Your advice needed on this idea concerning Tour de France
 

We are all set to enjoy the finale` of the Tour de France on the Champs Elysees but have been thinking of getting a little more out of the whole experience with this idea:

Do you think it will be possible to make an early start to Longjumeau (the start of the final race ) and see the riders depart on the last leg of the Tour, and then make it back to Paris before they arrive? It says Longjumeau is accessible on the RER Line C and mentions a place by the name of Gravigny-Balizy? Do we get off there?
Please help me decide what we should do!

topping for tod

Hi Tod
We too will be in Paris for the final day, so I'd be interested in hearing any replies you get. Di

Hi di2315, looks like we will have to decide all on our lonesome ownsome?!
I went to the official Tour de France website and printed out all the times they are expected at certain places.
The riders leave Longjumeau at 12.35 and are expected on the Champs at 14.12 finishing the race at 17.02 - I think....
or is it 17.16? This things in French so I don't really know.

I think this gives enough time to make it back. I am particularly interested in the presentation of the trophies more than the wizzing past of cyclists.

Where are you staying?

Sorry tod, I can't answer your question, but I do have a couple of suggestions. Have you tried google? It often provides some sort of helpful informaton to all kinds of queries. You might also post again ( perhaps after the holiday weekend) with a more specific topic. How long from Longjumeau to Paris via RER?

Good luck

When I saw the final stage on the CE, the crowds started building hours before they arrived. So I'd factor that in. What is the timing on your plan?

They do have an English section on the Tour de France website, although maybe the schedules aren't in English. But there isn't much on them except the names of the steps and the times (and of course, arrivee and depart). From what I saw, they aren't scheduled to leave Longjumeau until about 2:30 pm, the advertising caravan leaves at 12:15. That's why it says "caravane" over the time of 12:35. This is for publicity, after all, and there are lots of sponsors and they have a sort of parade of advertising "floats" along the route before the cyclistes. I liked that caravan when I saw it, some of the floats were very clever (and some threw souvenirs into the crowd, I got a nice coffee measurer that way, and a few other things). The caravane doesn't go up and down the Ch-Elysees many times, which is why those times stop at 2:15.

They don't know exactly when they will finish, they give a range of expected times depending on their speed at that point (ie, I think it ranges from 40-48 km per hr on their estimates for the finish point). They don't race on the Champs for 3 hours, only about one hour. The cyclists aren't expected on the Champs until around 4 pm.

I think you could possibly make it from the RER back to Paris in the time they race, after all, they go about 25 mles an hour and the route is 102 km. But with transfers, and waiting, etc (and of course, you will be coming in by RER C which is on the Left Bank), you might get there just about at the finish, which means not a good view of anything. They close of metro stations near the race, so you'd have to walk a ways. I imagine they close Concorde, although I'm not sure, I know they close the Etoile so you have to get off at Kleber for that direction.

I believe it starts at the football stadium in Longjumeau (Stade Longrenay or something like that) so the RER station Gravigny is the proper one for that.

I'm very grateful for your input Christina!
Knowing about the closure of certain metros helps.
As we are staying at Esplanade La Defense we could probably take the metro down to Etoile around 10am just to see whats going on and then take the line 6 to Bir Hakein so that we can get the RER C from there.
If we get to Longjumeau around 1pm - looking to joing the crowds in the village itself, not go to the stadium - we can immediately head back to the RER straight after the start.
This should get us back to Paris in more than enough time to find a spot down the end of the Champs (exiting at Invalides and walking to Concord) I particularly want to be nearish at the presentations after the race.

If we laugh the Longjumeau trip off, we have the entire day to stroll up and down the Champs. Thanks for the tip-off about the floats.....we may still be back in time to view them!

The floats (if that is the correct word, I can't think of any other)--they are decorated and have people on them, they represent certain companies -- are kind of fun. I saw them on rue de Rivoli, where they go up, and you care pretty close to them there.

I'm not sure when they close the metro stops, it may be all day, so you might not be able to get out at the Etoile in the morning. Well, you'll find out, it is announced in the paper and if a station is closed, it will be posted. You'll be able to get out somewhere around there.

Hi again Tod
We'll be staying in an apartment on Rue du Louvre.
I am also interested in finding out the exact route of the Paris circuit; I'm sure I read somewhere that it will be announced in June, but now can't find that site!

Maybe someone here knows? Di

the main website is www.letour.fr

This is the section with all the stages listed
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE..._parcours.html

They might not have a map posted yet as it just is barely June 1st, after all. There isn't much to see about a map of Paris, it's usually mostly the same every time. They mostly will go on the rue de Rivoli up to the Champs-Elysees, and then up and down it 8 times. Where they enter Paris can vary a bit, they are coming from direction of Boulogne down on the SE side of Paris. I think they come in on route D1 and go along the quai on the Seine (Right Bank) to somewhere near the Louvre where they go over to rue de Rivoli. I think they go over to Rivoli in that tunnel (Lemonnier) at the west edge of the Jardin due Carrousel. They may or may not be on Rivoli near rue du Louvre. The cadets of the Tour de France do a route on rue de Rivoli and the Champs about 30 min. before the sponsors cars and busses show up.

You're great Christina with all this info for us!

Thanks, Christina
Pardon my ignorance . . . what are 'cadets'? And appologies to Tod for chiming in on your posting! Di

If you decide to skip Longjumeau, you can spend part of your day watching the excellent French TV coverage of the final stage before heading over to the presentation area.

Di, No apologies needed! Information via questions from others is most welcome! I think cadets are the 'tour de France hopefuls' but have never quite made it? Probably totally wrong!

Underhill - Very good idea but I guess it will be all in French? Probably be a large screen at Hotel de Ville or we might just head off somewhere like the Frog & British Library Pub to view it! Couldn't stand being cooped up in a hotel room!

The cadets are people aspiring to be on the main team, younger cyclistes, they are aged 15-17 years. That's a common term in French sports for those that age. It isn't just the adults who didn't make it. In general, cadet means younger in French.

There is a big jumbotron around place de la Concorde. I don't know about H de Ville, but wouldn't surprise me. Most poeple aren't close enough to really see the awarding of the trophy, anyway, that's why they have to have jumbotrons for people to view the ceremony. Yes, it's in French but it's mainly just watching them race.

Thanks for clearing the 'cadet' question up! I shall certainly be hanging around the jumbotron in Place de La Concorde if its the closest we can see the presentation of the trophies.
This first encounter with the Tour de France 'Live' is bound to be a bit of a learning curve and I am not going to be too disappointed if things don't quite happen the way I wish them to. I come to Paris as often as possible so may have to book another trip in the July's to come!

Hi tod
I came across this website that might help with your plans to see as much as possible of the final day:

http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE...ape.html#zone1

Cheers, Di

Many thanks Di - I have printed it out. Thanks to you as well Christina for the TDF link. The map shows that they all take the TGV from Bordeaux to Longjumeau, which I should imagine will be almost directly after the race??
I'm thinking that maybe if we go to Longjumeau on the afternoon/evening of the 24th we may get to see them arrive at the station - or will they get whisked off to their hotel amongst high security? Just want a few pics really.

We can then be on the Champs to get a sense of the excitement and build up to the arrival of the cyclists on Sunday 25th.
What do you think guys?