Calling all cycling Fodorites please -Tour de France 2010 questions

topping

Any Tour fans out there or is everyone busy watching!

I can't say I'm a huge fan, but have been caught up in it a few times and have an Australian friend who regularly makes the pilgrimage from Melbourne to cycle different stages of the Tour.

The 2010 Tour does indeed start in Rotterdam on July 3rd next year and the full route will be announced in October of this year.

The route does change every year, so if you want to be completely sure of lodging in a town on the route you will have to wait until October unfortunately. However if you prefer to risk it, Alpe d'Huez would probably be a pretty safe bet as it's been a stage finish most years in recent history, but not this year, so will likely be on the route next year.

Even if the Tour doesn't actually pass through Alpe d'Huez, it will pass nearby, so you'll definitely be in the right vicinity.

An outside bet would be Mont Ventoux. Again it's a classic Tour stage but much less used than Alpe d'Huez.

This years route is running clockwise, so next year it will be opposite (CCW). Agree with Jay_G on Alpe d'Huez comment.

Many thanks Jay_G, that's a start!

Sorry BuckeyeBud, posting same time. Does that mean that the Alps will be in earlier in le tour and the Pyrenees (for example) later? I have also heard that maybe Spain will feature more next year?

You're very welcome.

I wouldn't bet on the tour running CCW as the Pyrennes were first this year, but you can never tell until the route is announced. After all , this year's route was very different than any recent route.

I do think that the Alpe d'Huez is a sure bet for next year.

I am planning a trip to see the Tour again but not until 2013. My home base will be Annecy. Staying in the French Alps keeps you close to the most Starts & Finishes for your effort. Anyway once the Tour passes your still in heaven. It's shockingly beautiful!

The shots of the lake along Annecy yesterday were gorgeous. I had no idea that part of France was so beautiful as it's not mentioned as often here as Provence and the Dordogne.

Will be sorry when the race ends!

I haven't read this, but it looks like it might be useful: www.velopress.com/cycling.php?id=278 -
Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide

There are no guarantees for the route, but since it went to the Mont Ventoux and the Tourmalet this year, it is a pretty sure bet that it will go to l'Alpe d'Huez next year.

Thanks guys! Yes, I agree about Annecy, have been there twice (for short stays) but definitely planning to include longer there next year I think. Has anyone read Graham Watson's book, it looks great - thanks thursdayd!

For anyone interested, I have just purchased Graham Watson's book and it is filled with useful info. I think it will really help us next year, just waiting for the October announcement now.
Thanks again for the tip off thursdayd!

Hi ozgirl - thanks for the feedback. I'm happy watching the tour on TV (although I did catch the opening team time trial for the Giro d'Italia in Palermo last year, but that was totally serendipity) but sounds like the book might be a good read anyway. Looking forward to your trip report, lol!

will they go down the east side (Reims Jura mountains etc) or west through Normandy and the Vendee? - as you say will have to wait for October!but plenty of on=line leaks before that - - but I reckon it will go through Normandy (Rouen etc) then Vendee then east south of Paris and head for the alps first. Alpe d Huez will definitely be on - if you want a spectacle then this is it - the Pyrenees is a different experience - alpine is a bit orange of Nederlands hectic -while Pyrenees is orange of Basque passionate. Alpine rocky and exposed and hot...Pyrenees green and more humid. Quite different holidays - depends on your likes -you should be able to see 2 to 3 stages at least good luck - whichever it is very memorable!

oh and with it going so far south this year i doubt it will go anywhere near the coast - passing through the massif central instead

this is where you find things first!

http://www.steephill.tv/2010/tour-de-france/

Hi specialgueststar. Thanks for your thoughts, waiting for the leaks I guess!

Ozgirl, please update this thread with any new information you may find. I'm trying to surreptitiously plan a surprise trip to France for my wife who has become a huge fan of racing in the last few years. We actually had a portion of the Tour of Missouri race last weekend come by (6 blocks) from our house and she made a picnic day of waiting. BTW, from the time we could see the first rider until the last rider past out of sight - 48 seconds. Sort of like sitting real close at a NASCAR race, whoosh and they were gone.

