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After my first tour, the only word I can think of to describe it is the German word begeistern, which roughly translates to inspired or WOW.
I got my tail kicked this year by the loooong climbs in the Alps. It is amazing to climb for 20 miles at 6-8% or so, and still not be at the top of the "hill".
Hot hot sunny days, cool nights, wonderful people from all over Europe and the rest of the world, and thousands of people coming out of the woodwork to support an event of amazing proportion.
Clearly, I have passion for bike riding, and racing. I stood on the Col du Joux-Plane with my heart pounding in anticipation of watching Floyd Landis staging the comeback of his career.
Since I am a spectator, and an American, then this site will be from that point of view. But, I need to say early on that I hade an amazing time at the 2006 TdF. We met so many people from all over Europe (Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, and Germany specifically) who were very nice. The notable exception is the one (Belgian or Dutch, not sure) woman who told us to "go away, we don’t want you here" when we tried to park on her territory. Oh, and French waiters can be a little bit put-out by your presence.
Background
A lot has been written already about the TdF and its history.
Why go? Because, like many sports, it is like nothing like what you see on TV.
It has spectacle, charm, daring, music, noise, people, and lots of spandex (as mentioned before, the good, bad, and ugly as well).
The Advertisers Caravan
Schwag
LeTour Official Kit
L'Equip
Collectable Bottles
Collectable Hats
Other Stuff
Etiquette
Don't be a whiner
If you are a whiner:
Yes, it is different than home, embrace the differences
Yes, they eat foods with fat in them.
Yes, they smoke
Yes, they drink lots of wine
Yes, they live longer and have less heart disease than Americans….deal with it.
If you think dairy is so bad for you, try looking in a French grocery store at the amount of cheese and other dairy products they have to choose from. Holy (Laughing) Cow!
Preparations:
Learning a little French to get by
Greetings
Counting/Colors
Common Grocery Items
The Weather
90's by day, 70's by night. Cooler at the higher altitudes (to down right cold).
The Route
Not Always Point - To – Point
This is a good thing. The route in the mountains is set up so that the routes cross or double back on consecutive days. This allows the tour support system to keep from being too spread out day after day. On the flat stages, it is often possible to find a highway or expressway that run parallel to the route, or shortcut a significant portion of the day’s route.
Some days covers 200 km (120 miles) in a straight shot.
Beyond the Internet - Local Maps
Every starting/finishing town, or group of towns, publishes a paper or pamphlet with valuable tour info - although in French you still get the gist of it. Think about
For example, in Strasbourg this year, there was a pamphlet/magazine which listed the events for the each day, the routes the riders took on the prologue, and stage 1 and 2.
The Schedule
The stage schedule for 2007 will be set on XXXXX date.
So far, the first 2 days are set.
Prologue
Stage 1
Stage 2
…
Rest Day
…
ITT
Hotel, Tent, or Caravan
Cost comparison:
Hotel / Rental Car / Fuel / Restaurant Food
Vs.
Caravan / Fuel / Cooked Food / Restaurant Food
Vs.
Tent Camping / Rental Car / Fuel / Cooked Food / Restaurant Food
Rental Car
Manual vs. Automatic
Fuel Costs
Tolls
Hotel
A great website to find hotels in Europe is hrs.com. They have an English interface and clearly show you what you are booking. I use this site for personal travel in Europe. We used it in 2006 to book our hotel in Kehl, Germany, which is right across the Rhine from Strasbourg. I strongly recommend it for both “tour travel” and any other stays you might be planning in Europe. Oh, it also has some hotels in the US, but not as many as travelocity, expedia, or orbitz.
Tent
You will need a pad
Caravan
Manual Transmission
No A/C
Don't Be Surprised
Water and dump stations are all over.
The costs range from free to a few (~4) Euros to dump, dump, and fill.
Wheel Ramps
Torpedo Level
Portable Grill
Chairs/Table/Candles/Lantern
Portable umbrella!!!
Water Adapter for normal hose and smaller thread
Camp Ground vs. Parking Lot vs. Side of the road
Shopping in France:
Fruit and Vegetable Stands
Are just like in the US, Germany, and practically every other country I have traveled to.
Grocery/Department Stores
Champion, Intermarche and Geant can be found all over France, even in smaller towns. There are a host of other stores that are also good. E. LeClerc and Geant are Wal-Mart/K-Mart type stores with food, clothing, automotive, and other household items available.
Hardware Stores
Sporting Goods
Decathlon is a GREAT sporting goods chain. They have fantastic assortments of all types of sporting goods, including an extensive selection of bicycle gear, clothes, parts, and service. They gear more gear oriented than clothing oriented, which is a welcome change from all the sporting goods stores that seem to be clothing stores that happen to also sell basketballs and golf clubs. After breaking a spoke on the Col de Peyruergue in 2006, we drove to Gap and camped in the parking lot of the local Decathlon store. The service guy was swamped, so I ended up buying a new Mavic Aksium wheel set from a really nice store clerk. It saved the day so we could ride the Col du Lautaret that afternoon. Although I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be ON the Col du Lautaret, while I was on it in blazing heat that was soon replaced by rain, there was a fantastic sense of satisfaction upon completion of the 23 mile long 4500 foot climb back to the Caravan.
