I've watched the Tour de France at least half-a-dozen times where I've actually gotten up and saw the "live" coverage of every stage (other years, when crap like work got in the way, I had to settle for just the "highlight" coverage during prime time).
I could almost feel like I was riding in the race after a while (I used to cycle when I was younger).
Now, after all the controversies, I must admit that I've almost completely lost interest. Heck, I doubt I'm able to even tell you who the "new" winners were for all those years where Lance (et. al.) were disqualified retrospectively.