Going to See the Tour De France!
06-25-09, 10:20 AM
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Going to See the Tour De France!
Well, not the whole thing!
MY fiance' and i are going to be in France for about 8 or 9 days so we are going to try to catch at least one stage of the tour.
Anyone gone to france to see the tour before? Any advice on what stages to catch (since we will probably only be able to see 1)?
anyone know anything about transportation? We will be taking trains through Eurpoe but what about transportation to the actual places where the tour will take place?
MY fiance' and i are going to be in France for about 8 or 9 days so we are going to try to catch at least one stage of the tour.
Anyone gone to france to see the tour before? Any advice on what stages to catch (since we will probably only be able to see 1)?
anyone know anything about transportation? We will be taking trains through Eurpoe but what about transportation to the actual places where the tour will take place?
06-25-09, 10:25 AM
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I won a trip.. SO I'll be there.. final stage VIP seating... airfare, hotel... YEAH!!
Supposedly Gramham Watson, the photographer has a book out about the best way to see the tour..
Supposedly Gramham Watson, the photographer has a book out about the best way to see the tour..
06-25-09, 10:26 AM
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Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide at grahamwatcon.com
sorry for the type O...
sorry for the type O...
06-25-09, 10:39 AM
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What dates are you going to be in France? This dictates what stages you can see. Each day there is a schedule posted in newspapers on when and where the race will appear. The mountain stages are the best but crowded.
06-25-09, 10:44 AM
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I saw the finish of the 1979 tour in Paris, one of the years that Bernard Hinault won.
To a real aficionado, the finish is probably not as spectacular as one of the decisive mountain stages, but at the finish, you see the group over and over again and the sprint finish is always a thrill. And seeing the racing on the Champs Elysee is magnificent and awe-inspiring, with the backdrop of some of Europe's greatest architectural monuments.
I remember I got there early and had no problem getting up to the front of the crowd. I took lots of Kodachrome's of the riders. And it was easy to mill around the team cars and the participants. Although, I suspect a lot has changed in 30 years, and it may not be as easy today as it was then.
To a real aficionado, the finish is probably not as spectacular as one of the decisive mountain stages, but at the finish, you see the group over and over again and the sprint finish is always a thrill. And seeing the racing on the Champs Elysee is magnificent and awe-inspiring, with the backdrop of some of Europe's greatest architectural monuments.
I remember I got there early and had no problem getting up to the front of the crowd. I took lots of Kodachrome's of the riders. And it was easy to mill around the team cars and the participants. Although, I suspect a lot has changed in 30 years, and it may not be as easy today as it was then.
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Il faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace
1980 3Rensho-- 1975 Raleigh Sprite 3spd
1990s Raleigh M20 MTB--2007 Windsor Hour (track)
1988 Ducati 750 F1
06-25-09, 10:54 AM
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If you can only see one, the Ventoux stage should be good (I'll be there). The day to Tarbes with the Col d'Aspin and the Tourmalet should be a great one too.