We followed the tour this year again and had a great time. It is exhausting at times but great fun. We will go back again next year, maybe we will connect.

My favorite places are in the Alps so Alpe d'huez is high on my list of must visits every year.

Hi guys, have been following this website displaying rumoured information and "possible" routes - not sure how worthwhile it is??
http://paris.thover.com/story.php?ID=190&l=en&t=Tour+de+France+2010%3A+first+rumours+about+the+stages
I wish I could read French!
Looks like Pyrenees are featuring if this guy is even half way right - trying to decide where I might stay as we don't intend to be at the tour every minute as we will have non-cycling fans with us.

Hi Vicky the page you are showing iS in English! If you find another one in French you can copy and paste the link into Google translate to have it in English. http://translate.google.com/translate_t#

Hi Coco! How are you? No rumours of Le Tour passing through Dijon unfortunately!
No, the blog down the bottom is mostly from French speaking people and I would like to be reading the interesting parts about where people are getting their clues from! The main part of course is English so I can follow his thoughts ok.

Velonews.com has its guess at the route today. Sounds like it will be a great race. Official route revealed on Oct. 14

And will the Astana team be banned by then?

Hi everyone, yep, the route postulated on Velonews is virtually the same one I have been working on from Thomas Vergouwen's site and I am very excited to have secured accommodation right in the thick of the Pyrenees action!
Can't wait.

Here's the route.
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html

I'm trying to figure out an itinerary that allows a view of the route in one (or more) early stages and the finale in Paris, with a ten days to two week time frame. Any recommendations for the first part? Rough schedule would take us to Montpellier for arrival on the 16th. Would depart CDG on the 27th.

Or would Lyon be a better arrival spot? Not real sure of myself in southern France, so travel times to and from cities, etc. has me a little nervous. As posted above, I'm trying to surprise my wife, so working out the rough details now will allow me to work up a realistic budget and start trying to book lodging, which I assume will be difficult.

Hi persuader. I emailed Thomas Vergouwen www.paristhover.com as above and he very kindly emailed me some tips about where to actually watch the stages specifically. He may be able to help?
Annecy is great ( tour passes nearby Chambery) and if you find yourself anywhere near Dijon stay with Coco (posted above.)

We live in the Midi Pyrenees and the tour is coming to Bagneres de Luchon according to the route which is known as the 'Queen of the Pyrenees' and about 20 km from us.
There is so much to do in this area in summer - lots of outdoor activities, lovely walks, lakes, rafting, riding, fetes and thermes so non-cyclists would be fine but you do need a car to fully appreciate the area.

Hi ScooterJuly, thanks for that! We will be staying in the village of Gripp near La Mongie. I have started to do a little research on the area and yes, there seems to be lots of things for the non-cycling enthusiasts to do. We will have adult kids with us who love the outdoor stuff so should be great. We will have a car and will definitely visit Bagneres de Luchon. Do you have any tips for any day trips into Spain from our area? The kids are keen to visit "another country." I will probably post again with another title eventually but thought I may take advantage of you being a local!

Hi Ozgirl

I am not sure the best way for you to access Spain from La Mongie but there are several routes that cross the Pyrenees into Spain. You can get into Spain when you visit Luchon. Go out of Luchon towards St Beat and Cierp Gaud then through St Beat and keep going, that takes you into Bossosst in Spain and you can do a route back through the tunnel d'aragnouet bielsa. See the map on the link below
http://www.officiel-marchesdenoel.com/marchedenoel/marchedenoel-midipyrenees-73.html

Thanks Scooter, that's a start!

apersuader65, in 2004 my husband and I rode our bikes on the race route in the mornings of the Pyrenees and Alps stages. We saw the race from start towns, mid race on the mountains, at the finish line for a time trial and on the final day on the Champs Elysees.

IMO, the very best, most exciting and longest lasting way to view a stage is to position yourself near the top (but not at the very summit) of a climb where the riders are going slower than they go on straightaways or downhills and where the crowds are thin to non-existent.

