Catching the Travel Bug, Trapit Style

As the sports editor here at Trapit, it has been an absolute privilege to be encouraged by my fellow colleagues to stay on top of anything and everything in the sports world.

I’d like to welcome you to my humble abode, the sports page:

For the first time in my life I finally have an outlet (within my grasp) that allows me to build a bridge between my life on the job site and my life as an aspiring “sports guy” socialite.When I accepted the position, I knew right off the bat that one of the larger scale challenges was going to stem from my ability—or lack thereof—to broaden my horizon of sports interests. I’m talking all of them. I had to come up with a game plan because I knew I would overwhelm myself trying to chase around headlines from all the worldly sporting events, all of which occur simultaneously, ‘round-the-clock, and on seven different continents.There was only one solution to simplify this process:I was going to Trap them one-by-one and bring the content home to me (and to you)…where it belongs.

To become successful at this I had to catch the travel bug without leaving my desk.When I began brainstorming, I knew the Tour de France was coming up, so I began my quest by creating one of my first Traps on Pro Cycling on the eve of the big race to see what would happen.

I wanted to picture what it would feel like to be a rural farmer in France—chills running up my spine—as I watched a rabid pack of cyclists fly by my property.I wanted to witness firsthand that nationalistic pride when a sport is recognized as timeless, an unbreakable tradition that would outlast any economic disaster.

Before 2011, the Tour de France had only been cool, because that Lance guy with the Livestrong bracelets had been relentlessly dominant, and just so happened to rep the red, white and blue.I found out just how naïve I had been after weeks of monitoring the Tour de France via Trapit.

Allow me to break down what I uncovered following this year’s Tour de France using my Pro Cycling Trap.

First and foremost, let’s put this journey into perspective.The whole thing is over 2,000 miles long, and you have 23 days to finish (two TOTAL days of rest off the pedals). It’s like biking from Times Square to Salt Lake City.It’s a trip that would take you 35 hours in car (if you didn’t stop for food, gas or even a bathroom break).The race is broken up into 21 stages, ranging from steep declines to grueling alpine climbs, depending which day it is.

So yeah, no doubt, the endurance on your average pro cyclist is impeccable and absolutely unquestionable.This, I already knew.Just like a marathon runner, you don’t just roll out of bed one morning and develop superhuman calves and lungs.It takes ambition, nutrition, hunger and many other traits that I can only begin to imagine.However, when I ask myself, why on earth would I tune in to watch next year’s Tour de France or any other cycling tour?The answer is now simple:

Why? Because, these gents are absolute warriors! The degree of their refuse-to-lose mentality is a spectacle you rarely see in sports, and I have a perfect example to reiterate my point.Allow me to introduce you to a pair of cyclists: Juan Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland.During one of the most memorable stages (the infamous #9) in Tour de France history, a France television car sideswiped Flecha’s bike, causing Hoogerland to instantly veer off course.At full speed, Hoogerland flipped over his handlebars and ended up abruptly tangled in a wooden barbwire fence.The man was a mess, and the video was absolutely horrifying.With no ambulance hauling him off and blood pouring down his legs, Hoogerland only lost 16 minutes due to the crash, despite eventually needing 33 stitches to sew up his wounds. The incident even sparked an internal investigation by French police! The pictures speak for themselves, don’t you agree?Amazing.

I started out creating Traps with a mission to expand the horizon of my fanhood. And here I sit from my desk feeling like a certified world traveler.There is an endless abundance of material out there covering any sport you’ve ever wanted to give a chance. You just have to Trap it, and the content is yours.

Cheers!

-Geoff

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