A First Timer’s Guide to the Stages of the Tour de France
Deciding which Tour de France stages to attend can be a daunting task. If your calendar doesn’t automatically determine the stages for you, you’ve got to take into consideration everything from the temperature to the sort of action you’re looking for. Are you obsessed with the sprinters’ classification, or are you more fascinated by the competition for the King of the Mountains jersey? Do you care about seeing the cyclists long enough to get some good pictures, or are you just looking for the thrill of the peloton rushing by you in one big group, one rush of wind?
You may know what it’s like to watch a flat stage or a mountain on TV, but the Tour live is nothing like the Tour on TV. Here is a helpful guide to the general atmosphere at each sort of stage of the Tour. If you’re trying to make up your mind about which stages to see, here are some things to take into consideration.
Flat Stages
At long, flat stages, you’re going to perfect your waiting skills. I always recommend getting to the race as early as possible, because nothing feels quite as bad as arriving just in time to see the road closed down to traffic, and you’re stuck watching from the same place as every other latecomer.
City viewing of the Tour is always going to be pretty crowded, and you need to make the most of seeing the peloton on flat days. They’re going to be gone so fast, and the chances are against you seeing a breakaway, so the fewer spectators pushing against you, the better. You can enjoy the wait by sitting back and reading a magazine instead of standing and standing and standing, trying not to lose your spot in the crowd.
One major bonus of checking out a flat stage is that you can typically go into a bar or restaurant after the race passes by and catch the rest of it on TV.
Start Lines
Going to the start line of the race is one guaranteed way to get good pictures of the cyclists you love, and hopefully some autographs, too. Before each stage, the cyclists are announced one-by-one for the sign in-process. If you can get there early enough to line the railing in front of the podium where they make these announcements, you’re golden.
The athletes always seem a lot more willing to interact with fans at the start line than at the finish, because they’re feeling fresh instead of completely exhausted.
Here’s my one bit of advice for start lines: be prepared to have someone stand in front of you. Even if you get there super early and have a perfect spot along the railing, members of the press will eventually fill in the space in front of you to get pictures of their own. This can be frustrating and annoying, but if you befriend them, they might be willing to move aside – or even help you get the attention of your very favorite cyclist. Try to use it to your advantage, because you never know how befriending the press can come in handy.
Finish Lines
Finish lines are part blessing, part curse. They’re some of the most crowded parts of the race, and trying to see the actual finish line could very likely put you in a crowd that’s ten people thick from front to back. If you’re in the back of that crowd, you’re hardly going to see a thing. If you’re in the front, you’re going to get crushed against the barricade. Neither situation is exactly desirable.
If you can’t get a spot at the very end of the route, consider going just a little bit beyond it. The barricades will still be set up, and from beyond the finish line, you can walk around the team buses and cars, snapping pictures and listening to the riders talk about their days. This may or may not be possible, depending on the set-up of the stage and the security, but it’s a definite surprise that fewer spectators know about, making it less crowded and overwhelming.
Mountain Stages
What could be more fun than camping with a million fellow cycling fanatics, especially when your camping trip culminates with the best cyclists in the world racing past you? Mountain stages are popular for a reason: they’re by far the most exiting stages. If you’re on a mountain stage, the racers are going to be coming along slower than at any other stage, and more spread out. This is your chance to get great action-shot pictures of your individual favorites. Plus, you can cheer them on and know that they’re hearing you. As a spectator, you feel like you’re actually helping the athletes up the mountain, because who wouldn’t want a little encouragement as they drag their bikes over Alpe d’Huez?
The tips for seeing a real high-mountain stage are this: show up a day early, if possible. Bring lots of water. Befriend everyone around you. If you’re not at a high-mountains stage, you don’t necessarily have to show up a whole day in advance. Just make sure you get there before the road closes, and have your camera ready!
Time Trials
The individual time trial is one of my favorite kinds of stages. With cyclists coming by one at a time, every couple of minutes or so, you get a chance to see everybody. This is another sort of stage that I think is best in the country, rather than in a more crowded spot. Out in the country you can befriend the other spectators, enjoy a picnic lunch, and get up to cheer each time someone zips past you. The local newspaper will give you the order of the riders, which is the reverse of their positions in the General Classification.
Whatever stages you can attend, and however you choose to enjoy them, have fun!
A First Timer’s Guide to the Stages of the Tour de France by Liz Boltz Ranfeld
Liz Boltz Ranfeld is an author currently writing a book about Tour de France fanatics called Don't Call Me in July.
Myspace.com/dontcallmeinjuly
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