Alan Grant's take on the last week of the 2013 Tour de France as he follows the race in and around the mountains of eastern France.
Stage 14 ramblings
- The press buffet at Lyon was tasty but strangely there were no plates. Perhaps a ploy to keep the greedy hacks from eating too much. It didn’t work
- Ten different types of meat were on offer, but strangely no cheese. The deserts and drinks seemed to be peach based, with quite a few different colours and tastes.
- Vittel water has a distinctly minerally flavor/odour …
- Press room inside an indoor sports stadium, no aircon, so hot and sweaty.
- The Tour hasn’t been to Lyon for a long time and even now it seems to have been pushed to the periphery at a sports stadium complex, well away from the gorgeous city centre.
- The press buffet at Lyon was tasty but strangely there were no plates. Perhaps a ploy to keep the greedy hacks from eating too much. It didn’t work
- Ten different types of meat were on offer, but strangely no cheese. The deserts and drinks seemed to be peach based, with quite a few different colours and tastes.
- Vittel water has a distinctly minerally flavor/odour …
- Press room inside an indoor sports stadium, no aircon, so hot and sweaty.
- The Tour hasn’t been to Lyon for a long time and even now it seems to have been pushed to the periphery at a sports stadium complex, well away from the gorgeous city centre.
 The world's cycling press all in one place ...  Japanese national champ Yukiya Arashiro of Team Europcar talks to the Japanese press post-race. |  "I really don't want to get on this bike ..." – Sky's Peter Kennaugh (far right) as he climb's aboard for the mandatory cool-down spin, not a minute after he rolled to a stop outside the team bus.  Garmin's Jack Bauer chatting with a pal as if he's just been for a Saturday spin rather than a lumpy 191km in a blazing sun. The peloton did take it "fairly easy" today mind you. |
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 2, stage 15 ... le Ventoux
7/14/2013
– Climbed the Ventoux this morning with thousands of others on a gloriously sunny day. There could be millions on le Mont by the time the race goes through. Really enjoyed the climb and the glorious descent on deserted roads back down to Malaucene. Heading up again soon by car with camera to hopefully catch some action.
– Climbed the Ventoux this morning with thousands of others on a gloriously sunny day. There could be millions on le Mont by the time the race goes through. Really enjoyed the climb and the glorious descent on deserted roads back down to Malaucene. Heading up again soon by car with camera to hopefully catch some action.
I set my GoPro to take pics every 30 seconds during this morning's ride up and down Ventoux. There are literally hundreds of them and after a quick scan I reckon this is one of the best. Excuse the cables in the shot and the scuffed case, a result of the whole unit coming flying off on a descent of Cameron Highlands earlier this year.
The drive up to the summit through the throngs of fans in my press-accredited rental car was nuts, what an experience. I had to park the car about 1km from the summit, but the walk up to the iconic weather station was no hardship, providing as it did another opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of mingling with the hundreds of thousands of cycling fans who were thronging the roadside. After catching up with a few friends from Singapore, I then had plenty of time of time to choose my spot from which to watch the finale. As the series of six photos below shows, I had a fantastic view of Chris Froome's triumph.
   |    |
The Froome Dog with the hordes and me. Winning on a legendary mountain in the yellow jersey comes at a cost; he spoke with the rightsholders then non-rightsholders of the tv/radio/press for half an hour.
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 3, rest day ... pissed off
7/15/2013
By pure chance my motel on the outskirts of Orange was next door to the hotel hosting Team Sky and a few other of the pro squads. This gave me a front-row seat for the controversial Sky press conference attended by Froome and Sky boss Dave Brailsford. Chris Froome might be smiling in this photo as leaves the press conference but he was anything but happy. The 15 minutes was dominated by doping questions and the inevitable Lance comparisons. "To compare me with Lance: Lance cheated, I'm not cheating."
He ended it with these words before getting up and leaving.
"It's sad, sitting here after the biggest day of my life, and we're talking about doping. Here I am being accused of cheating when I'm not."
Brailsford seemed more pissed than Froome and wasn't so polite with the media. He challenged the third estate to get together and come up with a solution, a methodology, as to how Sky how could answer the doping questions.
"Can you lot scratch your heads and come up with a novel attitude to help us explaining without a reasonable doubt that we're not cheating?" the Sky team boss said.
Although Brailsford says once again that they won't release their data. Claims the biometric passport needs to be improved to include weight, power, etc, instead of just blood values.
Just as I always thought Lance was a cheat (but didn't care as I thought they were all at it), I firmly believe Froome and Sky are clean.
