Planning Trip to watch Le Tour

We took a trip to watch the tour last year. It was hard to find information on how to go about viewing the stages. I looked at Graham Watson's TDF travel guide and searched the internet for info. We ended up choosing to watch the finish in Lyon and the start in Givors. We were able to take the train from Lyon to Givors so this made sense for us. We would have liked to watch a mountain stage but it was just too difficult to plan. Basically you would have to park your car and sleep in it or get up early and walk (or cycle) up the mountain to get in viewing position. They close the roads early in the morning to get ready for the stage. We were a family of four so we decided not to do it. They publish the tour route in advance but often not the exact roads the route will take until soon before the race. We asked the local tourist information office in Lyon for information the day before the stage. They told us how to get to the finish on the metro. We got there early and camped out in our spot all day. The advantage of being at a finish for a big stage was that we were right under a large screen broadcasting the tour so we could watch the tour on TV while we waited. The sponsors entertained the crowd while we waited. They gave out a lot of hats, flags, and some little snacks. Come prepared with sunscreen, water, food to camp out. You must viciously guard your spot. It is better if you have people to trade off with in case nature calls or you need a break. I spent many hours mashed up against a shirtless sweaty fan. Sacrifices must be made. This is not for the faint or claustrophobic individual. It was all worth it when the riders finally passed by. The next morning we rode the train to Givors for the start of the next stage. You get to see the show put on the sponsors again and you get to see the individual riders go by as they sign in. Not as exciting as a finish but interesting. We considered signing up for one of the guided tours but decided to go at it on our own. I think if we were going to do a mountain stage that a tour would be helpful. Also I think you get to have breakfast with riders or something. Good luck and post if you successfully watch a mountain stage!

I didn't plan our trip around the Tour but we did see several stages when we were in France for the summer a few years back.
One of the things you can do is first figure out which place you would prefer to watch once the route is announced. Alps? Pyrenees? The route often hits both. Then make use of Google satellite/street view and Google images to try to pinpoint a place to stake out a spot. It really isn't difficult. Once you have an area in mind, make your hotel reservation to arrive the day before to make sure you know where you're going to view the race on the morning of. Get there early to insure you can get a good view. There are vivid yellow signs all along the route so you'll know that you're in the right place.
You can skip days and get ahead of the race as well in order to not be too rushed from day to day. Quite a few people follow the race for days on end and have it down to a science. While you're waiting by the side of the road you're likely to run into English speakers and you can ask their advice on their strategies. Many of them use caravans so they don't have to worry about hotels and the like.
You'll do a lot of waiting around but that's half the fun. The sponsor parade comes through first, tossing out samples and being very loud. Then the vans selling Tour merchandise arrive. About an hour later the peloton zings past and it's all over in about 45 seconds.
That's about all I have to contribute! Good luck...