Attending The TdF 2022

AndyCr15

AndyCr15

AndyCr15

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Joined
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Barnet, London
Hi guys, I'm after advice again for another trip next year :)

The route has been published...

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My mum's a big cycling fan, but has never been (neither have I, but I'm new to Pro Cycling) so I'd like to take her next year.

A few things I'm wondering -

- Is it better to see a mountain stage? They don't wizz by quite so fast!

- I assume, data providing, we can we watch on GCN+ while waiting for them to pass by? I wonder if data connections out in the mountains is good enough?!

- Is it feasible to see a few different stages, booking different B&B or AirBNB's through a week?

- Is it possible to TRY and cycle the stage we're going to watch, a day or two before hand?

Any other tips are very welcome :)
 
Definitely a mountain stage but the big ones are heaving and depending on your mum you can't really drive there on the day so will have to cycle/walk up EARLY. Like 6 hoursplus before the race is due to pass. You'll probably struggle to drive up on the day. As the roads will usually be shut all day on mountain passes.
Yes gcn+ could be watched and you'd be surprised about signal out there, but wouldn't guarantee it.

Yes easily doable to watch a few stages in a few days, although there is a lot of waiting around.

Yes you can do, but don't underestimate how hard a "flat" stage is. I did the first two stages when they were up in Yorkshire a few months before and the first sprint day had something like 2500m of climbing in 100 or so miles.
 
Trying to blag a ride in one of the official cars from the wife’s work. She’s one of the directors of a sports wear company that supplies licensed apparel to the TdF and they get an option as VIPs but there’s only one director that interested in cycling so I can possibly nab a spot. :crosses fingers:
 
SoliD said:
the big ones are heaving and depending on your mum you can't really drive there on the day so will have to cycle/walk up EARLY.
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That's a really good point I hadn't thought about, thanks.

SoliD said:
don't underestimate how hard a "flat" stage is.
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I'm really not, but would like to have a crack at one :)

Bear said:
Trying to blag a ride in one of the official cars from the wife’s work
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I'm half tempted to just go all out and book something like this. I don't suppose anyone has any experiences of this? £750 is a lot, but spending the day in one of the cars in the race must be a great day?
 
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AndyCr15 said:
I'm half tempted to just go all out and book something like this. I don't suppose anyone has any experiences of this? £750 is a lot, but spending the day in one of the cars in the race must be a great day?
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The director at my wife’s work went in 2019 and he reckoned it was a great day out, he really enjoyed it. Not sure I would pay £750 for it though
 
@AndyCr15 I'm not an expert by any means and have only seen 5 stages now, but I dragged my wife along to both the tt and Mt etna stage on sicily last year and she loved both, especially the mountain stage. We rented her an ebike and rode all the way up to about 2k from the top about 4 hours before. Took a load of food and drink and some extra clothes to put on then just sat down for the day watching things go past. If you took out the ebike cost we probably spent about a tenner in total! Those vip days are something to blag not buy!
 
I even have an eBike I could take over there, but my mum is in her late 70's, so probably wouldn't cope even on an eBike :( She's loved watching the cycling on TV for many years and it paying a few hundred means it's easier or even it just makes it possible if it wasn't before, I'd be happy to pay.
 
If I was planning a trip for next year I'd be looking at Alpe D'Huez. I stayed there last time the tour went up there with a similar stage format to next year.

It's only a short drive to see the Abertville > Col du Grandon stage. Don't try to get to the finish or any of the major climbs, it'll be too busy to do that in a day trip when you drive there. Get a copy of the roadbook (that's the book with all the detail of the route which the teams are using to direct the riders) it'll be available online before the race - but not as an official download from the TdF site so you'll need to look around forums and things. Check if there's anything interesting you could get to - the rubbish drop areas after feed zones are cool. You might get a musette chucked at you. Otherwise, just stand at the side of any old bit of road. Try to avoid standing beside kids and you've got more chance of getting stuff from the "caravan". It's mostly crap these days but tshirts/caps are a nice souvenir.

