Road Cycling - 2004 Tour De France trip?

Me my wife my riding buddy and his girlfriend are going next year. Does anybody have some good advice on how to do it right? We have looked a several package deals that include alot of riding and coaches, but we are afraid they will be to organized and set in stone. Would it be better to book a flight and a room and just play it buy ear? Any info would be great.

no advice from anyone? I had the same question (probally not next year, but hopefully in the very near future). Has anyone gone to the TdF? What was your experiance?

BTW Feltup, how do you like the f65? My wife has just got one about 6m ago and other than the saddle she loves it this far.

I am not familiar with France, but I do know it may be better for you to wait until they announce the route at the end of the year. You could be setting yourself for a big disappointment if you schedule yourself to be on the wrong side of the country for different stages!

Traditionally, when I travel, I do NOT EVER do packages- I don't like people telling me what to do, where to go, and having control over what I will or will not see.

Wait until the end of the year, book the cheapest tickets you can get using an online service, and book your hotels as early as possible, or bring tents and plan to sleep outdoors. Get a Eurorail pass (1st class if you can afford it) for a full month of travel so you can follow the route with greater ease, and if you do get hotel accomodations, book as early in advance as possible, and reconfirm twice before you go- make sure each hotel sends you written confirmation, and have that confirmation letter with you- sometimes, reservations can get "lost" in the busy season, and then you are SCREWED.

Koffee

I only have experience with the final day in Paris. My wife and I were there for the 2002 tour. Koffee's right about the hotels - book early. We would call to confirm, but we didn't have a problem. In fact, we got kinda lucky - we made reservations just a month in advance for Paris. Don't worry about where (location) you stay in Paris - the metro can get you where ever you need to go. I wouldn't stay out of the city, but you don't have to fork out big bucks for a hotel close to a major tourist site. I don't know how you get into the stands on the Champs-Elysees. We were fine watching from the street. We showed up around 11am, and we were late. Get to the street early and claim a spot on the barricades. You will have to firmly hold your ground for hours. People will push you, distract you, and take any opportunity to slip in front of you or crowd you out of your spot. The bigger group of friends you are with the better. Do your shopping for tour stuff after the riders have passed - they will still be selling everything you want, and you won't have to keep track of it while you are holding your spot and snapping pictures. At any tourist location in Europe, watch your pockets in tight situations. When the tour shows up, you'll be pinned to the barricades. But that's better than trying to see over people.

After they come around for the last time, make for the finish line. Depending on how bad the crowds are, you might be able to catch a glimpse of the podium action.

I'm sure there's a better way to do it, but that's my experience. It worked great for us as poor backpacking students. I don't like packaged deals - not flexible enough. Plus, I think you'll have a better and more satisfying overall experience learning to fend for yourself in a foreign country as opposed to just following the tour group leader around.

If you're not a comfort freak (i.e. 4 star or better) search on the web for the Hotel Tourisme. It's VERY close to the Champs du Mars (the park at the Eiffel Tower) and only cost my wife and me $60 per night (in December). Watching OLN coverage, I noticed that the Champs-Elysees was almost deserted when they did that commemorative ride in the morning. I would thin you could just head over there about 10am to get a spot near the avenue. Place de la Bastille also didn't look too crowded. Obviously, the metro will being to get crowded as the riders approach and after they've finished. I couldn't tell you much about the other places along the Tour, but I've been to Paris thice and am fluent in French, so I'd be glad to offer any advice/memories/lessons/translations if you'd like.

Hotel Tourisme: http://www.123france.com/europe/france/paris/hotels/hoto-rus.htm (Feel free to make reservations online but always call or e-mail a month in advance to be sure the reservation is still there. If you call, either get someone who speaks French to do the talking for you and just say "Anglais s'il vous plait?" I conversed with the concierge in French, but my wife spoke to her in English on occassion with no problem...)

Good luck! I'm VERY envious. I've thought about trying this in 2005...