By pure chance my motel on the outskirts of Orange was next door to the hotel hosting Team Sky and a few other of the pro squads. This gave me a front-row seat for the controversial Sky press conference attended by Froome and Sky boss Dave Brailsford. Chris Froome might be smiling in this photo as leaves the press conference but he was anything but happy. The 15 minutes was dominated by doping questions and the inevitable Lance comparisons. "To compare me with Lance: Lance cheated, I'm not cheating."
He ended it with these words before getting up and leaving.
"It's sad, sitting here after the biggest day of my life, and we're talking about doping. Here I am being accused of cheating when I'm not."
Brailsford seemed more pissed than Froome and wasn't so polite with the media. He challenged the third estate to get together and come up with a solution, a methodology, as to how Sky how could answer the doping questions.
"Can you lot scratch your heads and come up with a novel attitude to help us explaining without a reasonable doubt that we're not cheating?" the Sky team boss said.
Although Brailsford says once again that they won't release their data. Claims the biometric passport needs to be improved to include weight, power, etc, instead of just blood values.
Just as I always thought Lance was a cheat (but didn't care as I thought they were all at it), I firmly believe Froome and Sky are clean.
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 4, stage 16 ... missed finish
7/16/2013
I'm having a ball following the Tour de France as a member of the press but it isn’t always as glamorous as it might seem. Sure, I’ve got a pass that gives me access to the stage starts and finishes where I get in close contact with the stars of the sport. I used it to hang out for a couple of hours in Vaison-la-Romaine today as the teams prepared to roll off for Stage 16 to Gap, but I missed the finish, rolling into the press centre just in time to see Froome and Co cross the line 10 minutes back from the winner Rui Costa.Getting the world’s media from the start to the finish each day can present logistical challenges for the organisers. There are two official routes for the Tour, the one the riders race on and another, known as the off route. Only a select few journalists get to take the official route. The rest of the media and the majority of the vast convoy that follows the Tour use the off route. Usually driving on the off route provides plenty of time for the hacks to get from A to B, get settled in the press centre, feast from the sumptuous buffet, take a wonder around the finish area and then decide whether to stay there and watch the finish or head back to the press centre, with its banks of TVs providing live coverage and a myriad of statistics and information.
Today, however, to get from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap, a distance of 168km for the riders, we were sent on a 292km trip via Aix-en-Provence, a mere few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, before swinging back north to Gap. Driving on a mixture of beautiful country roads and motorways, it took quite a while. I made the mistake of leaving Maison-la-Romaine a little later than most of the rest of the media as I uploaded some photos. Then I stopped at a Decathlon to buy a sleeping bag. Which brings me nicely onto the next subject. Accommodation, or the lack of it.
As soon as the route is announced each October, the hotels in and around the host towns fill up rapidly. The longer you wait to book, the further away you are. I only confirmed my hotel for tonight and tomorrow at 1am last night. It’s at the famous ski station of Vars, a mere 72km away! But it’s only 35km from tomorrow’s stage start in Embrun. Google Maps tells me it’ll take me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there tonight, but that’s after I negotiate the traffic trying to leave the race.
I'm having a ball following the Tour de France as a member of the press but it isn’t always as glamorous as it might seem. Sure, I’ve got a pass that gives me access to the stage starts and finishes where I get in close contact with the stars of the sport. I used it to hang out for a couple of hours in Vaison-la-Romaine today as the teams prepared to roll off for Stage 16 to Gap, but I missed the finish, rolling into the press centre just in time to see Froome and Co cross the line 10 minutes back from the winner Rui Costa.Getting the world’s media from the start to the finish each day can present logistical challenges for the organisers. There are two official routes for the Tour, the one the riders race on and another, known as the off route. Only a select few journalists get to take the official route. The rest of the media and the majority of the vast convoy that follows the Tour use the off route. Usually driving on the off route provides plenty of time for the hacks to get from A to B, get settled in the press centre, feast from the sumptuous buffet, take a wonder around the finish area and then decide whether to stay there and watch the finish or head back to the press centre, with its banks of TVs providing live coverage and a myriad of statistics and information.
Today, however, to get from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap, a distance of 168km for the riders, we were sent on a 292km trip via Aix-en-Provence, a mere few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, before swinging back north to Gap. Driving on a mixture of beautiful country roads and motorways, it took quite a while. I made the mistake of leaving Maison-la-Romaine a little later than most of the rest of the media as I uploaded some photos. Then I stopped at a Decathlon to buy a sleeping bag. Which brings me nicely onto the next subject. Accommodation, or the lack of it.