We usually rode to a point 1-3K from a summit to see some really great drama. The riders kept coming for a long time as opposed to the 30 second blur of spandex we saw in start towns. After the lantern rouge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterne_rouge passed we cruised to some nearby village, found a bar and a beer and watched the finish on TV.

You can also postition yourself at a switchback on a climb where the riders go a bit slower offering a better view as they go by. However, there will be a good number of bystanders on uphill switchbacks waiting for them as well.

When I waited for the riders high on a mountain and there were few spectators the swag parade cars would literally drive up to me and toss me or hand me their candy, water bottles, ink pens, potato chips, combs, pots of cheese, instant hot chocolate packets, you name it. When I was in town I saw hundreds of people lunging and pushing for the same items. I still get a kick out of feeling like I was getting my own personal parade at times.

You don't have to ride a bike to get to a mountainside position. You can walk at least part of the way up a mountain stage. Be prepared to pee in the, well wherever. Once it was behind a guardrail for me but everyone is in the same predicament. The craziest fans are the ones on the mountains (they've made the most effort to get to a vantage point) and the people watching is fun. Take a jacket. It can get chilly at altitude.

We lined up to see the final stage on the Champs Elysees five hours prior to the riders arrival and we were already in the second "row" of people. I thought I was gonna die needing to go to use a restroom after a couple of hours. I went to a nearby cafe, waited in line for a while to buy a pastry, waited in a really long line to use the toilet then had to push my way back into my spot even though the husband stayed behind to hold our spot. Next time I'll think ahead and dehydrate myself before camping out on the Champs. By the time the cyclists got to town there were at least ten rows of people behind me. Going about 33 mph the riders were nothing but a blur. I did enjoy the leisurely parade lap they made after the race finished and caught a water bottle a cyclist tossed to me.

I suggest you do some google searches for tips for viewing the race to make the experience as memorable as possible. There was alot of waiting around involved but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

amwosu, thanks that is great info for our party as well. We will be based near le Col Du Tourmalet so have two chances to view an uphill section on two separate days. My husband says I have the world's smallest bladder so that will be my biggest challenge! I am not averse to guardrails in an emergency - it is Le Tour after all!

I get a 30 second blur of blue spandex going past my house next year when the Giro d'Italia comes to town. No hills for them to climb here though . I don't follow cycling and tbh am bored to tears by the wall to wall coverage it gets on TV here, but I shall turn out to see them whoosh by next May.
Enjoy your Tour holiday!

A good Pyrenees base is near Pau as the tour spends 3 days around Pau as well as the Etape goes from Pau to Le Tourmoulet on Sun 18 Jul 2010. There are various air and train connections to area. Can suggest www.manoiraudaux.com which is not far from Pau and v.near Salies de Bearn which is another start town if you want a well placed BnB, there is also a self contained gite if you want a week. Know this place and its v nice.

Thanks Gilbey. I have already booked accommodation but this looks great for other interested parties.

ozgirl, here may be the solution to your "long wait" concerns

http://tinyurl.com/yhqhh42

not that I've tried them myself

Amwosu has given some great advice, based on what our kids did a couple of years ago to see the Tour. And they did the cycling also. DS has a MEMORABLE picture of all the lead jerseys in a line as they climbed to the top of col d'Aspin in 2003 (I think)--Lance in the foreground.
They were on a tour that included a number of stages, and then a hotel balcony overlooking the race route in Paris. I imagine getting hotel bookings are a big deal so early birds get the worm.

ozgirl, you are going to have a wonderful time. Watching the Tour de France live had long been on my "gotta do before I die" lists and this past July was the year. Now I'm hooked and I am certain to go again, although not in 2010. I've got google alerts on some riders now and I also follow velonews on twitter as well as Lance and Mark Cavendish and their respective teams. Do try to see them in a few different spots if you can. In Paris, we actually got lucky in that we got "stuck" on the Quai de Montebello while we were heading to the Champs Elysees. As a result, we had front row seats when they zoomed by. Had we been on the Champs we would have been yards deep into the crowd for certain.

