It’s that time of year again. No, not the POA summer series at the BMW Performance Center – it’s the start of the Tour de France. This year there are ten Americans lining up in the Vendée region of France for the start of stage 1. Among those ten are two riders who call the Southeast their home: BMC’s George Hincapie and Brent Bookwalter. For 38-year-old Hincapie this is his record tying 16th Tour start.

“It’s really kind of an honor for me to be a part of [the Tour]. When I first became a professional, I had hoped to do 10 years and would have been happy with that. Eighteen years later and getting ready to start my 16th Tour, I’m still enjoying it and not taking anything for granted,” Hincapie tells CyclingNews.com.

As a tip of the hat to our American riders and particularly the Southeastern duo, Carolina Cycling News is sponsoring a Tour de France Live Chat for stage 3 on July 4th. For those not aware of what a Live Chat is, it’s a rolling dialogue between cycling fans. The conversation can range from analysis of the race action or smack talking like you’d find in your favorite sports bar. Along the way there will be prizes during each of the sponsored stages. It starts at 8:00 AM leaving you plenty of time for afternoon picnics and launching fireworks that evening.

While we are sponsoring the Stage 3 live chat, you can join us for all the TourChats starting tomorrow:

2011 TourChats Tour de France Schedule

Week 1

• Sat July 2 – Stage 1 – Sponsored by Cycling Fans
• Sun July 3 – Stage 2 – Sponsored by @DivasTourFrance
• Mon July 4 – Stage 3 – Sponsored by Carolina Cycling News

Week 2

• Sat July 9 – Stage 8 – Sponsored by @JulieHarden
• Sun July 10 – Stage 9 – Sponsored by @Cyclismas
• Thu July 14 – Stage 12 – Sponsored by Athlete’s Audio
• Fri July 15 – Stage 13 – Sponsored by @JTKatz
• Sat July 16 – Stage 14 – Sponsored by @BGreene1

Week 3 – Sponsored by The Sufferfest

• Sun July 17 – Stage 15
• Tue July 19 – Stage 16
• Wed July 20 – Stage 17
• Thu July 21 – Stage 18 – Sponsored by Warpia
• Fri July 22 – Stage 19 – Sponsored by Carrie Cheadle, M.A., Sport & Exercise Mental Skills Coach
• Sat July 23 – Stage 20 – Sponsored by @JTKatz
• Sun July 24 – Stage 21 – Sponsored by Pedal Chic

Additional prize sponsors: CytoSport and Handlebargains