I didn't start out as a bicycle road race fanatic. But Lance Armstrong's amazing career has piqued my interest, and I've become a bigger and bigger fan. The sport is fast. It requires incredible endurance. And there's drama, too. Cycling can be quite appealing. I am not a particularly sophisticated spectator, however, there is something primal about the competition in road races, and I get swept up in the sport every time.

Racing is big news -- and big business -- around the world with racing events centered in Europe, especially Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and France. And there are thousands of travelers who travel with the big races -- particularly the Tour de France -- each year. Now California can be added to that list of big races, and I've had a great seat at the race for the last three years -- all without leaving home.

On February 14, 2009, the Amgen Tour of California started in Sacramento with the Prologue -- a series of individual time trials. The city turned out in droves to watch the cyclists whizz through Downtown and Midtown in a quest for the fastest time. Both Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis chose the Tour of California as their racing debuts after leaving the sport, too, which increased the hype in town. But it was Fabian Cancellara, the Olympic Gold Medalist, who won the Prologue this year.

The Twitter coverage of the Tour of California was good this year, too. I anticipate that the Tour de'France will be Tweeted even more widely. Here's a list of some of the professional cyclists who Twitter:

Tour of California: @AmgenTourofCali
Tour de France: @TourFrance (I'm not sure this is official... we shall see)
Lance Armstrong: @lancearmstrong
Ivan Basso: @ivanbasso
Christian Meier: @christianmeier
Koos Moerenhout: @kmoerenhout
Christian Vande Velde: @ChristianVDV
Floyd Landis: @TheRealFloydL
Carlos Sastre: @carlossastre (there's debate over whether this is authentic)
Dylan Casey: @dcasey
Jani Brajkovic: @janibrajkovic
George Hincapie: @ghincapie

So if you have fantasies of following the Tour de France in person, but your budget won't allow it yet, make plans for next year's Tour of California. I'd love to cheer with you!

And congratulations to Levi Leipheimer, the winner of this year's Tour of California!

Thanks to all of you who came from DeliciousBaby.com's Photo Friday !

Speaking of Twitter: do you follow me? If not, you can find me here .