Jump to content
Complete France Forum

Le Tour 2008


Recommended Posts

It starts on Sunday, anyone going to watch?

http://www.letour.fr/

I always follow this and try to go and see a stage when I can, which is not very often and no chance this year as they come nowhere near me, ah well.

I'm thinking of a few bob on Fränk Schleck (Luxembourg) for the Yellow Jersey this year as he is having a fantastic season so far and is 'hungry' for it.  Any other views?

Also I see there are 4 stages 'accidentées'  What is that?  accidental stages? put in by mistake??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

" 4 étapes accidentées" means not high mountain, but not flat. i.e., medium to low mountain, or lots of little climbs.

Anyone going to watch, are you kidding?????Le Tour is probably one of the reasons why I moved back to France....

As for going to see it live, yes, of course!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="5-element"]

As for going to see it live, yes, of course!

[/quote]

Carried out the recce on Monday and booked lunch for the time between caravan and riders. Luckily Mme le Patron informed me that the road through the whatever is smaller than a lieu dit will be closed from 10.00 on the day and then helped me plan a route to the tiny road and layby opposite.

Happy watching

John

p.s. I think Nicole Cooke is more likely to win La Tour [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Katie, the atmosphere is fantastic!

There are floats, music, action, radio and TV interviews, freebies such as baseball hats, bottles of water, T-shirts, etc etc.

Everybody is in holiday mood, friendly, chatting.  I have shaken hands with total strangers and shared food and drink with them.

If you are anywhere near the route, you just have to experience it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I like the sound of that.  We rented a Gite a few years back in central France.  I know it passed the top of the street but I did not go out to see it because I thought it would be just bikes.

I could be on Champs Elysees this year to watch it with a nice bottle of Blue Nun to share with fellow revellers. [:)] 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Just Katie"]Sorry for sounding like a numpty but I know it is a bike race however, if I went onto the street to watch it, will there be anything else to do?  Why do people make such a fuss over it?[/quote]

JK, if you "go on the street to watch it", what you will see the least of is probably the bike race. The TdF is a huge big circus - if you like circus atmosphere, and if you are gregarious and enjoy being in big crowds, who fight over each other to snatch the freebies thrown by the "caravane publicitaire" (many cars and floats driving at breakneck speed, passing the spectators about an hour before the cyclists themselves, with loudspeakers, and a multitude of specially-employed people to throw those objects to the crowd) then you will enjoy the experience.

If you go for the finish on the Champs-Elysées, it won't be quite the same, but the crowd will be there, even more so.[:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

I'm thinking of a few bob on Fränk Schleck (Luxembourg) for the Yellow Jersey this year as he is having a fantastic season so far and is 'hungry' for it.  Any other views?

[/quote]

Valverde or Cadel Evans I reckon.

Watch out for Mark Cavendish who will be after green - although it may be a bit early in his career yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] I would love to see Fränk do well and win a stage or two as he is very popular here in Lux (as is cycling in general)[/quote]

Short interview with Andy just after the finish of his TT this afternoon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well it's the biggest thing to happen in my sleepy village since - well, ever - so I can't wait for it to arrive as they make the homeward run.

They will be going right past the village bar so I have reserved my place on the terrace. (I wonder if a German towel might work better.)

Let's just hope that it remains a creditable race and is not spoiled, as is so often the case, by doping scandals. Last year, the locals had all but lost faith in it as a sporting event, long before they reached Paris.

But the endurance and determination of these guys never ceases to amaze me - racing on a bike, including up and down mountains, for God's sake, for over 2,000 miles, often in soaring temperatures or pouring rain. And at the end of each stage, having just ridden perhaps 100 miles at a not unreasonable motoring speed, they still have enough energy to sprint to the line! Unbelievable stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Alan Zoff"]

Let's just hope that it remains a creditable race and is not spoiled, as is so often the case, by doping scandals. Last year, the locals had all but lost faith in it as a sporting event, long before they reached Paris.[/quote]

I think Schumacher's perf this afternoon probably raised a couple of eyebrows. But doped or clean they're still supermen.

I can only manage about 3000ks a year and that knackers me! [:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A word of advice to anyone taking their dog with them to watch the riders whiz past, put the thing on a lead.  Two nasty accidents last year on account of dogs running into the path of the cycles, riders going down like skittles.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you know....

If you go onto http://maps.google.fr/maps  you can click on "street view" on the top of the map and get a 360° photographic view of  Le Tour at every stage.

Just click on "Tour de France 2008" for a step by step guide.

Alan Zoff - try it you'll see your bar!!!

I watched it go by a few Ks from our place last year - get there early for a good vantage point - they close the roads quite early too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Just Katie"]Sorry for sounding like a numpty but I know it is a bike race however, if I went onto the street to watch it, will there be anything else to do?  Why do people make such a fuss over it?[/quote]

Clearly JK, having now become a Parisienne, with nothing better to do than frequent city brasseries and accost poor hard-working plumbers, you can't be bothered with the simple joys of July life in rural France. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Lisleoise"]Did you know....

If you go onto http://maps.google.fr/maps  you can click on "street view" on the top of the map and get a 360° photographic view of  Le Tour at every stage.

[/quote]

Demonstrating my ignorance on IT matters yet again, is there any way I can save this so that the 360 degrees street level pictures will still be available long after the Tour has ended? I suspect the Page Not Available message will appear at some point.

If it is possible, I would greatly appreciate a step-by-step guide to the saving procedure.

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For all you ladies who find the Tour de France just toooo boring, here's why cyclists wear black cycle shorts.... not red ones....

 

 

[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/2348/att000011zc7.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=58&i=att000011zc7.jpg][IMG]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/2348/att000011zc7.12f8bb925a.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

 

 

 

 

[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1133/att000021ga8.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=112&i=att000021ga8.jpg][IMG]http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1133/att000021ga8.e456818c99.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...