Tour de France via Nimes July 18
May 17th, 2004, 11:22 AM
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Tour de France via Nimes July 18
Hello, my husband and I just found out that the Tour de France will be ending a portion of their route in Nimes on Sunday, July 18th. We have purposefully extended our stay near Avignon so we can can be spectators for the one day! Does anyone know what time we can expect the cyclists to start arriving in Nimes so we can plan accordingly and will traffic be horrible that day? We have to head to Geneva that same evening...
As a separate topic, would you suggest driving to Geneva (as opposed to TGV or flying?) We have to catch a flight from Geneva at noon the following day (July 19th). Any insights greatly appreciated!
As a separate topic, would you suggest driving to Geneva (as opposed to TGV or flying?) We have to catch a flight from Geneva at noon the following day (July 19th). Any insights greatly appreciated!
May 17th, 2004, 11:40 AM
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The drive to Geneva is fairly straightforward: up the Autoroute du Soleil until just above Lyon, then across to pick up the one for Annecy and Geneva. Annecy would be a good overnight stop; you wouldn't have far to go the following morning to catch your flight.
I would imagine that before long the Tour de France web site will have the information you need for planning to see part of the action--lucky you!
I would imagine that before long the Tour de France web site will have the information you need for planning to see part of the action--lucky you!
May 17th, 2004, 11:48 AM
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Dear Underhill, yes, info on the Tour website is currently a little skimpy. Wasn't sure if they were going to add to it. Thanks for the directions to Geneva. It's reassuring to know that driving is a relatively easy option 'cos it's the most convenient for us right now. It seems as though there's only one TGV per day from Avignon to Geneva, which leaves at noon and that defeats the purpose of staying back for the Tour!
May 17th, 2004, 08:22 PM
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I'm lunching tomorrow with a friend who's a big bike-racing fan (have you been following the Giro d'Italia?) and I'll ask her if she knows where to find out about the Tour de France route into Nimes. A thought: you could send an e-mail to Phil/Paul/Bob at OLN.
May 20th, 2004, 02:27 PM
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Bike-fan friend says that the Nimes information will be posted on the Tour de France web site closer to the start of the race. She says you'll be able to find there the routes into and out of the principal towns in the Tour and also in local newspapers once you're in Provence. Have a great time--I'm envious.
May 20th, 2004, 03:38 PM
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There will be a lot of Tour de France information on the television so if your rooms have tv, you will have no trouble keeping up with it. That's about all you will see on tv during the race!
The Autoroute will be very busy, but you are going north and all the traffic will be going south so you should not have any trouble.
I'll second the stay in Annecy. It's one of our favorite towns and a lovely place to spend an evening.
Have a good trip.
The Autoroute will be very busy, but you are going north and all the traffic will be going south so you should not have any trouble.
I'll second the stay in Annecy. It's one of our favorite towns and a lovely place to spend an evening.
Have a good trip.
May 24th, 2004, 11:55 AM
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This will be my third year travelling to France to see the Tour, and it is well worth seeing any part of the race. Especially since, being in France during the Tour, you're likely to get caught up in the excitement of it. Not only is it on tv all day long, but there will be huge color pictures of the race on the front pages of a half a dozen papers at the newstands each morning.
Tour stages are always scheduled to finish at around 5:00 p.m. If the pace is faster than anticipated, the finish could be as early as 4 p.m. On a flat stage like the Carcassonne-Nimes stage, its most common for the entire peloton to finish together, with the sprinters going full-tilt for the win at the finish line, and the GC contenders like Lance Armstrong finishing in a pack just behind the sprinters. I've never seen the finish of a flat stage (other than in Paris), but I would expect quite a large crowd at and near the finish line, and quite a bit of traffic into and out of the city that day. At a mountaintop finish, the traffic is backed up for many hours after a stage finish, but I would think it's not so bad when the finish is in a city with numerous access roads. The good news for you is that the Tour has a rest day in Nimes on the 19th, so at least some of the official Tour vehicles, team buses, etc. should be staying in Nimes that night.
The detailed schedule for each stage should be posted soon on the Tour website. On the pulldown menu for "Route," it will be listed as "Time Schdule." If you're worried about getting on the road in the evening, you can use the schedule to pick a town somewhere just before the finish in Nimes, and watch from there. There should be no big problem with traffic anywhere but in Nimes.
Tour stages are always scheduled to finish at around 5:00 p.m. If the pace is faster than anticipated, the finish could be as early as 4 p.m. On a flat stage like the Carcassonne-Nimes stage, its most common for the entire peloton to finish together, with the sprinters going full-tilt for the win at the finish line, and the GC contenders like Lance Armstrong finishing in a pack just behind the sprinters. I've never seen the finish of a flat stage (other than in Paris), but I would expect quite a large crowd at and near the finish line, and quite a bit of traffic into and out of the city that day. At a mountaintop finish, the traffic is backed up for many hours after a stage finish, but I would think it's not so bad when the finish is in a city with numerous access roads. The good news for you is that the Tour has a rest day in Nimes on the 19th, so at least some of the official Tour vehicles, team buses, etc. should be staying in Nimes that night.
The detailed schedule for each stage should be posted soon on the Tour website. On the pulldown menu for "Route," it will be listed as "Time Schdule." If you're worried about getting on the road in the evening, you can use the schedule to pick a town somewhere just before the finish in Nimes, and watch from there. There should be no big problem with traffic anywhere but in Nimes.
Jun 5th, 2004, 08:13 AM
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Mc-nyc. Hello, my husband and I also plan to head to Nimes that day. Interestingly enough we stayed an extra day in Provence to do just that. And after the race we drive straight to alpe d huez where we are staying in order to see that stage. I haven't figured out the logistics yet, but I will once the July issue of Cycle sport magazine comes out later this month. Our plan is to visit Isle Sorgue early that mroning for some shopping then head into to Nimes early afternoon. I don't think the stage will come in until 4-5pm, but we will position ourselves near the finish a few hours before that. Are you in NYC? We are in Albany, NY.
