TDF: Nantes Time Trial Viewing

Mike Jacoubowsk wrote:
We will be in France & will have time to watch the Nantes Time
Trial. I
had
a few questions for those of you who have been there.

1. We don't necessarily want to watch the finish; however, we do want
to get towards the end of the course. Also, with a wife and a
couple younger kids in tow who don't get excited by watching bikes
go by one-at-a-time
for
six hours, it makes sense to me to be in an accessible town. I am
thinking
settling somewhere in Nantes, or one of the towns down the road.
Is the finishing town crazy? (I'll have to go back and look at the
WCP tapes.)
Anything near the final 2km is to be avoided, unless you really enjoy a
massive crunch of people. A massive crunch of people that insists on
further crunching at every opportunity! I tried to view the finish of a
road stage at last year's TDF, and had to wrap myself around a light
pole and still saw nothing more than a few helmets poking out above the
heads of the crowd.
I would suggest checking out the map carefully and find a tight corner
somewhere along the middle of the course. You're not going to have any
idea about who finished when, but it will still be quite exciting as you
note the gaps between riders and wait for the next mini-motorcade to fly
through. With a couple of younger kids, make sure you bring stuff for
them to do, and lots of cold stuff to drink. In France it can be *very*
hot in July.
Last year, it turns out I missed a great opportunity at the final time
trial to see Lance near the start. We had positioned ourselves at the
finishing town (Macon) and were concerned about getting back to the
train station in time for the train to Paris, so we missed Lance (and
the other GC contenders) going by towards the end. Gee, talk about
dumb... the course took a road no more than 200 meters from the TGV
station!!!

2. How early before the caravan do you usually need to settle in
somewhere?
I am thinking in the country there may be a half kilometer walk from
the route to where we can park. Or can you go through the route
early and
just
pull the car off the side of the road?
The Caravan comes through about two hours prior to the first rider. It's
definitely a big deal for the kids, so it's not something to be missed.
If you settle in towards the middle of the course (or any other
less-dense area), I doubt you'll have to walk very far. BUT... if you
choose a spot with very few people, the Caravan is going to cruise
through at very high speed and not toss out any goodies for your kids.

3. Is there any race radio that is broadcast in part in english? I
have a french interpreter along, but I don't think he would handle
an "excited", running commentary of sports reporters.
For a time trial, an "interpreter" will do just fine. There will only be
a few official time checks on the course and a lot of background banter.
You'll also find you're quite popular if you have either a radio or,
better yet, battery-operated TV. French TV signals seem to reach very
nicely into the countryside, even into the more mountainous regions, in
a way we don't seem to in the US.
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/h-
ttp://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
"Tom I" wrote in message -
. ..
We will be in France & will have time to watch the Nantes Time
Trial. I
had
a few questions for those of you who have been there.

1. We don't necessarily want to watch the finish; however, we do want
to get towards the end of the course. Also, with a wife and a
couple younger kids in tow who don't get excited by watching bikes
go by one-at-a-time
for
six hours, it makes sense to me to be in an accessible town. I am
thinking
settling somewhere in Nantes, or one of the towns down the road.
Is the finishing town crazy? (I'll have to go back and look at the
WCP tapes.)

2. How early before the caravan do you usually need to settle in
somewhere?
I am thinking in the country there may be a half kilometer walk from
the route to where we can park. Or can you go through the route
early and
just
pull the car off the side of the road?

3. Is there any race radio that is broadcast in part in english? I
have a french interpreter along, but I don't think he would handle
an "excited", running commentary of sports reporters.

Thank you very much!

Tom I. Saint Paul, MN

Tom,

This is a wonderfully helpful message. My wife and I are making our
first trip to the tour this year, and are pretty naive about the reality
of race day. So I like your suggestion of a tight corner for viewing.
I've searched for a map showing the route, but without success. Anyone
out there have a link?

Best regards, John Nicholls






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(Martin Recker) posted:

tebo13 wrote in message
...

This is a wonderfully helpful message. My wife and I are making our
first trip to the tour this year, and are pretty naive about the
reality of race day. So I like your suggestion of a tight corner for
viewing. I've searched for a map showing the route, but without
success. Anyone out there have a link?

The stage will go through the following towns and villages:

km 12 Arthon-on-Retz
km 15 Chemere
km 27 Port-Saint-Pere
km 29 Saint-Leger-les-Vignes
km 33 Bouaye
km 40 Bouguenais
km 44 Reze
km 47 Nantes (border)
km 49 Nantes (finish)

(I left out the french accents in the names, but you should find them
anyway on a map of the Nantes region.)

The route is spelled out in great detail on the LeTour web site. The
route | the stages | scroll down to Pornic-Nantes. You will need a
Michelin or IGN map to understand it.
- Max

--
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