If you’re planning a trip to Europe this summer, consider taking a break from touring museums and historic sights to attend one of major sporting events that dot the European summer calendar. The lions of their respective sports will compete in cars and boats as well as on foot, horses, and bicycles; thwok tennis and golf balls; and take part in unusual events that you’re unlikely to see outside the confines of their countries of origin.
 

The Derby Festival
June 6–7, 2008
This two-day festival of horse racing dates back to 1780, and takes place each summer at the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, England. Friday is Ladies Day, as well known for the styish attire and elaborate hats adorning the female audience as for the feature fillies race, The Oaks. Saturday is Derby Day, considered by many to be the greatest flat race in the world, and the second leg in the British Triple Crown. Tickets may be purchased by calling the racecourse’s box office at 011-44-01372-470047 (non-UK credit and debit cards are not accepted for online ticket purchases).  www.epsomdowns.co.uk  

Wimbledon Championships
June 23–July 6, 2008
The oldest major championship in tennis, and the only Grand Slam event to still be played on grass, is held each June and July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in the charming village of Wimbledon, just outside London. True blue tennis fans who lack tickets for matches on the show courts camp overnight to obtain seats; fortunately for those who don’t fancy a night out on the sidewalk, Wimbledon designates two official tour operators who offer packages that take much of the guesswork out of organizing a trip to Wimbledon from the U.S.: Keith Prowse (www.wimbledon-experience.com) and Sportsworld Group (www.purewimbledon.com).

Henley Royal Regatta
July 2–6, 2008
This prestigious rowing competition takes place each year on the River Thames in the town of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England, and has become an important part of the social season. Teams from across the globe come to race in head-to-head, knockout competitions, held on the one-mile, 550-yard course. The most competitive race is the Grand Challenge Cup for Men’s Eights, which has been awarded since the regatta was first staged in 1839. www.hrr.co.uk

Tour de France
July 5–27, 2008
The world’s most prestigious and challenging bicycle race, the Tour de France is to the French what the Superbowl is to Americans. The 95th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometers (approximately 2,174 miles) throughout France, with a quick dip into Italy. The stages include 10 flat stages, five mountain stages, four medium mountain stages, and two individual time-trial stages. Tour organisers have invited 20 cycling teams, which will each nominate nine riders, to participate in the 2008 event, which begins in Brittany on July 5 and concludes on the Champs-Élysées on July 27. www.letour.fr

The Open Championship
July 17–20, 2008
Thanks to a dramatic victory at the Masters in Augusta, Trevor Immelman will join the field of top players at the oldest major championship in men’s golf, this year taking place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Lancashire, England. Well worth a jaunt to England’s northwest coast, Royal Birkdale has previously hosted two Ryder Cups, the Walker and Curtis Cups, the Women’s British Open, and on eight occasions the British Open. The club is approximately 32 miles from Liverpool Airport and 43 miles from Manchester Airport. Merseyrail’s Hillside Station is just two minutes from the course, with regular trains from both Liverpool and Southport. www.opengolf.com

Formula One Grand Prix of Europe
August 22–24, 2008
Feats of automotive engineering and drivers’ daring will be on display at the Grand Prix of Europe, taking place this August in Valencia, Spain. Sleek, jet fighter-like cars will tear through a 5.473-kilometer (3.4-mile) street track in Valencia’s recently revamped marina area at speeds averaging of 200 km/h (top speeds reach more than 300 km/h). The circuit’s designers were determined to use the unique area to its full potential and for most of the lap the action rarely leaves the water’s edge. At one point, the Formula One cars will cross over Valencia’s canal, using a swing bridge which has been specially built for the race. www.formula1.com

IAAF World Championships in Athletics
August 15–23, 2009
Also known as the World Track and Field Championships, this is one of the world’s largest sporting events, by some estimates smaller only than the Summer Olympics and the World Cup. Held biennially, the event will next take place in Berlin, Germany in 2009. At the 2007 event in Osaka, Japan, approximately 3,200 athletes and officials from 212 countries and territories participated in competitions ranging from marathons, sprints, and hurdles to long jumps, hammer throwing, and pole vaulting. www.berlin2009.org.  

Cultural Sporting Events
Sometimes a country’s sports can tell you as much about its culture and people as any number of museums, churches, and castles. The following events, while perhaps never destined to be broadcast on ESPN, offer visitors an exhilarating glimpse into the cultures from which they spring.

Il Paleo, Siena, Italy
July 2 & August 16, 2008
The culmination of Siena’s famous annual folk festivals are horse races that take place twice each year, on July 2 and August 16. On these dates, horses from each of Siena’s 17 contrade, or neighborhoods, are ridden bareback through the Piazza del Campo in the heart of the medieval Tuscan town. Horses and riders are adorned in the official colors and symbols of their contrada—She-Wolf, Tortoise, Goose, Shell, Giraffe, Porcupine, Dragon, Owl, Snail, Wave, Panther, Caterpillar, Eagle, Unicorn, Ram, Forest, and Tower. Riders are regularly unseated during the short race, but no matter—the first horse to cross the finish line, with or without a rider, wins.

The night before the race, each contrada sets out rows of 50-foot-long tables in its largest square, where local restaurateurs serve up heaping platters of pasta, meat, and vegetables. Race day includes a blessing of the horses inside (yes, inside) each contrada’s church, as well as parades and processions. Not surprisingly, the races are followed by yet another street feast in each contrada. www.terresiena.it  

Running of the Bulls, Pamplona, Spain
July 7–14, 2008
The running of the bulls is the main attraction of the Fiesta of San Fermín, Pamplona’s biggest blowout of the year held in honor of the city’s patron saint. The fiesta begins July 6 with a fireworks rocket shot from the balcony of Town Hall. The first running of the bulls takes place the following morning when the doors of the Santo Domingo corral are flung wide, and hundreds of people run in front of (they hope) the bulls on their route through the old town to the bullring. The running is repeated every day July 7 through 14, covers half a mile, and lasts a scant three minutes or so. The festivities also include concerts, dance exhibitions, and, of course, bullfights. The fiesta concludes July 14 at midnight, when crowds carrying candles make their way to the Town Hall Square to sing “Pobre de mí,” bidding farewell to the fiesta until next year. www.sanfermin.com

Historical Regatta, Venice, Italy
September 7, 2008
Dating back to the second half of the 13th century, the Venice Historical Regatta is the main regatta of the year, and takes place the first Sunday of September. The regatta begins along the Grand Canal with a ceremonial parade of historical boats manned by Venetians in period costume, followed by rowing races for children and women. The main event is the two-oared gondola race in which the various neighborhoods of Venice compete. The gondolas begin at the spagheto, a rope stretched across the starting point in front of the public gardens in the Castello sestiere, and race to the paleto, a pole driven into the center of the Grand Canal in front of the Church of Sant’Andrea de la Zirada, around which the boats must turn before returning up the Grand Canal to cross the finish line, the machina, a richly carved and painted wooden raft. www.comune.venezia.it 

Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Epsom Downs’ annual Derby Festival in Surrey, England, features what is widely considered to be the greatest flat race in the world.
Photo 2: Venus Williams celebrates her 2007 Wimbledon Championship win, her fourth Wimbledon win in eight years.
Photo 3: The Henley Royal Regatta was first held in 1839 and has taken place annually ever since, except during both World Wars.
Photo 4: Since 1924, 15 people have died from injuries sustained during Pamplona’s annual Running of the Bulls.
Photo 5: The main event of the Venice Historical Regatta is the two-oared gondola race, which has continued for centuries and is a reminder of Venice's close relationship with water.