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Outside Magazine, July 2004
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2004 Tour de France: The Ultimate Guide
They're Dancing on the Pedals (cont.)

PHIL LIGGETT NEVER goes on the road without a bike—mainly because he loves riding, but also because it helps him do his job. "Trying to sit a rider down for an interview—it's like dragging blood out of a stone," he says. "But if you can get them on a bike, they'll lose their inhibitions and tell you all sorts of things.

"Besides," he adds, "riding is the only thing that keeps me sane."

Sanity is good, especially in this sport. Phil has covered one-third of all Tours de France, and he and Paul plan to sign on for four more years with OLN at the end of the 2004 season. You might say their timing is very good indeed. Last year, a record 1.2 million American viewers tuned in to OLN's daily Tour broadcasts; this year, with the Armstrong saga building to a Valkyrian crescendo and the two men narrating it working at the peak of their powers, OLN is hoping to double that number.

So a vast swath of the world will be watching. Do the announcers think Lance can do it again? Yes and yes.

Phil: "There's only a handful of guys who have the ability, and Lance still beats them all on the mental side of the equation."

Paul: "The tough thing about winning the Tour isn't getting the yellow jersey; it's keeping the yellow jersey. All that stuff that goes on around him? Lance has learned over the years to be serene and be above all that. Some people say he's going for two more."

Both men acknowledge that the sport will be dealt a "body blow" whenever Lance decides to retire, as it was after LeMond bowed out. But they're optimistic that this time a faithful American following will remain in place.

"I think that when Lance stops riding, he'll stay with the team—probably as a coach, or directeur sportif," says Phil. "Because that man loves riding a bike. He loves to feel the wind in his hair.

"I know how he feels," he continues. "I tried to stop riding once, and I just got depressed.Their chemistry is what makes them so fun to watch. Paul keeps the ball rolling during the 23-day race, because sometimes Phil just won't stop shouting. One of the nicest things in the world is to go out and climb a mountain ... look at the scenery ... talk to no one ... freewheel it home. And all of your problems of the day are gone."
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