The Tour is here. With just one more day to go ahead of the Prologue, the team presentations went off without a hitch. All 22 teams were introduced to applause and fanfare, the the big names lapping up the cheers and jeers of the faithful in Liege. To hold the presentations in cycling-rabid Belgium is an absolute treat for the riders and fans alike. It’s a place where the energy of the sport reverberates to a crescendo, launching the Tour in style. Cadel Evans playfully perused the papers for the media. The traditional shot, taken with nearly every GC leader throughout the Tour (especially when Thomas Voeckler took the jersey last year), is a sort of right of passage for the big names.

The Tour kicks off this Saturday, June 30.