"MY" TOUR DE FRANCE

Today saw the start (Grand Départ) of the 101st Tour de France in the city of Leeds in Yorkshire and it's only the second time that the Tour has started in the UK. I was in Yorkshire just recently, as I flew from Leeds/Bradford airport to France and as drove around I saw no sign that the Tour would be starting in 4 weeks time, but watching on tv today it looks like the county of the white rose has pulledout all the stops to support the worlds toughest 3 week long cycle race.

My hubby and I have ridden in The Cape Argus cycle race many times and even though we are now ex cyclists most of our friends are still very much involved in the South African cycling scene.We were lucky enough in 2009 to visit my sister in France, along with our bicycles (that's perhaps a story for another day) and we watched the one stage of the Tour in Limoges.

Watching the 2014 Tour brings back lots of happy memories of that fun day and a fun day it was. Just some advice...it's important to plan your arrival and exit route carefully, as they often close the roads the night before. We positioned ourselves on a small country road and our car arrived loaded up with everything we needed, chairs,table,plenty of food and drink and a great amount of patience, as you do wait and wait....Not only to see the cyclists, who literally whizz past in a few seconds, but to see La Caravane.

Le Caravan is coming

About an hour or so before the peloton arrives a huge parade of sponsors vehicles drive past and you get showered with branded goodies. In crowded areas it's somewhat of a 
"bun fight", so expect the occasional tussle. 

Stickman

Our secret weapon was a stickman wearing our cycling clubs shirt, which was powered by "Moi" jumping up and down, shouting "Donnez Moi s'il vous plais" which means "please give me" and guess what it worked, as the photo below shows. We actually received duplicates of most of the goodies, cycling shirts, t-shirts,pens,lanyards,sweets, key rings,caps etc. 

Our Tour "goodies"

This "Caravan" takes some time to pass and really gets the crowds excited and enthused before the big moment. It's festive and fun, but we also had a good supply of champagne and food on hand to help us through the day. 

Champers and nibbles

You know when the riders are nearing, as helicopters appear in the distance and the excitement reaches fever pitch. There was one cyclist that I particularly wanted to see and that was, the now disgraced, Lance Armstrong. If the cyclists are grouped together it is difficult to pick out any one rider,but I was lucky, as Lance passed me so closely, that I could have pushed him off his bike,which I would never have done back then, but knowing what we know now I can't be sure.

My day was made, but unfortunately there is no photo, as it's hopeless attempting to get any shots of the cyclists riding past so don't bother.

Soon the roads were opened,the snacks, nibbles and "champers" were all gone and we headed home after a very special day with some wonderful memories and of course our stash of hard earned Tour de France freebies.

Tour de France 2014