Hi Leanne here.

In July 1994 (I think it was) I was in a backpackers in the Loire Valley, when everyone emptied out mid-afternoon to head down to the road and watch the cyclists pass through town. My introduction to the Tour de France.

Over the years it has grown on me. Now I’m a fanatic.

The Tour got me through my early years of motherhood. My first baby India was born late June, just in time for me to tune in, in the early hours of the morning … and to tape it (back in the pre-digital world) and watch the stages back as I mindlessly waded my way through the blur of days.

And in fact my second baby Jemima was born mid-stage. I remember watching the start of a stage as I went into labour around 10pm on 12 July 2006. 2+ hours later Jemima was born, and by 1 or 2am I was in my room on the ward, with the telly on, watching the end of the SBS coverage for the day (priorities right!).

So I am quite delighted that my third baby Scarlett (who is now 12 - so not THAT little anymore), will also get to experience the joys of two overtired and slightly distracted parents for her birthday this year in mid-September, as Le Tour (as Mike Tomalaris, the longstanding SBS host likes to call it) has been slightly postponed due to corona times.

Anyway - if you are feeling a bit blue, are dreaming of travelling, are looking for a distraction, love cycling, need to fill up some time in your day, love Robbie McEwan (hard not to …) etc. etc. then I can highly recommend Tour de France immersion. 3 weeks. 21 days of thrills and spills.

Tune in nightly for the daily action live. Catch up on what you missed when you fell asleep 10km from the end (once again) with the 7am morning update - wake up with a spark of anticipation and avoid all news so there’s no spoiler! Relive the race during the day if it was especially good (tune in any time on catch-up TV). Watch the extended highlights for a pre-dinner thrill. Then … snuggle up in bed and switch on for the evening. And repeat. Day after day. With fingers crossed (1. that France has the second wave of coronavirus under control enough for the race to be completed, and 2. that we have it under control enough to start opening up) it’ll see you through stage 4 lockdown and into the start of ‘covid-normal’ times (in Melbourne at least).

Who will win the maillot jaune this year? Who will be the king of the mountains and win the polka dot jersey? Who will be the best sprinter and win the the green jersey? Who will be the best young rider (that’s the white jersey)? I’ll be watching with bated breath. Finally … some mindless normality in a very strange year. Vive le tour!