We will be traveling from St Saturnin d'Apt going towards Nice (staying in La Colle-sur-Loup) on July 3rd. I just realized that stage 5 of the tour is going from Cagnes sur mer to Marseille that day. In some respects we would be curios to see a bit of it but I think we would rather avoid the crowds. We were planning on going to Aix then taking the coastal route. I can't find a detailed map of the stage so don't know if we can avoid it that way or should we seek an alternate route. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

At some point in time the the detail of the route will appear on this web site.You should have no problems.You will be on the A8. Watching Le Tour is a real hoot!

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2013/u...s-general.html

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2013/us/stage-5.html

Yes, the Tour will not take the autoroute. But I don't understand what is wrong with being in a crowd at an event that is both exciting and a lot of fun.

A few years ago we took a lovely back road up to a little town, parked easily, and enjoyed the Tour with the locals. It's much, much more than just the riders coming through - the publicity caravan that comes through prior to the riders is awesome - http://www.letour.com/2012/TDF/COURS...licitaire.html

I wasn't that keen on going either, but was sooooo glad I did - it was amazing.

Last year I went to the start of a stage and then intercepted it again later in the day. It was great.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-de-france.cfm

having just watched the end of the Giro d'Italia on the TV, I envy you the chance to see a stage live. The giro had everything - blazing sun, torrential rain, a blizzard on the penultimate day, an italian winner and Cav winning the red [points] jersey.

the Tour should have better weather, but apart from that, it should be just as much fun.

unless you're one of the riders of course.

My husband is an avid rider and if we can figure out how and where we will probably go. We will probably never get the chance again and fate seems to have dropped it in our path. Any suggestions on how to find a good place to watch?

Oh wow! If your husband is a cyclist this is just going to be awesome for him!!! We just looked at the map and found a town that we could get to via a back road from where we were staying. We also looked for a town that had a bit of a hill so they wouldn't be going quite so fast - but in reality they went past very quickly. You know they're coming though as the helicopters get closer and closer!

I have been looking for a detailed map but just find the generic map on the tour site. Is it too early to get the specific maps?

Pretty sure the routes haven't been released yet. I think I read June 15th somewhere, but not 100% sure on that.

I'm sports mad but watching a pack of bikes going past at 60 kmph leaves me pretty cold. It's not that you see who wins, who has crashed, or see the tactics being employed

Years ago I was in Paris for the end of the Tour, to get a good spot I waited for about 3 hours and then they passed by me in around 5 seconds, I still don't know who won the final stage.

I can completely understand being engrossed in the TV coverage, it's a great spectacle.

I also have a similar opinion of motor racing where you can only see a fraction of the track

Watching the Tour de France out on the route is more than just the riders going by - the atmosphere and camaraderie of the people was fabulous - and the caravan was just so "french" - so different to how something like that would be in America and completely charming. And the anticipation as the helicopters got closer, and closer!

We will be at the finale of the Tour de France in Paris this year (at night in honor of the 100th anniversary!) so if I remember I will report back - but we have family who did that last year and said it was magic - I guess it depends on if you're just there for the race, or for the whole experience.

Sberg - be sure to arrive at your chosen viewing point very early. Last year we watched the final stage from a small village; fortunately we got there about 3 hours early. We had an excellent spot right on a curve (you get to see a few seconds more of the race), and shortly after we arrived the streets were all closed off to vehicles.

It was so exciting to see - we met some lovely french 'neighbours' and everyone shared the goodies thrown out by the caravan that preceeds the race itself. To us it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience!! Di

I watched 5 stages of the Tour de France in 2011 and even managed to get my man across the line first (Go Cadel). Agree with all the above comments that it's so much more than a bunch of cyclists going past.

Best to get your spot early - they close the roads about 2-3 hours beforehand but there's no end of entertainment - not just the caravan but endless amateurs testing the road, then press and team vehicles, groups of juniors in the cadet training squad, and guys selling TDF paraphernalia etc.

On the country roads its easy enough to find a roadside spot - the steeper the hill the better the viewing as the riders will be more spaced out but the crowds and the campervan community will also be there. But that ust means atmosphere and guys in costume. The cmaraderi of the spectators is fantastic. Don't miss it.