Has anyone followed the Tour de France for several stages? I'm interested in the intermediate stages; not the finish in Paris and probably not the mountain stages. We're thinking of renting a car to keep up with the race. Thanks...Jack
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
Yes! It is quite easy to do if you just go to their website and find out the route ahead of time. There are lots of people who follow the race for a week or two and rent small RVs or trailers and stay in campgrounds or who just use cars and stay in B&Bs... We followed the Tour in 2006 for a couple of legs in the southwest of France. We met it when it came out of the Pyrenees, then near Carcassonne and then again down in Pezenas. That was plenty for us as we're not huge bicycle race fans and were just doing it as a way to experience the race and see some of the beautiful places in the southwest of France. You'll sit around for quite a while waiting for the caravan, which is basically a "parade" of sponsor vehicles throwing out freebies to the spectators and the vans selling Tour merchandise. After that it's at least 45-90 minutes until the riders whiz by... Pay attention to which legs of the race are bicycle portions and which ones are those in which the riders are bussed to the start of the next leg. The don't actually bike the whole route.
Have fun! It's a great experience...
Posted by
Dallas, Texas, USA
501 posts
I'm going to disagree with Anita; the riders complete their entire Kilometers unless they are hurt and have to pull out. Now.....after the race.....they may be bused( team Bus), train or possibly fly to next stage. Seeing the race on flat stages is better than no race watching at all, it is just a few seconds as they fly by, and then they are gone. Picking a Mountain stage costs you time but due to height, they are not going as fast. So, if you're not big bike racing fans a flat stage is OK for your experience. I think if you watched several stages on TV, and tried to learn all the nuances of bike racing, you might get hooked! If you need additional help, private message us, we hope to attend Le'Alpe d'Huez stage.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
I think what Anita was saying was some legs they start at yesterdays finish town while others, after the finish line, they bus them elsewhere for the next start. I agree with Jim. If I have a choice, I want to watch a mountain leg because you see the riders for more than just a few seconds as the Peloton whizzes by (plus maybe an extra small group or two).