As soon as the route is announced each October, the hotels in and around the host towns fill up rapidly. The longer you wait to book, the further away you are. I only confirmed my hotel for tonight and tomorrow at 1am last night. It’s at the famous ski station of Vars, a mere 72km away! But it’s only 35km from tomorrow’s stage start in Embrun. Google Maps tells me it’ll take me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there tonight, but that’s after I negotiate the traffic trying to leave the race.
| I’m not complaining, just trying to paint a picture of a different side of the Tour. I must admit I could have been staying a mere 40km away tonight but by choosing Vars I’ll get to ride some of the famous climbs around that town tomorrow morning. I didn’t have a bike with me the last time I followed the Tour in 2009, but I do this year; it sits fully built, minus the front wheel, in the back seat of my rental car, alongside my bike box. So I’m planning to get in as much riding as possible. I managed the three main different ascents of Mont Ventoux over Sunday and Monday. Lucky me. And that takes me back to the sleeping bag. Stage 18 to the iconic Alpe Duez takes place on Thursday and it’ll be near impossible for me to ride it on race morning by the time I get anywhere near. So I plan to tackle it first thing on Friday morning, and with no chance of a room anywhere near the Alpe, I’m going to sleep in the car! |  Bonus for today was bumping into Monsieur le Tour himself, Christian Prudhomme, outside the press centre. Nice man, who despite obviously being busy, took a few minutes to chat to your Singapore correspondent. |
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 5, stage 17 ... time trial
7/17/2013
Today's stage is a 30km time trial from Embrun to Chorges. I'll miss the finish again today but this time it's deliberate, choosing to spend a few hours among the team buses and start pen. Not missing the action, though, thanks to the big screen showing the live feed.
Today's stage is a 30km time trial from Embrun to Chorges. I'll miss the finish again today but this time it's deliberate, choosing to spend a few hours among the team buses and start pen. Not missing the action, though, thanks to the big screen showing the live feed.
The atmosphere in the start village is completely different on TT days as opposed to normal road stages due to the riders starting individually over a period of six hours. There isn't the usual madness as the crowd know they won't see all the stars together at the start, so it's a lot more mellow.
The stage has two fairly long cat 2 climbs in it and as the time approaches when the leaders will start to warm up, the wind is picking up, which might herald the thunderstorms that were forecast as having a 50 percent chance of hitting the area mid-afternoon. Indeed, it's 3:37pm and the first clap of thunder announces its arrival. Spots of rain too. The lumpy parcours mean some riders have opted for road bikes over TT rigs. Froome either hasn't made his mind up yet whether he's riding a TT bike or a road bike or maybe he's planning a mid-stage bike change, but the team techs have just tested the car roof mountings for both bikes. The Osymetric cranks on his TT bike have a 56-42 combo.
The stage has two fairly long cat 2 climbs in it and as the time approaches when the leaders will start to warm up, the wind is picking up, which might herald the thunderstorms that were forecast as having a 50 percent chance of hitting the area mid-afternoon. Indeed, it's 3:37pm and the first clap of thunder announces its arrival. Spots of rain too. The lumpy parcours mean some riders have opted for road bikes over TT rigs. Froome either hasn't made his mind up yet whether he's riding a TT bike or a road bike or maybe he's planning a mid-stage bike change, but the team techs have just tested the car roof mountings for both bikes. The Osymetric cranks on his TT bike have a 56-42 combo.
Here's a small gallery from before the stage start today in Embrun.
As the media continue to insinuate that Froome and Sky are somehow cheating, it's interesting that the fans on the ground are solidly behind him. I didn't hear a single boo.
The rider's association have chipped in today and are backing Froome too.
The rider's association have chipped in today and are backing Froome too.
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 6, stage 18 ... l'Alpe Duez
7/18/2013
If there were one million people on Mont Ventoux for Stage 15 of this year’s Tour de France, then there must be three million on L’Alpe d’Huez for Stage 18. I’ve just driven up the famous 21 hairpins and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed, but at the same time it was also quite frightening. The whole 12.7km length of the climb was packed and that was at 12 o’clock. Thousands upon thousands of men, women and children, waving/carrying ever flag under the sun it seemed, were either walking or riding up. And then there were the cyclists making their way down, having already made it to the top. I don’t think I’ve ever had to concentrate so much on driving such was the fear of hitting something. But it was exhilarating just the same, although I felt like an intruder, spoiling their fun. Part of me wishes I could have parked the car halfway up and then watched the race unfold with the masses, but I’m sure I’d have been arrested or lynched and the car pushed over the edge!
