Tour de France Monaco Stage versus F1 Monaco Grand Prix

July 4, 11:35 AMSan Jose Auto Industry ExaminerArt Michalik

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Lance Armstrong rides past the Monte Carlo Casino on Stage 1 of the Tour de France (AP)

Like many general sports fans, my interest in bicycle racing is pretty much limited to the most famous race of its type: the Tour de France, which began today in Monaco.

It was an exciting broadcast, with eventual Stage One winner Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland won the 9.6 mile stage toward the end of the session, at 19 minutes, 32 seconds with a margin of 18 seconds over second place Alberto Contador. As a percentage of the fastest stage time, the margin between first and second place was 1.0157% . Pretty tight, huh?

There is no question in my mind that professional cyclists are among the most fit, most talented, and most competitive individuals in all of sport. In the Tour de France the riders cover over 2,200 miles and climb something like the equivalent of three Mount Everests in the process, all the while developing strategies for position. Incredible stuff.

But while watching coverage on television, I noticed that the first stage of the Tour de France circulated around Monaco on many of the same streets as used in the annual, and equally venerable, Monaco Grand Prix. It also struck me that an 18 second margin of victory would be incredible in a relatively short auto race. But just how of a difference exists?

Felipe Massa races past the Monte Carlo Casino in the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix (AP)

At the Monaco Grand Prix this past May, race winner Jenson Button covered the162 mile race distance in 1 hour 40 minutes and 44 seconds. The second place finisher was Rubens Barrichello only 7.6 seconds behind race winner Button. That's less than half of the difference between Cancellara and Contador at almost 20 times the distance. By comparing the margin of victory versus the race time, the margin of victory was 0.0013% (again versus 1.0157% for the Tour de France stage).

That sort of difference on the first stage of the Tour de France would have been a virtual photo finish.

The point here is to take nothing about the incredible athletes who are competition in the Tour de France, but rather create an appreciation among sports fans, especially those who don't seriously follow motorsports, that auto racing generates the closest and toughest fought of margins by fantastic fit, talented and competitive athletes who are also developing strategies all through the race. These drivers have earned the right to be viewed much as  top-caliber as those fighting around France this week.

For almost daily updates about the wonderful world of sports cars and motor sports, follow me on Twitter.