Wonderful report, Kerouac!

Merci beaucoup, kerouac. Great report bringing back fond memories of my trip last year where I managed to see five stages - it is indeed a long day and a spectacle quite apart from the actual cycling action. Even more so on the mountain stages with hordes of followers in all sorts of costumes adding to the action.

(Click on my user name to find my actual trip report if anyone's interested.)

This year I am having to resort to a virtual visit - live telecast supplemented with SBS Tour tracker, Google Earth and the official route and an actual paper atlas. Tour tragic, that's me.

At least this year I know what's going on. Last year when I was supposedly following le Tour, I always missed the news telling me who was where.

It was a real thrill to be in Paris to see the first Aussie win the race. Let's hope for a follow up this year. There have been so many crashes so far. Let's hope the rest of the race can be accident-free

Thanks for the report, Kerouac.
We're planning to see something of the final day's ride into Paris.
Any suggestions for a good vantage spot between Rambouillet and Paris would be appreciated! We've already watched a finish through Paris, so this time thought we'd like to see something different.
Di

Great report and photos. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the photos of the 3 breakout riders and then the mass coming behind them.

We've done a few things this past year in the UK that would have previously ranked too high on the hassle scale, but in the end you don't remember the hassle but you remember the event forever.

Thank you for your wonderful pictures. My husband and I watch the Tour every year on tv. Had no idea there was a parade and activities before the actual race. Is this typical at every beginning stage?

There's an advertising caravan that goes before every stage throwing out trash and trinkets. That's how people get all that TdF stuff like those big green hands. I think they show the caravan once in a while on TV but it would have to be a repeat session in the evening.

Yes, obviously all of the weird little tidbits will never be shown on global television -- if only because most of the advertisers are local and are considered to be of no 'value' to the rest of the world. But it is a great part of the show and helps people to wait all of those long hours until they at last see the racers go by.

Our kids went on a Tour tour one time, and had an incredible time. They are cyclists so it was both to see the Tour, and to cycle parts of some of the Tour. Finished in Paris on their hotel balcony overlooking the finishing stages. DS took one picture on the Col d'Aspin that had all 4 of the "jerseys" in it--with Lance in yellow.

Great report and wonderful prose, as usual.

Great report and photos - thanks for showing a point of view we don't get a chance to see much of. Watching stage 4 on TV, the helicopter shots of the alabaster cliffs were beautiful and they even showed Etretat - one of our favorite places anywhere.

What a fantastic day today for the youngster Pinot! Watching him take the lead on the final climb and hold on during that wild descent to win the stage was incredible. Seeing the intense emotions shown by his coach in the team car was incredible too.

Bravo, as always. Once again your photographic eye has opened my own eyes to a slice of French life. Now, if you only could explain the appeal of the Eurovision song contest, my mind might rest at peace.

Another terrific piece, kerouac - no surprise there. And for once, my partner appreciates my "travel thing", since he's an avid follower of the Tour via cable t.v. and really enjoyed your report.

The "weird little tidbits" which "help people to wait all of those long hours" made me think of our local version, in Times Square on New Year's Eve. But what a pale comparison to those stupendous advertising creations you captured!

Frankly, I was hoping that the unclothed go-go boys dancing under the suds machine on the detergent van were replaced from time to time, because that was a very long day!

I've been watching the Tour on television of course, and there are many areas totally empty of people in the mountains, so access is clearly much more complicated than in the plains where I went to see it.

Thank you for the report - loved every bit of it, especially since there was no waiting involved.

Who knew that there was ever an occasion for "throws" in France?! I thought that was an only in New Orleans thing. What fun - the whole event is so colorful.

I am planning to be at the finish on the 22nd!

Best thing i've seen in a long time! Thank you!
Vicki

If anybody is interested, you can see the start from Rambouillet on Sunday morning. There are trains from Montparnasse every half hour and the trip takes a half hour. This still leaves plenty of time to get back to Paris in time for the arrival on the Champs Elysées.

How cool would THAT be!! Dang.

We plan to drive to saint-remy-les-chèvreuse on Sunday to watch the whole shebang pass by. Di