Going to France to Watch the 2010 Tour

Tusher

Apologies if I'm posting this in the wrong place, but-

Hubby and I have been talking. (for once) We're not very good at going on holidays, but this year I have an overwhelming urge to watch the race in the flesh.

It was the Ventoux stage that did it for me- just to be a part of that crowd would be fantastic. Also, every camper van in Europe appeared to be there. Self contained, and with bikes strapped to the back. (We're expert at cycling and camping, but rarely wander further than the Hebrides and Highlands.) A camper van would let us sleep, cook and even have a loo, which, let's face it, is attractive. I saw no portaloos on the Ventoux.

We've toyed with the idea of taking our bikes, laden with camping gear, on the sleeper and then across the Channel before, but it's a logistic nightmare and costs a fortune. I heard that many of these camper vans actually followed the Tour from day to day.

So.........has anyone else done this? Is it worth it? Or should we just stay at home and watch it on TV?

(PS we're in the North West HIghlands, so we've got hundrerds of miles to drive just to get to Dover.)

Dunkeldog

Flew into Paris for the day. Watched on the barriers at the Arc de Triomphe. Absolutely magic atmosphere. Don't hesitate for a second, go for it.

cragman73

I am also inspired to go to the mountains next year to cheer on wiggo! Hope to get me and my friend up there. He had a severe stroke a couple of years ago before which we were regular KIMM competitors etc. He now lives in France so planning to pick him up in camper and head for the hills. Any advice from those who have been before would be very welcome!

sonny73

DO IT!!!! I've been to see the last 3 Tour's, the last 2 in the Alps. It's fantastic, worth all the planning, travel and sweat.

Even if you can't park on the stage route itself, with your bikes to ride to stages your laughing and this coming year we are possibly due a visit to Alpe d'Huez, which is something to behold when half a million people are there I (and I am sure others) can tell you.

The last 2 years we have stayed in chalets nearish to the action of 2 stages and getting to and from the stage on race day can be a long process, but worth every second when you find your spot, see the caravan come through and eventually hear the hum of the choppers as the race gets nearer.

If you can I'd go and watch on a climb, the crowd is always fanatical and with the riders suffering and going much slower you get a good look at the race and can be sure they can hear your cheers as Wiggo did us I am sure this year.

Be warned though, it's addictive and once bitten you've had it and like us you'll be planning to go every year!
Also the cycling you can do out there is in a different league and just as addictive as watching the Tour (porbably more so to be honest), though you don't need me to tell you that!

MattRhino

Am I right in thinking that the complete official route will be announced some time in October?

sonny73

Should be yes.

hammerite

Yes usually October, although I don't think they provide route maps for each stage that early.

I went out last year, if you want to go and see a stage with a famous climb like Ventoux or Alpe d'Huez you'll probably need to be there a good few days before. I think the people who follow day to day probably get themselves in the most convenient spot for a get in and out for that stage - which probably isn't on a famous climb (or one that the race finishes on).

The camper vans amazed me at AdH last year, any little spot where it may be possible to park one on was used, how most of them got in to those positions is beyond me!

If you have the time and money! why don't you drive across Scotland and get a ferry from the east coast and drive down through Europe, will be a lot more interesting drive and it will be like the holiday starts sooner. Rosyth - Zeebrugge or Newcastle to Amsterdam could be good options - you'd be through Netherlands and Belgium in no time before hitting France. But thinking about it the race starts in Rotterdam in 2010 - that would be a great option!

http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/us/grand_depart_2010.html the first stage proper looks pretty spectacular right along the coast, good opportunity for a team to take advantage of the wind!

northernneil

think someone here posted earlier that Morzine was getting a finish and start next year - if thats the case then its a brilliant base for the alps, you could have a holiday there easily without the race. I go every year for skiing but highly recommend it if the the tour does go through

owenlars

Read Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide. It is excellent.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... oh_product

pat1cp

I would say go for it !!!

Are you looking to hire a camper ???? Don't forget you can sail from Rosyth to Zeebrugge.

Morzine would be an excellent base and it's not that far. It's a lot further to the Pyranees.

Moomaloid

Hey Pat, i'm looking to hire a camper with a few buddies for next year. any advice? best to pick up in France? Expensive?

pat1cp

Moomaloid wrote:

Hey Pat, i'm looking to hire a camper with a few buddies for next year. any advice? best to pick up in France? Expensive?

Not sure about hiring, I've got one, but they ain't cheap. I think you'll pay circa £ 800/week. Google it.

Great way to follow the race though, you'll love it. When the route gets published I try and book a few sites adjascent then ride to watch the race. The wife likes her creature comforts.

pat1cp

Moomaloid wrote:

Hey Pat, i'm looking to hire a camper with a few buddies for next year. any advice? best to pick up in France? Expensive?

http://www.rimormotorhomes.co.uk/motorh ... riff.shtml

Courage Monsieur

I followed it day to day six years back through the Pyrenees in a small hatchback, camping roadside (no facilities!), then again the year after driving the car through France with bikes on.

From my experiences and talking to others the campervans are (obviously) a lot more cumbersome and on the big climbs folk are there days in advance. Ignore the rush to the best spots and just park somewhere you're comfy and then cycle in.

I think it'd have been much more difficult to do what we did in a campervan - getting onto mountains late at night, finding a pitch, moving off quickly when the race went to catch the race the next day etc.

Focus on the mountains for sure, but time trial stages provide steady entertainment too.

