Tour de France 公路車賽的最高殿堂－－環法自行車賽

Even if you are not a cyclist1 or a sports fan, you have undoubtedly heard of the greatest bicycle race in the world—the Tour2 de France. This annual event in the cycling world takes place mainly in France, but parts of the course cross into neighboring countries like Italy and Belgium. Riders from all over the world cover nearly 3,500 kilometers, which is broken into 21 day-long segments called stages. Interestingly, the course and the direction the Tour de France is raced, clockwise3 or counterclockwise4, switches every year.
就算您不騎自行車、也不是運動迷，您也一定聽過這個全球最盛大的自行車賽事－－環法自行車賽。這項自行車界一年一度的活動主要在法國境內舉行，不過賽程中某些部分會蜿蜒跨入義大利及比利時等鄰國。來自全球各地的車手得騎上近三千五百公里的路程，而這整段距離被劃分成二十一個單日長的段落，稱為賽站。有趣的是，環法自行車賽所進行的路線及方向，也就是順時針或逆時針，每年都會調換。
　　July 1, 1903 saw creator Géo Lefèvre, a journalist5 with the newspaper "L'Auto," and 60 brave pioneers pedal into history with the first-ever Tour de France. This inaugural6 race was completed on July 19 in only six stages, each averaging over 400 kilometers.
1903年七月一日，賽事創辦者、也就是《L'Auto》的報社記者吉歐‧里費弗，以及六十名勇敢的選手先驅因參加首屆環法自行車賽而踩入了史冊當中（編按：《L'Auto》為當時法國新創刊的體育報紙，里費弗為了宣傳此報，於是想出開辦環法自行車賽這個點子）。首屆賽事於七月十九日比完，當時僅有六個賽站，每個賽站的平均長度皆超過四百公里。
　　With over 100 years of history, it is not surprising that the Tour has changed. For the 2011 edition of the Tour de France, a total of 22 teams have been selected to compete from Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 24. This year's course will also have riders ascending the Col du Galibier, not once but twice. At an altitude of 2,645 meters, it is the highest stage finish in the Tour's history. In addition to the nine mountain stages, the overall times from one team time-trial7 stage of 23 kilometers, one individual time-trial stage of 41 kilometers, and 10 flat stages will be used to determine the winner of the 2011 Tour de France.

 這項賽事已有超過百年的歷史，因此當中有些改變自然也不令人意外。在2011年的環法自行車賽中，共有二十二個車隊獲選參加比賽，從七月二日星期六一直比到七月二十四日星期天為止。今年的路線還要選手兩度登上Col du Galibier山口（編按：此山口位於法國東南部，坐落在阿爾卑斯山的一個分支山脈中）。這個海拔高達兩千六百四十五公尺的山口是賽事歷史中最高的賽站終點。除了九個山路賽站的成績之外，還包括一項二十三公里長的團體計時賽站、一項四十一公里長的個人計時賽站，以及十個平地賽站的整體成績，都會被用來決定2011年環法自行車賽的冠軍得主。

@Building your vocabulary
《Building Your Vocabulary》
1. undoubtedly　adv. 毫無疑問地
Will was undoubtedly out of his mind when he tried to commit suicide.
威爾無疑是昏了頭才會試圖自殺。
2. cover　vt. 走完（一段路程）
The troops were able to cover some 50 kilometers within a day.
那支部隊一天可行軍約五十公里。
3. segment　n. 分段，部分
A large segment of the public is against the new tax.
大部分民眾都反對這項新稅的開徵。
4. pioneer　n. 先驅，先鋒
Einstein was one of the pioneers of modern physics.
愛因斯坦是現代物理學的先驅之一。
5. pedal　vi. 騎（自行車）；踩動（踏板）
Mandy has been pedaling like crazy on her exercise bike for weeks, trying to lose weight.
曼蒂為了要減重，好幾個星期以來都瘋狂踩著健身腳踏車。
6. edition　n.（固定活動的）屆；（發行物的）版
Ian bought a paperback edition of the dictionary to carry with him to class.
伊恩買了這本字典的平裝本要帶去上課用。
7. ascend　vt. 爬，攀登
Al slowly ascended the steep path up the mountain.
艾爾緩緩攀上陡峭的山路。
8. overall　a. 整體的，全部的
The overall cost of repairs amounted to millions.
全部的修理費用總計達上百萬元。


@Extra words
1. cyclist　n. 騎自行車的人
　 cycle　vi. 騎自行車（本文中亦以現在分詞作形容詞用）
2. tour　n. & vi. 巡迴比賽（本文中以現在分詞作形容詞用）
3. clockwise　adv. 順時針方向地
4. counterclockwise　adv. 逆時針方向地
5. journalist　n. 新聞記者
6. inaugural　a. 首次的，開始的
7. time-trial　a. 計時（賽）的