Going to the Tour
Lichtblick
Posts: 1,434
To my astonishment, I'm going to the Tour this year, and in France. If all planning so far works out, I'll see three stages with hopefully, two stage finishes and two stage starts. This will/may mean moving base - but we might make base inbetween the two. (base = overnight accommodation)
I am so excited I can hardly concentrate on anything else. So far I've booked my flights to+from, and am leaving up to the others to find the base or bases to stay in.
This is what I've been told to expect:
* early start to get to Start Towns starts
* late finish on those days to see finishes and get back to base
* be prepared for up to five miles (!) of walking from nearest possible place to park car, to somewhere to see action, and the same to get back to car (!!) (not too happy about that) (actually, not at all happy about that)
* driving around on little back roads to get to next action-viewing
* if it rains on those days, tough
* where to wee? no idea, tough
* take food and drink
Anything else I should prepare for? I'm up for this, of course. The dates are fixed and therefore the stages.
I am so excited I can hardly concentrate on anything else. So far I've booked my flights to+from, and am leaving up to the others to find the base or bases to stay in.
This is what I've been told to expect:
* early start to get to Start Towns starts
* late finish on those days to see finishes and get back to base
* be prepared for up to five miles (!) of walking from nearest possible place to park car, to somewhere to see action, and the same to get back to car (!!) (not too happy about that) (actually, not at all happy about that)
* driving around on little back roads to get to next action-viewing
* if it rains on those days, tough
* where to wee? no idea, tough
* take food and drink
Anything else I should prepare for? I'm up for this, of course. The dates are fixed and therefore the stages.
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Comments
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Lichtblick wrote:To my astonishment, I'm going to the Tour this year, and in France. If all planning so far works out, I'll see three stages with hopefully, two stage finishes and two stage starts. This will/may mean moving base - but we might make base inbetween the two. (base = overnight accommodation)
I am so excited I can hardly concentrate on anything else. So far I've booked my flights to+from, and am leaving up to the others to find the base or bases to stay in.
This is what I've been told to expect:
* early start to get to Start Towns starts
* late finish on those days to see finishes and get back to base
* be prepared for up to five miles (!) of walking from nearest possible place to park car, to somewhere to see action, and the same to get back to car (!!) (not too happy about that) (actually, not at all happy about that)
* driving around on little back roads to get to next action-viewing
* if it rains on those days, tough
* where to wee? no idea, tough
* take food and drink
Anything else I should prepare for? I'm up for this, of course. The dates are fixed and therefore the stages.
OK, so firstly, which 3 stages?0 -
Hi
8 9 and 10 - can't do anything about that.
8: finish
9: start and finish
10: start
Sat 12th, Sun 13th, Mon 14th July.0 -
Well stage 10 should be nice and quiet and easy anyway. Nothing's ever happened on the 14th of July in France apart from the one time a few rowdies stormed a prison, but that was a long time ago and everybody's forgotten about it by now.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0
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Lichtblick wrote:
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* be prepared for up to five miles (!) of walking from nearest possible place to park car, to somewhere to see action, and the same to get back to car (!!) (not too happy about that) (actually, not at all happy about that)
*
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park and sleep on the course is the best option0 -
I don't do roughing it. ;-)0
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Good idea, but I'm flying there.....0
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AFAICS, stage 8 finishes in Gerardmer, tick
stage 9 starts in Gerardmer, tick
stage 9 ends in Mulhouse, tick
stage 10 starts starts in Mulhouse, tick.
The base should be therefore somewhere between Gerardmer and Mulhouse - or - move base.
Experienced Tour attendees may be blasé about my excitement. Ok.0 -
no offence but stop being a prima donna and join the rest of us ( millions +) who have been doing it year after year from all over the world
if you cant walk 5 miles to see this spectacle you might be better at an air show ....or Top Gear0 -
So pleased for you Lichtblick. Give us a full run down of your experience when you are back (plus piccies!)0
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SpecialGuestStar wrote:no offence but stop being a prima donna and join the rest of us ( millions +) who have been doing it year after year from all over the world
if you cant walk 5 miles to see this spectacle you might be better at an air show ....or Top Gear
Meh. :shock:0 -
Yellow Peril wrote:So pleased for you Lichtblick. Give us a full run down of your experience when you are back (plus piccies!)
Hey thanks! Piccies when I get back will be several stages later, but I'll bear it in mind.0 -
My missus, likes cafes, shops, toilets, shelter, sleep and doesn't like walking and waiting in the middle of nowhere. I don't mind and love the Tour.... so we compromise and go to Paris to watch it and I get bonus husbandry and fathership points :-)0
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One obvious point is that if you get there super early then park then obviously you won't have to walk so far. Is it possible to park up then mooch around looking at something French for the day, watch the race in a bar with a Pastis and then go to the roadside?We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
I'd be astonished if you had to park as far as 5 miles from the start and/or finish points. I've never had to walk much more than a mile or so.Team My Man 2022:
Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet0 -
Likewise, I have never had to walk more than 1/2 a mile - which is good, because 'er indoors doesn't rough it so i have to carry chairs, umbrellas, picnic hamper and the coldbox with the wine.
Plan where you'll watch and approach it from the side of the route. I usually get to the point where the road is closed, park and walk from there. That's usually a hundred metres or so from the route.0