Le Commentateur

Sonny73 wrote:

Even if you can't park on the stage route itself, with your bikes to ride to stages your laughing and this coming year we are possibly due a visit to Alpe d'Huez, which is something to behold when half a million people are there I (and I am sure others) can tell you.

The last 2 years we have stayed in chalets nearish to the action of 2 stages and getting to and from the stage on race day can be a long process, but worth every second when you find your spot, see the caravan come through and eventually hear the hum of the choppers as the race gets nearer.

If you can I'd go and watch on a climb, the crowd is always fanatical and with the riders suffering and going much slower you get a good look at the race and can be sure they can hear your cheers as Wiggo did us I am sure this year.

Be warned though, it's addictive and once bitten you've had it and like us you'll be planning to go every year! Also the cycling you can do out there is in a different league and just as addictive as watching the Tour (porbably more so to be honest), though you don't need me to tell you that!

+1
(just saved me a load of typing)

I'd just add that on the spectacular climbs people will be arriving in their camper vans a few days prior to the race day itself. But remember if you have brought bikes you have the treat of camping a few kms away and riding up the climb on the morning of the race (great to do on Alpe d'Huez, with all the fans painting the road, merrily-drunk Dutch, that Devil guy chasing you up the road with his trident, etc) and getting off the climb and away to the next destination is going to be alot easier than if you had parked the camper van parked halfway up to Alpe d'Huez or some other congested road on the stage route.

zammmmo

Yes do it. Its alot easier than you might think and needn't be expensive. We flew Easyjet, hired a car for £200 for 9 days, camped 5 nights and found inexpensive hotels. Generally food was good and similar price to here, and just need some extra for fuel and road tolls. Hotels in Andorra were well cheap e.g. 50 euros for double room, ensuite and brekkie, for two people. Some were cheaper. Definitely do a mountain stage - we didn't take bikes and it made for a long day getting into and out of the area (they even opened the chairlifts for free) but it was so worth it for the atmosphere. Plan your route to rougly follow the stages and dip into and out of it as and when you feel like it.....

Tusher

Many thanks- I hadn't realised that the Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry had reopened.

Pouring over routes, motorhome renting and costs just now.

butcher_boy

Being in the mountains for the TDF is fantastic.

Only ever done a day at a time, so never followed it round. Think it would be hard to get a good spot on two consectutive mountain stages. Probably best to hop a stage.

I'm going to Rotterdam for start in 2010. Too close not to

Moomaloid

pat1cp wrote:

Moomaloid wrote:

Hey Pat, i'm looking to hire a camper with a few buddies for next year. any advice? best to pick up in France? Expensive?

http://www.rimormotorhomes.co.uk/motorh ... riff.shtml

Thanx Pat! Just hope i can persuade my mates (non cyclists) to fork out for a road trip...

suspectdevice

We did it this year, borrowed tent from brother in law and camped just outside Bollene (20 miles form Ventoux).

Used the car and bikes to get around.

We went to watch the Time Trial in Annecy and then camped out in the car on the Ventoux.

Took advice and arrived the day before on Ventoux and parked at Chalet Reynard, got up early next day and got a spot and stayed there all day till it all filled up.

Took the opportunity to ride up the Ventoux as well, though would advise against trying to ride it on the day as there were just so many people and cars it was untrue.

It was our first time camping so we are novices but we looked at options to rent mobile homes and camper vans but it was too costly, easier to get a gete and take the car and bikes.

On the whole i would thoroughly recomend it. Try and get a mountain stage if you can, the whole party atmosphere was fantastic on Ventoux this year.

GAWOOD

Do it. We did it this year and I loved the logistical challenge of finding places to stay etc.

Flew from Leeds into Geneva and got a hire car. Camped and stayed in St Gervais Les Bains for 3 nights. This was near Mt Blanc which enabled us to get across to the stage to Le Grand Bornard and then for the stage up the Columberie. Then drove to Annecy for 2 nights to see the TT and then down Buis Les Barionnes in Provence for the Ventoux stage.

The mountain stages are fantastic. Great fun just to sit there and people watch and to see budding Contadors tackling the climb. But if you can get a TT that starts and finishes in the same town then also a must. We were lucky enough to sit beside Jonathon Vaughters (Garmin manager) on the ferry back from Annecy to our campsite after the TT and he was more than happy to answer our stupid questions on Wiggo!

To get to the tops of the mountains you really need your bikes as they close the roads very early, otherwise you will only be near the bottom or be faced with a very long walk! I wouldn't fancy driving a camper van up some of those roads if you had never driven one before.

Tusher

Thanks for the reference for the Graham Watson book- I'll order it.

Having had a good look at motorhome hire prices, and having had a lie down and a stiff drink to recover from the shock,we've decided to skip that option this year (we're both going to be quite short of annual leave) and save up. Hopefully in a couple of years, we can combine our silver wedding holiday with hiring a motorhome/camper van for three weeks. Or even buying a cheapish camper van, even if we have to sell it afterwards.

Right now, I'm looking into taking the bikes Rosyth-Zeebrugge and then cycling to Rotterdam. I have a vague memory of sailing into Rotterdam 20 years ago. It was not a pretty site (huge oil terminals) and we left on the first available motorway. Loved the Netherlands though.

Anyone know if cycling from Zeebrugge to Rotterdam feasible? Or rather, I should say, easy and practical?

Present plan is to stay in cheap hotels rather than camp- cuts down on the luggage and I'm hoping to get into the centre of Rotterdam, even if we have to spend a bit more on a hotel.