If you're a fan of late-night television in July (I gather all of us at SUVelo certainly fit into that category), I'm assuming the days cannot come quickly enough for the start of the Tour de France.
Staying up late for 21 days watching every stage of the world's biggest bike race from the comfort of your lounge room is the perfect excuse to miss the early-morning wake-up call the following day for the mandatory training ride, especially when temperatures drop to just above freezing.
In fact many people have told me that it's in July when they prefer to dust off the wind-trainer and sit in front of the idiot box whilst watching the Tour at the same time pretending to be in the peloton rubbing shoulders with some of the sport's big names.
Now, please own up - is that you?
Well, if you are I must commend you for being so committed to the cycling cause.
Having sat through many weeks of watching events such as Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Giro in the lead-up to the Tour, I must say it's not easy staying awake through the early hours.
As a member of the six-member SBS team about to jump on a plane for another dose of Tour fever, it goes without saying I'm in a more fortunate position to be on location under the European summer sun.

Many people have often asked what have been my most memorable Tour de France moments in the 15 years I have covered the event as a journalist and host of the SBS
coverage.
Well, I must admit many of Lance Armstrong's mountain conquests brought tingles while the presence of the increasing number of Australians has been most welcome.
On a personal level I have to say it was after stage 2 at the 2003 Tour which I seem to remember vividly.
It was the day when Brad McGee wore the leader's jersey for the third day in a row having won the Paris prologue 48 hours earlier. But this was also the day when Baden
Cooke collected his one-and-only stage win in dramatic style, while Robbie McEwen led the sprinter's category.
What we saw were three Australians dominating the podium - McGee in yellow, Cookie in white (as best young rider) and Robbie in green.
I was like a kid in a candy story, my head spinning as I didn't know who to interview first for our audience back home.

As I look ahead to 2011 I must say Alberto Contador is certainly the man to beat.
Whether you're a fan or not of the Spaniard given his doping trials and tribulations of the last nine months, I'm sure you'll agree his talent on two wheels is unsurpassed.
But I wonder whether he can back his Giro victory of six weeks ago with another Grand Tour success?
In this modern era of professional cycling I feel it's almost impossible to complete a successful double.

With that in mind I genuinely feel Cadel Evans has everything working in his favour and become the first Australian to win the Tour. I believe he the physicality, the mentality and the men around him at BMC Racing to do the job and deliver him to the finish line on the Champs Elysees. Cadel won started the Euro season with victories at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie. By finishing second to Bradley Wiggins at the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month, I feel he has plenty in reserve to go all the way in France.
That said, here are my selections for the 2011 Tour de France:

1. Cadel Evans
2. Alberto Contador
3. Ivan Basso
4. Samuel Sanchez
5. Robert Gesink

Green Jersey
Peter Sagan

Mountains Jersey
Robert Gesink