James is a 62-year-old man from Minnesota. As such, he would stick out in France without saying a word. He's tall and broad in a land of lithe people who must avoid stiff breezes. On top of being bigger than everyone, however, he's also louder. Here he is in front of the starting line Saturday at the Tour de France as riders were preparing to take on a treacherous day in the Alps.

James' enthusiasm livened up a drizzly start. Even more inspiring was his story. James has pre-leukemia. He is also a marathon runner in the United States. He crossed the Atlantic for the Tour de France's three days in the Alps, determined to run up the ascent to Chamrousse, considered the hardest climb of the race. He underwent chemotherapy before leaving America.

James said he decided to attend the Tour de France after watching Lance Armstrong win it for a sixth time. He decided he wanted the bike that Armstrong rode, so he bought one of the 600 gold-plated bicycles that were made after the victory. James wore a wolverine on his head in honor of Peter Sagan's alter ego, and because he's from Minnesota "where we actually have wolverines" (I told him I was originally from Michigan).

And that was it. James politely excused himself to get back to business, cheering and high-fiving riders as they went by.

"Can you talk?" " I'd love to but I might be missing out" pic.twitter.com/t31ts7z7rv — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 19, 2014