If there were one million people on Mont Ventoux for Stage 15 of this year’s Tour de France, then there must be three million on L’Alpe d’Huez for Stage 18. I’ve just driven up the famous 21 hairpins and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed, but at the same time it was also quite frightening. The whole 12.7km length of the climb was packed and that was at 12 o’clock. Thousands upon thousands of men, women and children, waving/carrying ever flag under the sun it seemed, were either walking or riding up. And then there were the cyclists making their way down, having already made it to the top. I don’t think I’ve ever had to concentrate so much on driving such was the fear of hitting something. But it was exhilarating just the same, although I felt like an intruder, spoiling their fun. Part of me wishes I could have parked the car halfway up and then watched the race unfold with the masses, but I’m sure I’d have been arrested or lynched and the car pushed over the edge!
 The drive from my overnight base in Vars to l'Alpe d'Huez took me right by the Col du Galibier. What else was a man supposed to do but park the car and take a cheeky 9km trip to the top.  The press room is usually fairly near the finish line. In Lyon it was a stone’s throw away, but sometimes it isn’t even on site. Indeed, at Ventoux it was 30km away in Vaison-la-Romaine. Here on l’Alpe d’Huez, it sits about 800m from the finish line. It was situated perfectly for the route the race took for the first ascent of l’Alpe but it’s an uphill walk to the finish line, so today I opted to sit and watch the final drama with all the screens and information provided for the media. It’s fantastic soaking up the action out on the race course, but you often don’t know what’s happening, so it’s great to have different options.  Quintano has to be happy after that performance but he still ain't smiling as he talks to the Spanish-language press. |  People strive for the best view at le Tour but these four take the biscuit. They hung on that cable for at least the half hour that I stood there waiting for the leaders to come over l'Alpe the first time.  Now here's a happy man. The winner Riblon says in pretty good English that to win on l'Alpe d'Huez is a dream. A cliche for sure but haven't we all had the same dream  "You again?" |
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 7, stage 19 ... riding and reporting
7/19/2013
Most of the hundreds of media men and women who follow le Tour sit in the press centre all day, never even venturing out onto the course. They could do that from home. And none of them seem to have brought a bike with them. Which is nuts, seeing as the race visits some of the most majestic scenery that France has to offer. Today I spent about 90 minutes at the race, watching the last 20km on a big screen adjacent to the finish line, then I nipped into the mixed zone post stage to see the interviews. But I also rode my bike twice. I slept in my car last night so that I could wake up early and ride l'Alpe d'Huez in relative quiet, and I was rewarded with some spectacular views when I continued on towards the Col de Seranne. Then after the three-hour drive to the stage finish in Le Grand Bornand, instead of heading for the press room, I met my good buddy Adam Horler and rode side by side with him up to the Col du Colombiere, down the other side and back up again. Only then did we return to watch the the race unfold. I'd say it was one of the best days yet at the Tour. I'm a very lucky man.
Most of the hundreds of media men and women who follow le Tour sit in the press centre all day, never even venturing out onto the course. They could do that from home. And none of them seem to have brought a bike with them. Which is nuts, seeing as the race visits some of the most majestic scenery that France has to offer. Today I spent about 90 minutes at the race, watching the last 20km on a big screen adjacent to the finish line, then I nipped into the mixed zone post stage to see the interviews. But I also rode my bike twice. I slept in my car last night so that I could wake up early and ride l'Alpe d'Huez in relative quiet, and I was rewarded with some spectacular views when I continued on towards the Col de Seranne. Then after the three-hour drive to the stage finish in Le Grand Bornand, instead of heading for the press room, I met my good buddy Adam Horler and rode side by side with him up to the Col du Colombiere, down the other side and back up again. Only then did we return to watch the the race unfold. I'd say it was one of the best days yet at the Tour. I'm a very lucky man.