Other News and Info
Navigating in France
Mega-Michelin Map of France
Buy yourself Michelin's comprehensive Atlas to France. Not the little tiny one, but the 421-page behemoth that lists every road and ville along the way. That book has saved me from being utterly lost more times than I can remember.
Green Guides
Regional Maps
GPS Units
Photography
Photographing the landscape and things that move slowly
Photographing the bikers
Stars at night
Decorating your spot….or, how many flags do you own?
Picture of neighbors with mega flag poles
Link to bicycle fan thingy….
Other reading:
Velo (french) magazine
Tour (german) magazine
Velo News - Tour Special
Daily, local tour info
CyclingNews.com
Eurosport.com
LeTour.com
Oln.com
Dailypeleton.com?
Tour Blogs:
HYPERLINK "http://blogs.active.com/dugard/" http://blogs.active.com/dugard/
What to bring
For Guys
For Girls
For Families
What not to bring
For Guys
For Girls
For Families
What to do if…..
Biking in France
Riding with a tour company
Riding with a guided tour
Bike Maintenance:
Spares, spares, and more spares!
Map of major sporting goods stores:
Decathlon
On the beaten path, or off.
Riding your bike in the Alps
Gearing
Water/Drinks
Food
If you are a flatlander
I was amazed at the length of the climbs. Since most people live either on flat ground, or on hilly terrain where it is a mile or two to the top, it is hard to fathom a road which climbs up a valley for 20 – 30 miles at 4-8% with barely a break in between. It took us 3 hours to climb the Col du Lauteret. Three long hours which started at 2400ft altitude under a blazing sun and air temperatures above 90. The climb has a dip or two in the middle, but only for a short distance. Then, after pressing the pedals for hours, we topped out at 6800 ft. in the ~70 degree cool thin air and a cold rain falling.
If you love pain
Riding your bike in the Pyranees
Gearing
Water/Drinks
Food
If you are a flatlander
If you love pain
Equipment Rental
Where and how much
Road Bike
Trekking Bike
Training
Training rides, how much is enough?
Flat Stages
Planning Movement
Choosing A Place To Watch
The Schedule
Road Limited
Road Closed To Cars
Road Closed To Bikes
Road Really Closed to Bikes
The Caravan Passes
The Dead Time
The Bikes Pass
After The Bikes Pass
Mountain Stages
Planning Movement
Choosing A Place To Watch
The Schedule
Road Limited
Road Closed To Cars
Road Closed To Bikes
Road Really Closed to Bikes
The Caravan Passes
The Dead Time
The Bikes Pass
After The Bikes Pass
Prologue / Time Trials
Get ready for a long, long day
Planning Movement
Choosing A Place to Watch
The Schedule
Road Limited
Road Closed To Cars
Road Closed To Bikes
Road Really Closed to Bikes
The Caravan Passes
The Dead Time
The Bikes Pass
After The Bikes Pass
Start by knowing the route. Go to www.letour.fr in early November and the entire course will be laid out, with start and finish towns. If you want to see the whole race, it might be worthwhile going online and reserving rooms at the finish line of the mountain stages, as these go quickly. Otherwise, I find that there are always rooms at the Tour. You might have to drive thirty minutes or so off the course, but as long as you're checking in by early evening, good affordable rooms are available. I make it a policy to book only rooms for the starting town and Paris when I go to the Tour. The rest I just find as I go alone.
Next, rent a car. I know people who've done the Tour by train, but it's expensive and trains don't go anywhere the mountaintop finishes. Get yourself a nice little midsize with a good sound system. Other than hotels, the car will be your biggest expense (food is relatively cheap in the small towns that comprise most of the Tour). Plus, a car is a refuge from the crowds and a nice little retreat. Personal space becomes somethiing of a luxury at the Tour.
Having said that, travel with a friend. Only one. And a good one, at that. One person alone can be a bit lonely, two means you can easily find agreement on routes, hotels, etc. But three or more is just looking for trouble.
Buy yourself Michelin's comprehensive Atlas to France. Not the little tiny one, but the 421-page behemoth that lists every road and ville along the way. That book has saved me from being utterly lost more times than I can remember.
Figure out which stages you want to see, whether all of them or just a couple or a week, and plan accordingly. The mountains are the most exciting but the most crowded, avoid Paris unless you've never been, and know that you've got to find your spot on a time-trial course the night before, because they seal the roads in the morning.
And finally, if you want to see the riders up close, hang out by the team busses before -- never after -- a stage. It's a very casual time, and the riders aren't moving too fast. After the stage they just disappear.