has adopted a new method to avoid getting caught.  At least we all feel as though those fighting for the podium were clean(er), especially considering a lack of total dominance in the mountains coupled with their very mediocre time-trial performances in Stage 19.  Therefore, I feel as if I watched a truthful Tour de France and not a sad fictional version undeserving of attention.

How have I been able to rebound now that we are five days past the podium presentation in Paris?  Early in the week I got into an online video search kick that led me to find all kinds of cycling related material.  This started off completely random, and then I narrowed my viewing down more because there's a lot of junk attempting to pass itself off as entertainment.  All this has definitely helped to take my mind off of the Tour. 

I have not totaled up the minutes or hours of material below, but set aside time to enjoy and come back multiple times if necessary!

Mario Cipollini
My all-time favorite sprinter!  I wish I could speak Italian to understand what's going on, but obviously Mario has been setup for a "punked" type show in Italy.  His response is over the top and eventually throws some punches!

Eddy Merckx - The Greatest Show on Earth - Giro d'Italia 1974
This is awesome, just imagine if we could stop at any store along a race route and take what we want from a convenience store!  Here's where the concept of "water boys" come from, with glass bottles no less.  Check out the bottle opener options!!

Eddy Merckx - The Greatest Show on Earth (1974 Giro) Part 7
Chaos on a mountain climb in the Giro, the tifosi of today obviously learned from the best of this generation!

Funny Cycling Moments
I'm not sure which I like more, the videos or the music.  Some aren't so funny of course.  My favorite is the pitchfork moment with the Devil, but there are several honorable mentions here.

Funny cycling clips
The yellow jersey impostor from the Tour a few years ago is quite funny.  I had forgotten about that one.  Another video with great music.  I think this one has all of Rasmussen's mistakes in the TT from a few years ago too.

Awesome Bicycle Stunts
Here are some mad handling skills demonstrating tremendous balance.  The railroad track action is remarkable.  "Go to the jungle, go to the city."

Stairwell mountain bike
This guy is a demonstration of how not to do it.

More from hell...
Merckx dropping the hammer and stringing out the group over the cobbles.  It's an up close view in the classic Hell of the North.

Eddy Merckx riding rollers at home
Some good music to go along with the greatest cyclist of all-time.  We are lucky to have a lot of Merckx on film.  I mean, who can take their eyes off this guy?

Eddy Merckx - Hour Record 1972 Mexico City
Nuevo Record!  Take note of the bike he's riding because.....

Eddy Merckx - guided tour of his bike factory in Belgium
This is a really cool video of Merckx giving a tour to Paul Sherwen, and towards the end Eddy pulls out his bike from the hour record in 1972.  Here's a "did you know" - the bike is made of titanium!  How much is the bike worth?  "I don't sell it."

Stars and Watercarriers Part 1
This is a series of nine videos available about the 1973 Giro d' Italia.  This should keep you busy for quite awhile, and well worth watching I might add.  Be sure and check out Part 5 to get the full effect of the role of watercarrier.  I have watched all nine parts and it provides you with a sense of history to help you better understand traditions of today.  Not only is the video action outstanding, but the writing and audio story is quite beautiful.

Jeff Hopkins explains how his neck will stay warm
The city of Nashville is definitely worse off by not having this Australian roaming the streets any longer!

Refund
One of my favorite scenes from the best character movie cycling related of all-time.

Daniel Stern On Breaking Away
He has a great take on what the movie was really about.  "The sports was the skeleton." The same could be said of our lives within the sport, right?

Allen Lim starts work with Lance Armstrong
This was a huge move within the ranks of cycling that went unnoticed by many fans, but it definitely created a stronger wedge between Garmin and RadioShack.  Lim is the guy who has and continues to develop many of the cutting edge ideas in cycling at the highest level.

Dr. Allen Lim Talks about Day-by-Day Recovery
Get out your notebook, save this in your browser favorites, and steal his methods. 

Rider reaction to Mark Renshaw DQ
Robbie McEwen gives the most coherent and well thought out explanation of why Renshaw was thrown out of the Tour.  You can still disagree of course, but his analysis has merit.

Stage 20 - Full day with Lance Armstrong
The guys with Ozcycling obviously have a good funny give-and-take relationship with Lance.  It sounds like Lance is looking ahead at the Tour Down Under 2011.  Will they get Anna's approval for Lance to race World's in Australia?

George Hincapie: Threshold Power
See him talk about some of his numbers and various workouts he does to improve his FTP.

Daddy Dave
Protect your junk.  The smile on the baby's face is priceless!

The Fireplace
This is hilarious; Dave Z is not right!  There are other commercials of DZ Nuts, but this one is the best I think.

Andy: I’ll never forget this day
Schleck talks about his greatest victory in his career.  The moment the entire team shares around the dinner table as they salute their success should put a smile on your face.

Team Saxo Bank. The riders dicuss their injuries
Do not watch this one if you're even the least bit queasy.  As the doctor tends to Fuglsang the boys share and compare trying to one-up one another with their battle wounds.  Professional bike racing is a dangerous occupation.