Riding the narrow road between l'Alpe d'Huez and the Col de Sarenne the morning after the pro tackled it on Stage 18 afforded some glorious views.
 |  (above) With my mate KKB at the Col de la Colombiere a few hours before the Stage 19 finish. (Left) Getting out of the car today in a temporary parking lot in a field atop l’Alpe d’Huez, I was immediately greeted with a familiar smell; the unmistakable whiff of burnt clutches. I use the plural because it was coming from every vehicle. Driving up and down mountain roads at a normal speed is bound to put a strain on a car’s clutch, but it’s worse on Tour days due to the stop-crawl nature of the journeys. I encountered the same smell all the way down the l’Alpe this morning as descended on my bike. I take the easy option when I know I’m going to be driving in the Alps; I hire an automatic. So far, so good. |
 As well as listening to the major players of the day being interviewed, post stage today I hung around the doping-control facility to see how many riders were actually tested; quite a few is the answer. Of course the stage winner Rui Costa (above) and yellow jersey wearer Chris Froome visited the hut but a stream of other riders were also subjected to the urine and blood ordeal. The respective Pinarello Dogmas of Costa and Froome resting next to each as their owners were tested presented a good image. |   |
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 8, stage 20 ... Le Semnoz
7/20/2013
It’s amazing that today’s Stage 20 of the Tour de France marked the first time the race had visited the Semnoz, a 1,700m mountain that guards sentinel over the beautiful Lac d’Annecy. So while it’s lack of history meant it didn’t quite have the numbers of fans on it that flocked to Mont Ventoux or l’Alpe d’Huez earlier in the tour, it still attracted many thousands and for my second last day at this year’s race I decided to join in the action. After a warm-up riding a few little known cols at the other side of the lake, my good friend, and now a local resident, Adam Horler and I hit the Semnoz for the 17km climb from Annecy just as the race started about a kilometre away in the town.
I must say I enjoyed riding up the mountain with the other fans much better than driving up the two previously mentioned legendary climbs. Cyclists of all shapes and sizes, on all different sorts of bikes, were heading up along with hordes of people just walking. It seemed obvious that many of the riders wouldn’t normally go anywhere near a hors categorie climb, but such is the allure of the Tour that today they were giving it a go. It’s not an easy climb, the last 10km especially basically never go below 9 percent and it was on this same section that I bonked two weeks ago while taking part in l’Etape du Tour. Today I was just taking it easy, enjoying the company of my friend and the masses. We knew the gendarme would stop us riding eventually and this turned out to be at the 2km to go mark. Positioned on a sweeping bend with a huge screen showing the action and adjacent to the press centre where I could get drinks and food, we decided this was the perfect spot to watch the race unfold. And so it turned out.
I’ve attended many stages of the Tour since I first hitched to Paris from Scotland in 1990 to watch Greg Lemond clinch his third title, but today was undoubtedly the most enjoyable of them all. The weather was perfect, the location idyllic and the atmosphere built up steadily for two hours until it reached a crescendo of excitement as the three leaders approached. Of course they’re gone in a flash, but that didn’t take anything away from the moment and we could watch the final battle on the screen. Then with the day’s major honours settled as Quintano danced away from Purito and Froome in the final kilometre, it was time to cheer on the remainder of the field, who came past us in dribs and drabs, strung out as they were along the the length of the mountain. Some came in groups of two or three, many struggled up solo and then there were two big packs, the first of which held some big names, and then of course came the autobus, containing the sprinters and their trains, all of whom had taken it easy as their big day awaits tomorrow.
I’m jumping on a train to Paris tomorrow to watch them in what should be a historic occasion as the famous race finish featuring eight laps of the Champs Elysées takes place under lights for the first time. The sight and sound of the peloton swooping up and down the most glamorous address in the French capital provides one of the great spectacles in sport. Can Mark Cavendish win the final stage, undoubtedly the most important race for sprinters of every year, for the fifth successive year? Or will Kittle, Griepel or even Sagan spoil his party. I can’t wait to find out and to see Chris Froome deservedly crowned as champion.
It’s amazing that today’s Stage 20 of the Tour de France marked the first time the race had visited the Semnoz, a 1,700m mountain that guards sentinel over the beautiful Lac d’Annecy. So while it’s lack of history meant it didn’t quite have the numbers of fans on it that flocked to Mont Ventoux or l’Alpe d’Huez earlier in the tour, it still attracted many thousands and for my second last day at this year’s race I decided to join in the action. After a warm-up riding a few little known cols at the other side of the lake, my good friend, and now a local resident, Adam Horler and I hit the Semnoz for the 17km climb from Annecy just as the race started about a kilometre away in the town.
I must say I enjoyed riding up the mountain with the other fans much better than driving up the two previously mentioned legendary climbs. Cyclists of all shapes and sizes, on all different sorts of bikes, were heading up along with hordes of people just walking. It seemed obvious that many of the riders wouldn’t normally go anywhere near a hors categorie climb, but such is the allure of the Tour that today they were giving it a go. It’s not an easy climb, the last 10km especially basically never go below 9 percent and it was on this same section that I bonked two weeks ago while taking part in l’Etape du Tour. Today I was just taking it easy, enjoying the company of my friend and the masses. We knew the gendarme would stop us riding eventually and this turned out to be at the 2km to go mark. Positioned on a sweeping bend with a huge screen showing the action and adjacent to the press centre where I could get drinks and food, we decided this was the perfect spot to watch the race unfold. And so it turned out.
