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So you’re ready to go insane

• The first direction we must point you in is Pro Cycling Stats, aka PCS. PCS has a live tracker, which is useful if your coverage isn't telling you who is in the breakaway, or if you want to check the stage profile without suffering through the official TdF website. You can also look up individual riders on PCS and see their career results, and access the complete start list for the Tour all on one handy page. Bookmark this one - you’ll thank us later. 

• Ready to full send it and watch the entirety of every stage in the race? Welcome, friend. You’re in for a transformative month. Start by clearing your calendar and declining any plans that may come up in conflict with the Tour. Watching live is the best way to go if you can manage it in your time zone, and if you do watch on replay be sure to start a stage as soon as you can, even if that means breaking it up into chunks. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll ‘catch up on replay later’ as the stages are 4-6 hours long.

• Anglophone cycling content is growing rapidly, but if you really want to get into the weeds, it’s time to learn a new language. We might suggest picking up Flemish or Dutch, which would allow you to listen to the Sporza feeds and to Wout Poels’s podcast, which we desperately wish we could understand. If Danish is more your speed, you’ll be able to read even more articles about Jonas Vingegaard’s time a fish packing factory. French strike your fancy? Good choice, you’ll be able to follow the RTBF round tables. And if constant backstabbing, betrayal, and internal conflict gets you revved up, learning Spanish to keep up with the Movistar boys would certainly be in your best interest.

• If you’ve taken the plunge into madness and you enjoy fantasy sports, you will have an excellent time on the Tissot fantasy game. Unlike Velogames, Tissot allows a certain number of substitutions throughout the Tour, and also requires you to pick someone to double your points on each day, rewarding research into the stages and good predictions for which rider might do well. You also get one point per km a rider spends in the breakaway, so draft a French pro conti rider and watch those sweet sweet breakaway points roll in. 

• Go where not even we have not yet ventured – and start playing Pro Cycling Manager. This PC game allows you to become the director sportif of a pro team for a simulated season, including getting into contract negotiations, finding sponsors, and managing your riders during races. Honestly it seems like a lot of fun so if you dive in, please report back to us. 

• Form your own group chat with like-minded enthusiasts. We are extremely unavailable for this and, sorry to say, probably do not talk to us about cycling as we’re in deep with some other cranks. You, however, have the chance to get a wonderful rapport going with some friends and family by diving into the Tour together this year.