Cancellara: Special to watch Andy
The one thing that stands out to me with Saxo Bank is the affection they show for one another.  Anytime you see this taking place on a team you know they are close, tightly knit, and will do anything to help one another succeed.  If it is lacking then you can bet there's tension, stress and difficulty in sharing the joy of success.  If I had a choice between not always winning while having affection versus always winning with no affection - well that's easy, give me the ups and down of competition and affectionate teammates.  The Schleck brothers had better hope this exists on their new team in 2011 or they'll be less satisfied than today.

I hope you have enjoyed all of the above, but you should know I have saved the very best for last.  Below are some of the best videos you'll ever watch or listen to, and I guarantee you will smile, laugh and quite possibly cry.  None of us can exactly put our finger on why this man captures our heart and the hearts of millions of others.  Maybe it's because we know genuine passion when we see it, which he possesses in abundance.

Ladies and gentlemen - Jens Voigt!

Jens Voigt Signing Autographs and a Quick Interview
Of course a man who has five kids himself will have a line of youngsters to sign for, this time at the Tour of Missouri last year.  Again, the genuineness shines through.  "I always look good man!"

Jokes and fun on a restday
A good interview with O'Grady, A. Schleck and Voigt on a rest day in the Tour.  Worst jokes?  Most grumpy?  I love him even more knowing his coffee addiction is as strong as mine.

Jens Voigt Had Too Much Coffee
If you've seen the Overcoming movie about CSC then you're familiar with this, but the breakfast prank is a pretty good one.  "What does that mean, can't? I don't know that word."

Shut up Legs
Jens, one more time, what do you say to your legs?

Tour De France 2009 - Stage 16, horrific high speed crash
Who can ever forget his horrific crash in the 2009 Tour de France.  Personally, I cannot watch it because it turns my stomach, but it should give some perspective on his toughness.

Stage 16 crash update from the man himself
"I'm hard to recognize, but it's me - it's Jens.  I'm still alive."  I got to see him at Stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri within six weeks after the Tour crash. 

Comments on his crash in Tour de France - 28 days later
Watch for the part where Voigt talks about bouncing back.  He's overwhelmed with the outpouring of support.  "Wow, all these people like me, all these people feel for me.  That is really amazing, I'm really blown away." 

Voigt: I'm still alive
"It's better than last year."  As if he hasn't been through enough already here comes another terrible crash in the 2010 Tour.  However, this time he didn't have to drop out, but he was still banged up and cut badly. 

Jens Voigt: I borrowed a children's bike to drive down
You have read about the story of him riding a small junior bike, but hear him tell the whole story and how he made it back to the peloton.  Jens tells you how he came to receive that bike and how Bjarne Riis arranged for him to get a replacement bike on the road.  The stories behind the race curtains are usually the most interesting.  Is there a more determined bike racer in the pro peloton?

Jens Voigt Interview - 2008 Tour de France
This is one of the better interviews I found.  "The mind goes, shut up body, do what I tell you!  I get paid to hurt other people.  How good is that, how good is that?"

Jens Voigt of Team CSC Pt 1
"He's the king of breakaways." - Bobby Julich.  This is another clip from Overcoming.  If you do not own this DVD then you must add it to your collection. 

Jens Voigt of Team CSC pt 2
This portion covers what happened when Jens dropped back from the breakaway to help Ivan Basso chase down Jan Ullrich in an important mountain stage.  Jens took a lot of abuse from German fans because of his loyalty to his CSC team instead of his fellow countryman.  The response really stung Voigt, but he held true to his team. 

Voigt: Nothing is impossible
How he ends this interview after climbing the Tourmalet sums up his attitude to a T.

Voigt shows around at the hotel
He's got a bit of a messy suitcase, but he's got the perfect explanation as to why.  "I'm good at chaos. My philosophy is, having things organized is only for small minded people. The genius controls the chaos."  I love his take on the bad blankets in the hotel, funny!

Jens Voigt Rant on Spectators (Tour de France)
Yes, we see this on a daily basis at the Tour, but now you get to hear what a pro like Jens thinks about the closeness of the fans. 

Top 3 Jens Voigt
Here's a side of Voigt it's unlikely you've seen before, but even still it's done with good humor.  I like #2 myself.

Interview with Jens Voigt
This is before the 2010 Amstel Gold race.  Jens even gives a little parental advice to a teammate who just had his first child.  I love his reply about his current age (39!) and his future plans of racing and beyond.  You know from his words that doubt has never been something to hold him back.

602nds with Jens Voigt
This is from the 2010 Tour Down Under back in January.  The most interesting portion of this interview is Jens talking about the Berlin Wall being torn down when he was 18 years old living in East Germany.  To hear him talk about the uncertainty at that time is a bit of a history lesson, which for us here in America is hard to understand the full ramifications of such a large moment in history.  Let's not even think about the loss of joy in cycling had that wall not been torn down.  I also love his business idea after retiring from cycling, but it sounds more like our dreams will come true with his interest in commentating!

Jens Voigt Interview - Stage 20, Tour de France 2010
Let's end this on a high note.  Here is Voigt immediately after the end of this year's Tour.  I am already looking forward to following him at the Tour in 2011.  "You've got goosebumps everywhere when you arrive in Paris."