I’ve attended many stages of the Tour since I first hitched to Paris from Scotland in 1990 to watch Greg Lemond clinch his third title, but today was undoubtedly the most enjoyable of them all. The weather was perfect, the location idyllic and the atmosphere built up steadily for two hours until it reached a crescendo of excitement as the three leaders approached. Of course they’re gone in a flash, but that didn’t take anything away from the moment and we could watch the final battle on the screen. Then with the day’s major honours settled as Quintano danced away from Purito and Froome in the final kilometre, it was time to cheer on the remainder of the field, who came past us in dribs and drabs, strung out as they were along the the length of the mountain. Some came in groups of two or three, many struggled up solo and then there were two big packs, the first of which held some big names, and then of course came the autobus, containing the sprinters and their trains, all of whom had taken it easy as their big day awaits tomorrow.
I’m jumping on a train to Paris tomorrow to watch them in what should be a historic occasion as the famous race finish featuring eight laps of the Champs Elysées takes place under lights for the first time. The sight and sound of the peloton swooping up and down the most glamorous address in the French capital provides one of the great spectacles in sport. Can Mark Cavendish win the final stage, undoubtedly the most important race for sprinters of every year, for the fifth successive year? Or will Kittle, Griepel or even Sagan spoil his party. I can’t wait to find out and to see Chris Froome deservedly crowned as champion.
 We could almost touch Rodriguez, Quintana and Froome. It was just after this point that the yellow jersey made one, ultimately unsuccessful attack.  Check out the smiles on the leaders of this big group. This was down to the amazing reception given to them and every other rider that passed us. What other sport cheers on the "losers" with such heart. What a sport, what a race. |  The view of today's Stage 20 finish, le Semnoz, from the Col de Contrabaniers, a 1,000m climb across the other side of Lac Annecy which we rode up this morning as a warm up for the real thing.  And finally came the big autobus with Cav escorted at the front by his loyal teammates. |
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 9, stage 21 ... Champs Élysées
7/21/2013
The 2013 Tour de France concluded in the twilight for the first time to facilitate a fancy lighting show commemorating the 100th edition. My magical press pass got me fantastic access once again and I used it to follow the multi-lap drama on the Champs Élysées from various positions. Today's report was a sort of blow-by-blow account ...
The 2013 Tour de France concluded in the twilight for the first time to facilitate a fancy lighting show commemorating the 100th edition. My magical press pass got me fantastic access once again and I used it to follow the multi-lap drama on the Champs Élysées from various positions. Today's report was a sort of blow-by-blow account ...
The setting sun presents a problem for the racers as they swoop up towards the finish line on each lap but it makes for a great shot for your amateur photog.
The bunch!
Two Gendarmes guard the finish line.
Whoosh ... feel the speed of the chasing pack.
It's still David Millar! The French love Dandy Dave so this long stint off the front is proving very popular.
The real photographers get the prime spot to shoot the action.
– (above) The voice of the Tour de France ... Daniel Mangeas
- As the main riders roll up the Champs Élysées for the presentation, Richie Porte came to a halt beside me as he tried to get through the crowd. I asked him if he was going to win the Vuelta; his answer: "I dunno" with a big smile.
- The shock of Cavendish not winning on the Champs Élysées seemed to momentarily stun the crowd on the line. Did this year's tour really see a changing of the sprinters guard?
– It's late in Paris, 1:30am, and I've just got back to my room after a few post-Tour beers. I'll write a summary tomorrow on my four-hour train journey back to Annecy, the first leg of my trip home to Singapore, on what for me has been an amazing Tour. I think Froome is a great champion, but his dominant win wasn't boring like the Sky/Wiggins show last year. There was drama nearly every day from all quarters and the winner even showed in the last week on a number of occasions that he was human.They always say that the rider that comes good in the third week wins the Tour, but for Froome Dog it was dominant second week that snared the crown.
Bon nuit.
- As the main riders roll up the Champs Élysées for the presentation, Richie Porte came to a halt beside me as he tried to get through the crowd. I asked him if he was going to win the Vuelta; his answer: "I dunno" with a big smile.
- The shock of Cavendish not winning on the Champs Élysées seemed to momentarily stun the crowd on the line. Did this year's tour really see a changing of the sprinters guard?
