I saw my first tour stage in 1950 on a long stretch of rural road. Took several hours on a motorcycle to get there.

We've had high definition Direct TV with a HD DVR ever since they started broacasting it in high def. Bought a higher level 46" Panasonic plasma tv then as well. The image quality is astounding.

If we didn't have a DVR, we couldn't watch it. There's more commercial plus "features" time then racing. We not only can time-shift and get on with our lives for those three weeks (plus the other stage races and classics Versus carries), but we spend far less time sitting in front of the TV. The fast forward is blazingly fast.

Al