About 50 Lawrence cycling enthusiasts gave Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, their attention Tuesday night.

He joked it might be difficult to do because he was basically showing the crowd at Kief’s Audio/Video, 2429 Iowa, his vacation slides from last year.

Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, at right, talks about a bicycling trip he and two other Lawrence men went on to experience some of the Tour de France's classic mountain climbs, including the legendary Col du Telegraphe and Col du Galibier, which were featured in Tuesday's ninth stage. Hughes was a guest speaker Tuesday at a special Tour de France event at Kief's Audio/Video, 2429 Iowa.

But these slides meant more to the area cyclists, as they featured photos of Hughes and Lawrence dentists Joe Gatti and Mike McBride pedaling up huge French hills that are featured in part of the Tour de France.

“It just gave me a lot of admiration for these guys (in the Tour de France),” McBride said of making the steep climb.

The audio and video store for four years has thrown a party one night during the Tour de France and invited guests to watch part of the day’s stage on the many big-screen televisions, manager Ed Hawkins said.

Hughes spoke about the cycling trip to give a perspective about the steep climbs that riders make during several Tour de France stages. Essentially, the miles-long uphill rides were tough, but Hughes was thankful for the bikes and technology of today.

“You think about guys in 1911 riding up a dirt road with no gears : and they’re gutting it out and making it over. So you figure I should be able to do this somehow,” Hughes said.

Hughes said the race for this year seems to be wide open, and the sport is trying to recover and regain fans after the recent doping scandals and the retirement of Lance Armstrong.

Two things could help, he said: If the lead changes hands several times throughout the race and if several riders who have been outspoken against doping do well.