– It's late in Paris, 1:30am, and I've just got back to my room after a few post-Tour beers. I'll write a summary tomorrow on my four-hour train journey back to Annecy, the first leg of my trip home to Singapore, on what for me has been an amazing Tour. I think Froome is a great champion, but his dominant win wasn't boring like the Sky/Wiggins show last year. There was drama nearly every day from all quarters and the winner even showed in the last week on a number of occasions that he was human.They always say that the rider that comes good in the third week wins the Tour, but for Froome Dog it was dominant second week that snared the crown.
Bon nuit.
Le Tour, Nine Days in France: Day 10 ... a reflection
7/22/2013
So the Tour de France is over. What a great race. What a great champion. And what an experience. I had the privilege of holding a press pass for the last nine days, which allowed me access that the average cycling fan can only dream of. I’m fully appreciative of that and thank Bjorn Wong, the editor of Spin Asia magazine, for helping facilitate it.
I’ve had the prized possession once before, in 2009 when I was on assignment for Discovery Channel Magazine, but I didn’t really know how to utilize it fully back then; and the long days of driving between the stage starts and finishes and then on to mostly shitty hotels on motorways 50km away, meant that it was actually quite draining. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it then too. But this year was on another level and I think that’s down to a combination of the exiting action on the road, me knowing how far to push the system and the fact that I took a bike with me.
I have a few bikes, and for this trip I brought along my neglected Litespeed Archon, which hasn’t seen much action since I got my Specialized S-Works Tarmac earlier this year. But it’s set up for climbing, complete with a 50-34 compact crankset, and being titanium it’s easy to squeeze it into the back seat of car without the fear of damaging the frame. It was a good choice and a previous notion in the back of my head that I might sell it has been firmly banished.
So I got to ride most days while on following the Tour; the Ventoux, l’Alpe d’Huez and le Semnoz from the race route, but also both sides of the Col du Vars and a cheeky 9km ascent of the Galibier on my way from Stage 17 to Stage 18. If it all possible, I’d recommend bringing a bike if you’re planning to follow the Tour in the future, it makes it a much more rewarding experience.
My favourite day? It’s a toss up between the penultimate stage from Annecy to le Semnoz or believe it or not the rest day after Stage 15. For the former I rode up the mountain with my buddy KKB among the throng of fellow fanatics on a glorious summer’s day, and then watched the action unfold with a few hundred others on a big screen from a perfect vantage point 2km from the top.
The rest day followed Chris Froome’s dramatic victory on Mont Ventoux. For me the photo of him crossing the line is the image of the whole tour. I rode up the mountain from Bedoin seven hours before Froome did and planned to utlitise the rest day to take on the other two ascents from the towns of Malaucene and Sault.
But the Tour travel gods gave me a break on this day in that my shitty motorway hotel adjacent to the toll booths in Orange was just 300 metres away from Team Sky’s slightly-less-shitty motorway hotel. So before heading back to le Geant de Provence I got to look Froome in the eye from three rows away and I fully believe that he was clean, even as the baying pack of hacks were laying their worst into him. I felt pity for him, but I guess whoever was going to be in the yellow jersey this year was going to be swimming in a bigger goldfish bowl than usual.
Then, while Froome retreated to heal his wounds, I hit the mountain. Ventoux truly is a cycling mecca. Put it on your bucket list. Two of the ascents are tough, really tough, but the roads are well surfaced and the descents are a dream. After my second “easier” ascent of the day from Sault, which takes you through the most wondrous fields of sweet-smelling lavender, I then got to hang out for an hour or so with an old friend from my hometown who unbelievably lives in Malaucene. He had a house full of fellow Scots and the mood was exuberant. I, though, had a deadline, so drove back to Orange and another hotel.
Last night’s finale on the Champs Elysees was memorable too, the madness of the David Millar show, the heroics of Kittel and the sprinters, and the sheer thrill of seeing and feeling the whole peloton at full flight, but the decision to have it finish so late meant that time restraints didn’t allow the teams to ride leisurely up and down the famous boulevard post-race, basking in the adulation from the masses as is normal. Also the fully bilingual presentation ceremony seemed, for me at least, to deliver a stop-start affair instead of the polished, flowing spectacle we’ve come to expect in Paris. But these were minor annoyances as the fading sunlight provided a wonderful backdrop for the action. And as the precedings petered out I got to finish off Le Tour, Nine Days in France over a few leisurely beers and lots of cycling talk with the Hopes, Pete and Janine, down from Amsterdam for the weekend.