Funny thing- much as I dread going to France (sorry to anyone French), to see all the major players battling it out, it's worth heading out there and following the Tour riders around in 2004. I'd pretty much bring my tent and get a Europass for the trains and book the hostels mostly, but sometimes just pitch a tent.

I have no intention of learning French, though, so that would probably be the only pitfall of my trip, should I go.

Regardless, if I take the trip, it will be a pretty basic, no frills, low budget, sleeping on the ground type of self-tour that I'm used to taking. And perhaps I could join my sister and see if she'd take mercy on me and let me stay at her hotel if I happened to be nearby where she stays when she travels to France every summer. I'm just now waiting to hear where the stages will be, then I'll make the decision if this is how I'll spend next summer.

Truly, one of the reasons why I wouldn't mind a trip to France is from watching the footage of the riders riding through French countryside. It was breathtaking, and I wouldn't mind seeing what that's about! :D

Koffee

The language barrier wouldn't be a big problem. These days, most of the French (and Western Europeans for that matter) speak enough English to communicate. In fact, some of them know English better than we do... :P THe only trick might be getting them to acknowledge that they know our mashed-up language ;)

THe only trick might be getting them to acknowledge that they know our mashed-up language

Yeah, and that's why I have the initial reservations- I don't get the impression that the French ever acknowledge they know what people are saying if they talk in english. I've even talked to people who know french that have been blown off by the french because their accent just isn't good enough to suit them. I really would enjoy seeing the Tour, but the hassles involved is enough to almost turn my stomach- I hate vacations where I have hassle and headache, and it's a pain trying to communicate with people, and I haven't had that problem often- even in some remote countries where I thought I'd be having some serious language barrier problems. :(

Koffee

I've never really had the French blow me off because of my accent. Maybe it's OK, but in my experience, the people who told me they'd been blown off had HORRIBLE accents. I mean horrible with a capital RRIBLE! I've also been told that the snobbish attitude ends once you leave Paris and that everyone in the surrounding areas are much more friendly. Personally, paris has never seemed bad to me, but I'm just one person (and I've always tried to have a good accent, at the expense of studying vocab, etc). To be honest, i think you'll have no problem. The French have a geat deal of pride and I think if you approach them from a more humble standpoint (i.e. not the "I'm American and we're the only superpower left and you owe it to me to speak MY language, eventhough it's YOUR country.") Avoi that attitude and things should go quite well. Anyway, don;t lose the chance to see Lance pull off 6 out of concern for French arrogance. Since it'll be TdF time anyway, they'll be prepared for foreigners :)

I was blessed to be able to go to France in the middle of June. I didn't experience any "rudeness". I believe that most of the stories come from those who see tourists at their worst, hotel workers and taxi drivers.

Learn how to say "Good day." "Bonjour." "Good evening" "Bonsoir" and "Good bye" "Au revoir." and you will probably do fine. "Ou et de le toilette?" is handy too.

Outside of Paris, people will be great. Paris itself is a beautiful, old, big, grubby, tacky place. Watch your wallet and enjoy it.

As cool as it might be to see lance, I would bet that watching either the giro or the Vuelta would be more fun beause of the slightly smaller crowds

FELT,

The July issue of Bicycling magazine (page 40) has info on this topic that you may find useful.

Actually, it would just be "Ou est la toilette?" (ew ay la twalet) "Pardon" (pardowhn ('n" is nasal)) is good way to start sentences. Just like saying "Excuse me"

Watch it on TV. Go to France and ride some other time. I think you will ultimately enjoy the trip more this way. I don't see the point in lining up along a road for hours in advance only to see the riders swish by in a minute assuming some frenchman doesn't jump in front of you. Then you sit in a traffic jam for hours trying to get out of there.

For what you are going to end up paying all together, you could buy a second top notch bike.

