After having lived a good chunk of my life in France I've had the pleasure of both riding the roads of the Tour de France as well as witnessing several stages. With Lance out of the mix, this should be one of the most exciting Tours ever. If you've got the cash and not much time an organized tour is a great idea. But, if you're not worried about time and want to soak in some of the great French atmosphere along the way here's a few good hints. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions.
- La Maison de la Press
Every town in France has at least one 'Maison de la Press'. In these little gold mines you will find the two most important publications for your trip.
- Michelin Maps
Michelin makes EXCELLENT maps both national and local. The smaller the area, the better the map. They have accurate and minute details of every small road, every small hamlet, every hill and mountain. If you delve deeply into the map you will discover that it even gives you the percentage grade of the road - they're awesome especially if you're riding. Getting off the beaten path is advisable during July and very easy to do with these maps. Many other maps SUCK!
- L'Equipe
What might draw you to L'Equipe are the phenominal color full length tabloid style photos, but inside there is much for the non-French reader. L'Equipe, the French sports daily, is an official race sponsor and has a comprehensive daily listing of race statistics as well as race routes and expected arrival times for every city. Every day they list all of the previous day's finishers in one column and the current race standings in another. All teams with rider's jersey numbers are listed, as well as the reason for any of the abandoned team mates. They also list the daily results in sprint, mountain, team and combativity points as well as the cumulatve race totals. It's the cheapest and best program you'll ever buy.
- Camping
You can try to make hotel reservations, but if you get stuck in one of the monuemental traffic jams you can easily be late and many smaller places will not hold your reservation. Camping along the route of the Tour de France is an accepted practice. Just make sure you clean up (even if you see French people throwing trash on the road!). And, especially in the high mountains, be prepared for everything from intense heat to snow. Try to get a weather forecast from the USA Today or the International Herald Tribune (assuming your French may not be good enough to decipher a French paper). If it's going to be a cold rainy day - don't go high in the mountains. You may have a horrible night only to discover that the section of the course you are on has been canceled!
- Mountain Stages
The traffic on the roads will be horrendous as there will be up to a half a million people trying to escape down a trecherous switchback road. By the time you reach the bottom you're going to be in an awful line trying to get to the next stage. Better to skip one finish and head directly to the summit two days away. You can always pull in at a cafe and watch the day's racing while sipping wine and eating a croque. If you don't make it to the top (often the police close the roads earlier than announced) don't fret. The road will be lined with thousands of elaborate antenna/big screen TV set ups. A bottle of wine and a friendly 'S'il vous plait' will usually gain you entrance to anyone's tent.
- Driving
The French always drive well above posted speedlimits. Do your best to stay with the flow of traffic. The Autoroute is VERY expensive (1/2 franc/kilometer). If you're in no hurry the national roads are well kept and offer a much more appealing view of France. Be very careful about wine at dinner - two glasses of wine may be enough to put you over the edge on the French B.A.C charts.
- Riding
July may be the worst possible time to ride a bike, but don't let it dissuade you. Just don't try to ride the tour routes during the race. Many people ride the climbs the morning of the race, but most likely they are locals. Riding the tour route the day after the race goes through is a better idea. The roads will be virtually empty. Riding to and from train stations is always a good idea. All the trains will accept your bike and they'll store or ship it for you too. It's possible to rent bicycles, but if you plan on doing any serious riding, pack your own bike. Any bike shop in the states will pack it relatively cheaply and the price of going over the luggage limit at the airline counter will be well worth it when you find yourself comfortably climbing in the Alps as opposed to wrenching on the side of the road. Make sure you bring a tire valve adapter but, aside from that, you can get most any cycling product at any of the millions of cycling shops in France (great apparel and footwear too!).
- Language
Do your best to use whatever French you can. A Frenchman will give you the shirt off his back if you give it at least a try. Don't ever appear in a hurry and never speak in a loud tone. Also be aware that stages in the Pyranees go through some Basque towns, stages in Brittany go through Breton towns and stages in Alps go through Savoyarde towns. They all speak French, but as a second language. Their accents may be very difficult to understand even to a well-schooled French speaker.
- Patience
So many things can go wrong with huge crowds all trying to get to the same place. Patience is key in these endeavors. Bring a book. When the traffic line is stopped, turn off the engine and relax. More often than not you will find yourself on a beautful mountain or a quaint French town.
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