Amazing the miles of TDF spectators along the roads
 

Never seen so many... this year. On today's climb up the Tourmaline, it was said, people had walked there?? Noisy too... a constant din. Thankfully, the French apparently have outlawed vuvu*****s.

That was a cool scene of the Tourmalet all lined with spectators. The Tourmalet reared it's ugly head picking riders one by one and dropping them. Made for an entertaining last few miles!

I liked how about 1/4 of the way up the second climb a bunch of cattle were getting spooked and a bunch of fans jumped in front of them and herded them back to a road ditch. Great fans they have!!!

20km of Tourmalet had double-lined RVs and fans....shoot even the Soulor was packed.

Barricades too

A few months ago someone here on BF started a post asking what he could do in addition to viewing the Tour as he /she will be/is at this year's race. Hope he/she chimes in and gives us a heads up how it's going.
Sure wish I was there. Hell of a race so far with no let up whatsoever.

It must be crazy fun to grown up in France with this!!!

Not all French people are interested in cycling. I was struck how few people in bars were watching the TV when it was on. Often I was the only one paying any attention to it. Probably increased now with French riders doing so well but they have other sporting interests like football (soccer) and rugby (mostly in the south).

A Frenchman in yellow certainly helps. What do you expect, people spending the whole afternoon in a bar for three weeks in a row? French vacation only starts after the Tour. Lots of people have to be practical about it, listening to the radio report and/or just switching the tv on at home for the last part and the finish.

Bars with everybody watching the Tour is more a Belgian thing, they do not only love cycling more, they also have a different bar culture.

I get that all French people aren't cycling fans. But at least they have that choice.

I live in the USA and football is big here, but I don't follow it at all. But if I were a football fan, I'd be in hog heaven !!!!

Just a thought but, going back a bit to the '60s, pro football was big when the AFL and NFL were separate and then, after the merge, the Superbowl brawl between the AFC and the NFC brought interest, then it was the creative advertising that had everyone talking at the water-coolers, then... frets over controversy at the half-time machinations and injecting politics into the game before it even began is about all that was needed after all the undeniable chronic traumatic brain injury revelations that, a lot of folks now look to other sports for a diversion.

I really enjoy seeing the amount of fans that show up and the few interactions riders have with fans (like Sagan signing the autograph a few days ago)

that was awesome, he did while riding up a climb! I saw him sign his book too for a fan while riding. What a great entertainer. Just like he rode a wheelie at the end of the ITT I think it was maybe??? at the finish of one stage.

rumor was today again he was doing this, entertaining fans on his way up the final climb...….

And yet every year you hear about how pro bike racing is a dying sport.