Originally posted by CarlJStoneham
The language barrier wouldn't be a big problem. These days, most of the French (and Western Europeans for that matter) speak enough English to communicate. In fact, some of them know English better than we do... :P THe only trick might be getting them to acknowledge that they know our mashed-up language ;)

I'd like to go to teach them proper Bostonian English (Boston, the one in Massachusetts for all those who haven't taken a history/geography class before). Bostonians are great. We don't even pronounce your...uh..... the letter that comes after q.... not s, but I don't know what it is cause it isn't in my vocabulary :D

-Dan the Man-

I'm thinking I might visit France and do some backpacking through Europe next year...of course it'd all be youth hostels/sleep outside in a tent sort of vacation...but I'm one of those 'do whatever' kind of people...don't really need a fancy hotel with a fancy bed :)

(of course..it might have to do with being a student heh heh)

oh..and I wonder how well my lousy french would hold up :) At least I've been studying it for the past eight or so years :eek:

I was at the final stage on Sunday:

http://groups.msn.com/BicyclingForumPicPost/thetdffinalstage2003.msnw

Had a photo shoot in nortern France and in Frankfurt Germany. Wound up with Sat. and Sun. free so we drove over to Paris on Sat. Got a hotel for about 60 Euros, 15km from the Champs Elysees, Drove in at about 7am and parked on the Champs about 2 blocks west of the arch...great spot! We wandered around did the Eifle Tower, the Louvre...etc. Watched the race from various locations as you can see in the photos. Drove out of Paris with no problems after the cerimonies were over, 5 hrs. back to Frankfurt for a 9:45 flight back to the states...long day:sleep:

The smartest thing I saw people doing was bringing small aluminum step ladders...wish I had one to see over the sea of people. Next year my wife is taking me to Provance (sp?) and we will try to see the Mt. Ventoux stage.

The folllowing website is a great source of information for the cycling in the alps and has information on watching le tour on the message board. I have been based in Grenoble for a year now and found the site invaluable.

http://grenoblecycling.free.fr/index.htm

Do not worry about the language, as long as you have the basic phrases and try most people will respond in English. When they start responding in French you know you are getting it right ;)

Having watched le tour on l'Aple D'Huez this year I would recommend it to any one even none cyclists.

Shaun The Sheep

Thanks for the pics and the tips, BBQ.

Definitely if I go next year, I will remember to bring the aluminum ladders. That sounds like a great idea, I just need to figure out where to buy one before I get there... Do you speak French, and if not, how did that go?

Koffee

Hey Koffee,

You know what's going to happen? Next year you show up with your little ladder, as does everyone else, and you'll end up ditching it and standing in front of everyone on their little ladder just to see past the sea of people. Things usually just seem to work that way. :rolleyes:

Nah-

Knowing me, I will stake out a spot the night before (or early in the morning like I did at the Giro last year) right in the front with my little stepladder. I'll also bring a camcorder with lots and lots of tape too so I can record the guys as they speed over the finish line.

Of course, if I get real lucky and get off my lazy butt, I can get some kind of media pass to attend the event and hang with the media so I don't have to fight the crowds either....

Koffee

Media pass would be cool but judging by the streets for the promotional ride (covered by OLN) heading over in the morning would be more than sufficient (though maybe it gets more crowded as you get closer to the podium...)

Just found this: http://pelotonproject.com/index.htm
Look for the "Chasing the Jersey" journals for 2002 and 2003. They'll give you some good info...

Watch it on TV. Go to France and ride some other time. I think you will ultimately enjoy the trip more this way. I don't see the point in lining up along a road for hours in advance only to see the riders swish by in a minute assuming some frenchman doesn't jump in front of you. Then you sit in a traffic jam for hours trying to get out of there.

For what you are going to end up paying all together, you could buy a second top notch bike.
Have to agree with rhood. You just sit there for hours and drink your water. You can't really talk with anyone unless you know the language. This past year I rode up the pass before Morzine to see if my son Sven would do something spectacular. I kept moving around trying to stay in the shadows and ended up sitting on an anthill. Then the advertising column came and everbody went crazy trying to catch the crap they were throwing to the crowds. The best float was a mineral water company that sprayed us with a fine mist of water. Next year I'm staying home unless Sven finally makes it to Paris.
c.j.monty