I still like to watch the predictable long and flat stages

There has been a lot of long, flat stages in this years Tour. The kind in which the break goes up the road, gets reeled back in and from which a bunch sprint ensues. It's not as bad as the 90's when the entire first week was dedicated to such racing, but in an age in which so much of the Tour is on TV, it stands out more.

So thank goodness the scenery is beautiful in these parts of France. And thank goodness I am the kind of sucker, or indeed have such a love of the Tour, that I will watch a lot of it. I record each stage in the morning then sit down to watch in the evening. I already know the result, and yet when I get a couple of free hours I'm happy watching the countryside that the peloton rolls through. Nothing is happening, but it's a nice way to unwind with a cup of tea or a cold beer. I can spend time on my phone or iPad and even read a magazine while listening in and looking up from time to time. The mountain stages are often chaotic and give little time to breathe, though I admit I do enjoy those best. But there are so many beautiful little towns on these stages and I can imagine being there. Enjoying that same beer or tea before moving to the side of the road to watch the race roll through.

Many people don't get that desire to watch like that on TV. They don't understand what is entertaining about it. And I understand them right back. I get that these stages don't lend themselves to passive viewers. Some people hate these kind of stages. They call it boring and from a racing perspective it is. I may have preferred if they had thrown a cobbled stage in and if cross-winds had blown another day, but the Tour takes all sorts. It is only the Tour I will set aside such time for.

Of course, time isn't completely unlimited. At some point I do find myself fast forwarding through chunks of the stage. It frustrates me though. I know nothing is happening and yet I want to hear what the commentators are talking about. I know it can't be much, but I still don't know what I will miss. It's an incredible job to commentate all day on such a stage. This year our international feed has Matthew Keenan and Robbie McEwen on the mic. Both do a terrific job of making those long stages pass and while providing insightful thoughts.

But the final 20km is must watch and as the time ticks by, I need to get to it. And so something gets skipped. In the old days my Tour coverage was a half hour on channel 4. I do miss a good highlight package on the days I have less time; it would show me the important stuff as well as the finish. As it is, I need to use the remote to find the categorised climbs, the intermediate sprint, a crash or something else of note.

Sitting here having only seen the final kilometre of today's stage I know what to expect later. And yet I will still sit down to watch. And why not. I love the Tour and it only comes around for three weeks a year. Soon enough I'll be missing it again anyway.