Here are a few photos from the trip, riders only - not in chron order:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/tags/tdf/show/

Thanks flygirl, these have certainly whetted the appetite!
Eigasuki - what a laugh! I will have to think about this solution carefully - perhaps I could write a trip report on them?
Flygirl, we will be flying out of Paris about 4pm on the day Le Tour finishes so I guess we will miss the actual finish. What happens in the morning of that day in Paris? Are there other events associated with the race?
My son and another friend will stay on for the finish, not sure where.
I guess I will have to consider how hard it may be to get to CDG with the race going on as well? Not sure where we'll stay.

I don't think you will have much trouble getting to CDG--it is north and west of the city, and the Tour usually enters from the south and involves the center/Arc area/Champs.
I LOVE the Tour!! And Phil Leggett and Bobke and _____ (can't remember his name).

ozgirl, oh bummer! You will indeed. They whizzed by at about 430 if memory serves. You know, Mom and I decided to just go about our business (of sightseeing) and after lunch wander over to view. We dined on the Ile St. Louis which is why we got "stuck" on the Quai de Montebello. (it turned out to be lucky IMO). You are still a year out, why not change tickets for the day after?

Die-hards line up on the Champs Elysee at 9 AM or earlier. I'd imagine if you did that, you'd see something/anything race-related but I don't know for sure. That sounds like a lot of fuss though, given that you would want to start heading to CDG about noon I'd think.

I just remembered I haven't posted the Paris Tour pics in that above link, they are only the Col des Abeilles photos. I still haven't finished sorting all of the Tour de France/Provence photos, when I do I will post them on fodors (if you are interested).

I forgot to mention this: when you are out in the countryside, standing by the side of the road after the Caravane has long since gone by, wondering where the riders are... the helicopters are (of course) the first clue!

At one point we counted 6 of them going by, but they were farther out and I figured they were positioning themselves for Mont Ventoux (and possibly the forest fire which we learned about later). We were standing on the side of a mountain and further down from us was a sharp bend.... when the helicopter came around the bend and hovered, OH BOY it's show time!! You'll see that photo. My email to friends that day was titled "When you see the helo, you know the pelo is not far behind!"

flygirl, I was going to mention the helicopters as well. I usually saw one or two up high and from afar. As the riders got closer several more came into view. I knew the riders were close when I saw the one very low, slow moving helicopter hovering over the leaders. As the riders climbed switchbacks it was very interesting to watch the helicopter also moving in a somewhat "switchback" fashion.

When you watch the race on TV you don't experience the sound of the helicopters and the screams of the crowds. I cheered for Lance and his teammates as they cycled past me every day but there were times I couldn't even hear my own voice because of all the noise around me.

Thanks guys. Your comments are really bringing a sense of the event to me. Pity it's sooo far away still!
Will be posting separately about where to stay in Paris but do you have any tips?
Part of our group will come up for 3 days before the tour ends, DH and I will be there for only the Sat night, and then another part of our group will stay on for a few days after. Except for us, the rest will be our kids and various friends who will be on a strict budget - eg. youth hostels probably. I am wondering whether an apartment for the week may be cost effective with all the comings and goings but haven't investigated this yet.
I am not youth hostel material! lol.

Apartments in Paris are typically rented by the week. In the off season perhaps you would find a shorter minimum number of nights (3-4) but not in July. I've found there are some pretty inexpensive but acceptable hotels in Paris but be prepared for really small rooms and bathrooms.

Check out www.tripadvisor.com, www.venere.com and www.kayak.com for an idea of hotel costs and plenty of reviews.

Oh, rereading your post ozgirl I understand you mean you'd rent the apartment for the variety of folks to use for a week. Apartments with 3-4 rooms can get pricy. If you only need two bedrooms it might make sense but you would have to feel really comfortable all using the same facilities...

I think I will look for a two bedroom for the offspring and maybe DH and I can have one last night on our own somewhere nice!
Anyone have any comments about Residence Foch?