Tour-De-France advice (spectating not taking part)
Discussion
I am thinking of a sortie into Northern France / Belgium to catch the first day proper of the TDF and am looking for some advice.
Has anyone attended a stage before or got some tips as to what to do and not to do. A quick google yields very few tips and tricks.
The route map is on the TDF website (as a list of villages and expected times) and the first Sunday the route comes close enough to Calais to do it in a day or perhaps a tented overnight stay.
The things I am not sure about is how close to the route can you get in a car before the race – they mention that the caravan comes through the route a few hours before the peleton and presumably the road itself is closed some time before and after but I have no idea how long for.
I am thinking of picking a village / town on the route somewhere between Antwerp and Brussels and heading there with a boot full of stuff - chairs, tent, baguettes, beer etc and spending the day camped by the side of the road.
Lots of the villages / towns on the route are fairly small and the road the peleton is on is the only main road in and out. Will this cause me any problems?
Any other advice would be gratefully received.
Cheers Bob
Has anyone attended a stage before or got some tips as to what to do and not to do. A quick google yields very few tips and tricks.
The route map is on the TDF website (as a list of villages and expected times) and the first Sunday the route comes close enough to Calais to do it in a day or perhaps a tented overnight stay.
The things I am not sure about is how close to the route can you get in a car before the race – they mention that the caravan comes through the route a few hours before the peleton and presumably the road itself is closed some time before and after but I have no idea how long for.
I am thinking of picking a village / town on the route somewhere between Antwerp and Brussels and heading there with a boot full of stuff - chairs, tent, baguettes, beer etc and spending the day camped by the side of the road.
Lots of the villages / towns on the route are fairly small and the road the peleton is on is the only main road in and out. Will this cause me any problems?
Any other advice would be gratefully received.
Cheers Bob
I have never been abroad to watch a TDF stage, but I have been to 2 in the UK in previous years. The roads are closed a couple of hours before the race is due and then opened within an hour of them passing by.
Try and choose an uphill section to stand and spectate from, otherwise they will whizz past you doing 25mph+ and will literally be gone within seconds
Try and choose an uphill section to stand and spectate from, otherwise they will whizz past you doing 25mph+ and will literally be gone within seconds
itsnotarace said:
I have never been abroad to watch a TDF stage, but I have been to 2 in the UK in previous years. The roads are closed a couple of hours before the race is due and then opened within an hour of them passing by.
Try and choose an uphill section to stand and spectate from, otherwise they will whizz past you doing 25mph+ and will literally be gone within seconds
Ah yes, the famous mountain stages of north-east France! Try and choose an uphill section to stand and spectate from, otherwise they will whizz past you doing 25mph+ and will literally be gone within seconds
I haven't any first hand experience, but I wouldn't want to chance the traffic. Maybe park 5-10 miles out and cycle to your viewing point?
The main route will be closed a couple of hours before the race come through to allow for the caravan. That alone is worth seeing. It's quite something.
Access on the surrounding roads though should be fine. My tip would be to park up, and cycle onto the stage. You'll be able to cycle along the stage until you find a point you want to stop at.
I'd echo the sentiments about seeking an uphill bit, although that could be difficult in northern france, it's difficult to appreciate quite how fast the peloton is moving until you see it for real.
Seeing the TdF for real is a great experience, and i'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Access on the surrounding roads though should be fine. My tip would be to park up, and cycle onto the stage. You'll be able to cycle along the stage until you find a point you want to stop at.
I'd echo the sentiments about seeking an uphill bit, although that could be difficult in northern france, it's difficult to appreciate quite how fast the peloton is moving until you see it for real.
Seeing the TdF for real is a great experience, and i'm sure you'll enjoy it.
If you want to watch them it all in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to park up within a couple of hundred yards of the course without any problems. You will not be able to drive across the course between the first of the caravan (worth seeing) and the riders and team cars going past. If you have bikes and are pretty sharpish, you might even be able to tag along behind the following support vehicles. I am not sure if there are any short sharp climbs in the early stages, but if its anything like the spring classics, then there could well be certain sections that you will find it more difficult to get to.
Agree with what has been said, the road is closed early for the caravan - check letour website for it's timetable, it's quite accurate.
The caravan is worth the experience and you'll be in position for the peleton.
But, Cycle racing is big in Europe, so I would suggest planning on getting your spot quite early if you're in town, or, as others do. Out in the coutry, drive the course till you find the place you want to be. Park up off the road, open the picnic/red wine etc (not too much of course!) and enjoy a few hours with like minded people.
The caravan is worth the experience and you'll be in position for the peleton.
But, Cycle racing is big in Europe, so I would suggest planning on getting your spot quite early if you're in town, or, as others do. Out in the coutry, drive the course till you find the place you want to be. Park up off the road, open the picnic/red wine etc (not too much of course!) and enjoy a few hours with like minded people.
cheers for the advice,
I have looked into the ferry availability and all looks good:
The route map has been updated on the website over the weekend and it seems to be about a 2 hour leisurely drive from Calais.
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/100/etape_...
We are looking at heading to Kontich and setting up camp there stopping off to fill up with some wine on the return.
The caravan comes through at about 2-ish and the race a couple of hours later.
Cheers Bob
I have looked into the ferry availability and all looks good:
The route map has been updated on the website over the weekend and it seems to be about a 2 hour leisurely drive from Calais.
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/100/etape_...
We are looking at heading to Kontich and setting up camp there stopping off to fill up with some wine on the return.
The caravan comes through at about 2-ish and the race a couple of hours later.
Cheers Bob
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