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Tour de France

  • 11-06-2007 10:31am
    #1
    ZiggyStardust
    Closed Accounts Posts: 299 ✭✭


    Hi, A few of us are (at last) this year heading to the tour de france. I was just wondering, has anyone ever gone before and what their experience was. Will be probably heading over for a long weekend for the 3 Alps stages. Too bad it's not going up Alp d'heuz this year. What other places will be good viewing? Do you have to go up the mountains really early, I hear people camp over night?
    Thanks for this.
    Dave


Comments

  • #2
    E@gle.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,516 ✭✭✭E@gle.


    im thinkin of going to the prologue in london this year.


  • #3
    cyclopath2001
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭cyclopath2001


    ZiggyStardust wrote:
    Hi, A few of us are (at last) this year heading to the tour de france. I was just wondering, has anyone ever gone before and what their experience was. Will be probably heading over for a long weekend for the 3 Alps stages. Too bad it's not going up Alp d'heuz this year. What other places will be good viewing? Do you have to go up the mountains really early, I hear people camp over night?
    Yep people do camp overnight & I've even heard of people having to go to neighbouring countries to get a hotel room.

    This should be a good stage: http://www.letour.fr/2007/TDF/presentation/fr/profil-1600.html

    Avoid the first few hours of a stage, the riders usually just coast.

    If you are driving you could probably stay some hours away and, depending on the stage, you may find its possible to drive up the mountain early (for a fee) and park in a field. Some park cheaply at the bottom and ride up. That's a great way to beat the traffic afterwards.

    Consider going with an organised group like Graham Baxter's Sporting Tours if you want the benefit of experience in finding places and knowing when to be where.


  • #4
    ZiggyStardust
    Closed Accounts Posts: 299 ✭✭ZiggyStardust


    Thanks for reply. Accomodation is ok as a friend of ours is working in grenoble this year. I guess that is why we got off our backsides this year after years (i think 20) of wanting to go.
    Yeah I think we'll get up early and head for one of the last climbs of the day.
    If anyone else is considering going or has been before, let us know.
    Thanks


  • #5
    E@gle.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,516 ✭✭✭E@gle.


    i would love to go to one of the alpine stages but i dont have the time or money. for the looks of the london set up looks good spinning sessions, french markets, bike parade etc


  • #6
    Decuc500
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,256 ✭✭✭Decuc500


    I went over to see the Tour 2 years ago. We rented a campervan and drove to see the stage up Courcheval. If you want to drive up a mountain to see the race you have to be there a day in advance and camp on the mountain overnight. We arrived about 2 pm the day before the stage and had to drive all the way up to the summit and halfway down again before we found a space on a side road to park. There seemed to be thousands of campervans on the mountain roads taking up every available space. It was obvious that the Dutch and German fans had got there at least 2 days in advance to get the good spots on the road.

    I couldn't recommend seeing the Tour in the alps enough. The atmosphere is amazing especially on the mountain the night before. Everybody's on the side of the road partying.

    It's also the only real way to spot the cyclists you know passing by as they're in small groups though not going as slow up the steep slopes as I would have thought! You really gain respect for what they do when you see them zip past.


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