Tour de Promotion and Tenure

Navigating the Tour de France has a few things in common with the ride toward promotion and tenure: multiple stages over varied terrain (some mountainous, some medium, some flat) over a long distance (nearly 3500 kilometers) with few rest days (two, in fact).
Teamwork is at the heart of the Tour, with strategies like pacelines and pelatons designed to support the best riders by using the reserves of teammates. Regular feed zones along the way replenish energy reserves. Pace cars and cheering crowds support riders’ highs and lows. Emergency vehicles patch up riders and cycles and get them back on course. Twenty-two days later, most riders arrive at the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Compared to the Tour, the road to promotion and tenure is longer, lonelier and less supported.