And now as I sit on a TGV as it hurtles through the unmistakably French countryside back to Annecy to begin my trip home, I’m content that my latest Tour de France adventure is over. I can’t wait to get back to Singapore to my family and I’m fully charged up for an exciting few months of racing ahead with my Specialized Confero Mavericks teammates.
Vive le Tour! Vive la France!
So the Tour de France is over. What a great race. What a great champion. And what an experience. I had the privilege of holding a press pass for the last nine days, which allowed me access that the average cycling fan can only dream of. I’m fully appreciative of that and thank Bjorn Wong, the editor of Spin Asia magazine, for helping facilitate it.
I’ve had the prized possession once before, in 2009 when I was on assignment for Discovery Channel Magazine, but I didn’t really know how to utilize it fully back then; and the long days of driving between the stage starts and finishes and then on to mostly shitty hotels on motorways 50km away, meant that it was actually quite draining. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it then too. But this year was on another level and I think that’s down to a combination of the exiting action on the road, me knowing how far to push the system and the fact that I took a bike with me.
I have a few bikes, and for this trip I brought along my neglected Litespeed Archon, which hasn’t seen much action since I got my Specialized S-Works Tarmac earlier this year. But it’s set up for climbing, complete with a 50-34 compact crankset, and being titanium it’s easy to squeeze it into the back seat of car without the fear of damaging the frame. It was a good choice and a previous notion in the back of my head that I might sell it has been firmly banished.
So I got to ride most days while on following the Tour; the Ventoux, l’Alpe d’Huez and le Semnoz from the race route, but also both sides of the Col du Vars and a cheeky 9km ascent of the Galibier on my way from Stage 17 to Stage 18. If it all possible, I’d recommend bringing a bike if you’re planning to follow the Tour in the future, it makes it a much more rewarding experience.
My favourite day? It’s a toss up between the penultimate stage from Annecy to le Semnoz or believe it or not the rest day after Stage 15. For the former I rode up the mountain with my buddy KKB among the throng of fellow fanatics on a glorious summer’s day, and then watched the action unfold with a few hundred others on a big screen from a perfect vantage point 2km from the top.
The rest day followed Chris Froome’s dramatic victory on Mont Ventoux. For me the photo of him crossing the line is the image of the whole tour. I rode up the mountain from Bedoin seven hours before Froome did and planned to utlitise the rest day to take on the other two ascents from the towns of Malaucene and Sault.
But the Tour travel gods gave me a break on this day in that my shitty motorway hotel adjacent to the toll booths in Orange was just 300 metres away from Team Sky’s slightly-less-shitty motorway hotel. So before heading back to le Geant de Provence I got to look Froome in the eye from three rows away and I fully believe that he was clean, even as the baying pack of hacks were laying their worst into him. I felt pity for him, but I guess whoever was going to be in the yellow jersey this year was going to be swimming in a bigger goldfish bowl than usual.
Then, while Froome retreated to heal his wounds, I hit the mountain. Ventoux truly is a cycling mecca. Put it on your bucket list. Two of the ascents are tough, really tough, but the roads are well surfaced and the descents are a dream. After my second “easier” ascent of the day from Sault, which takes you through the most wondrous fields of sweet-smelling lavender, I then got to hang out for an hour or so with an old friend from my hometown who unbelievably lives in Malaucene. He had a house full of fellow Scots and the mood was exuberant. I, though, had a deadline, so drove back to Orange and another hotel.
Last night’s finale on the Champs Elysees was memorable too, the madness of the David Millar show, the heroics of Kittel and the sprinters, and the sheer thrill of seeing and feeling the whole peloton at full flight, but the decision to have it finish so late meant that time restraints didn’t allow the teams to ride leisurely up and down the famous boulevard post-race, basking in the adulation from the masses as is normal. Also the fully bilingual presentation ceremony seemed, for me at least, to deliver a stop-start affair instead of the polished, flowing spectacle we’ve come to expect in Paris. But these were minor annoyances as the fading sunlight provided a wonderful backdrop for the action. And as the precedings petered out I got to finish off Le Tour, Nine Days in France over a few leisurely beers and lots of cycling talk with the Hopes, Pete and Janine, down from Amsterdam for the weekend.
And now as I sit on a TGV as it hurtles through the unmistakably French countryside back to Annecy to begin my trip home, I’m content that my latest Tour de France adventure is over. I can’t wait to get back to Singapore to my family and I’m fully charged up for an exciting few months of racing ahead with my Specialized Confero Mavericks teammates.
Vive le Tour! Vive la France!
RSS Feed