Then the Alpe D'Huez stage. Take a folding chair or some kind of mat to sit on if you can and a packed lunch. Go out in the morning and find a good spot then sit there all day. It's not as boring as it sounds to sit beside a road all day: there will be loads of cyclists riding up the hill all day, various film crews and their presenters riding up recording the detail of the climb (Chris Boardman, usually for ITV4, and his equivalents), team busses, then the caravan and various officials cars, then the race itself.

The next day the stage starts in Bourg d'Oisans which is right at the bottom of the climb to Alpe D'Huez (but you'll still need to drive down because it's a long climb). Check the roadbook again so you know what time the sign on starts. There will be a big platform and every rider will go up and sign on before the start of each stage. Some of them do quick interviews with the announcer but it's often in the rider's own language. You don't actually see any racing at a stage start, the whole peloton rides slowly* behind the race directors car for several kilometres before he waves the flag and signals the start of the actual racing.

*slowly relative to a pro cyclist - they'll still be doing about 30+mph
 
One More Solo said:
I’m guessing the car ride option would put you in the caravan so you’d see the spectators and route but not much of the race (if any).
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Yeah, I realised this after. I think you do the start stuff, then head to the end to see the race come in. Probably not worth the £££

touch said:
If I was planning a trip for next year I'd be looking at Alpe D'Huez. I stayed there last time the tour went up there with a similar stage format to next year.

It's only a short drive... {snip}
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Some great info, thanks. Yeah, would love to be somewhere on the Alpe D'Huez climb. Is there any where to stay up nearer the top, so it's easier to get out onto the climb? Happy to sit there many hours with GCN+ and some sausages rolls for company :)
 
AndyCr15 said:
Some great info, thanks. Yeah, would love to be somewhere on the Alpe D'Huez climb. Is there any where to stay up nearer the top, so it's easier to get out onto the climb? Happy to sit there many hours with GCN+ and some sausages rolls for company :)
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The stage finish is in Alpe D'Huez itself, which is fairly big for an alpine village but anywhere you can find to stay in the village will be within walking distance of the route. The village of Huez is slightly further down the hill and felt smaller and less touristy but if you can find anywhere to stay there it would also be good for seeing the cycling. Anywhere in Heuz village would be within walking distance of the route but other parts of your holiday wouldn't be as great there - we walked through it and I didn't see any shops or restaurants but there is a free shuttle bus into Alpe D'Heuz so wouldn't be too bad.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Okay, great, thanks. It looks like the nearest available room is around 6 miles away :cry:
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I think its busy around that area as the etape du tour is doing the alpe d'huez stage next year so 13000 or so people like me will be attempting the 5000 meters of climbing a couple of days before the pros. If you ever wanted to try a stage out on closed roads this would be the way to do it stay for a few days ride some of the other close by epic mountains and then watch the pros ride the stage youve just done at twice the speed!
Really looking forward next year to doing the Alpe as the atmosphere should be amazing with many campervans already in place cheering us on.
 
All plans for next year are now a bit hazy... there's a greater chance I might still have a damn job! :cry: (Still not even 50/50, but previously I was fairly certain I wouldn't, now I can't be so sure...)
 
Did you end up going? I'm starting to plan for a few days there in 2023. Going to splash out and also get a seat on the Champs Elysee. How easy is it to get around, bearing in mind I wont have a car?
 
Congrats, I think!
Doing it as part of a once in a lifetime type of thing as don't get to Europe too often. Looking at some high end experiences from your link above such as the team car thing and a table at the Champs on the final day. Then slum it with general pop in-between at the top of a mountain stage. Hoping to tie it in with a hike up Mont Blanc the week before. TDF schedule not released until 27th October although the Departe has been confirmed so easy enough to plot the final day - just need to work out the rest.
 
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