Viva le Tour de France!

The single greatest sporting event in the world is underway, ladies and gentlemen. For three solid weeks, 200 riders will endure grueling conditions through the heart of France until one of them gets to stand on the podium on the Champs-Elysees as the overall leader. It's a compelling race that combines physical ability with mental toughness and tactical maneuvering. There's drama, tragedy, scandal, pain, moments of sublime individual achievement and, of course, the "agony of defeat." One man wins overall, but he can't win without his team's support and sacrifice. So here's a basic primer for all you Tour neophytes...

1. The Prologue- A short time-trial at the beginning of the Tour. Some men specialize in this distance, and this year's winner, Fabian Cancellara, was incredibly dominant. An American, George Hincapie, was 3rd.

2. The Yellow Jersey- The overall race leader gets to wear the yellow jersey. It will usually change hands several times during the early stages of the Tour. There's strategy involved too with giving it away. If the leader wants his team to rest up before a difficult stage, he might let another rider win the yellow jersey so that another team has to ride hard to defend it.

3. The Peloton- The main body of riders.

4. A Breakaway- During a stage, some riders may break away from the Peloton with the hope of putting enough time between them and the Peloton to make it to the finish line so that one of them can win an individual stage. Sometimes it works, but the Peloton is capable of catching most breakaways, especially if the team with the yellow jersey decides it's too dangerous to allow one of the riders in the breakaway that much time in the overall standings.

5. Sprinters- These guys like it rough. When the Peloton comes barreling towards the finish line, it's like a stampede, but that's when the sprinters burst through tiny gaps between the riders to emerge ahead of the pack to take the finish. It's a crazy thing to watch, and if one rider bumps another, the whole Peloton can go down. Those crashes at the end are always the worst to watch. Riders to watch... Robbie McEwan and Tom Boonen.

6. EPO- The banned substance of choice among riders.

7. Polka Dot Jersey- The climber with the most points through the mountain stages gets to wear the polka dot jersey.

8. Time Trials- There are usually a couple time trials during the Tour. In addition to the Prologue which is an individual effort, there are typically two others as well as a team time trial. They can be kind of tense to watch because sometimes the outcome of the entire Tour depends on someone's time. Jan Ullrich used to be poetry in motion during the ITT. The team time trial is a little different because the entire team has to ride together, and the clock doesn't stop until the 8th rider crosses the finish line.