To see the Tour de France from the UK

David Cowie said:

Options

1) Tuesday : Car to Dover, park there for the day (£9), cycling
passenger to Calais (£14.08), cycle or local train to see Stage 3
(Waterloo - Wasquehal) near the finish. Return same day (Tuesday)
Lille to Calais is 112km.

Eurotunnel (Le Shuttle) have a bicycle carriage service. You can leave your
car at their office at/near Folkstone, they put you in a minibus, bike on
trailer, drive you onto the shuttle, and then drop you at their offices on
the other side.

Fairly cheap, I think its from £16 return. Parking is also cheap/free.
See Independent newspaper Travel Section online.

Quoted message said:

OR for this one catch the EuroStar from Waterloo to Lille returning
the same day (from £115 return)

AFAIK, you need a Brompton (or similar) or no-cycle for Eurostar.

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NC said:

Fairly cheap, I think its from £16 return. Parking is also cheap/free.
See Independent newspaper Travel Section online.

That looks pretty good.

David Cowie said:

Any suggestions on train journeys or alternatives & combinations for
the above ?

Eurostar to Brussels first thing Saturday morning, then train to Liege
Guillemins, watch prologue, train back to Brussels, set up base camp
there and then get easy and frequents train to Charleroi on Sunday and
Namur on Monday for the inevitable big bunch gallops there (indeed, you
could probably get train down to Liege for the Sunday stage start and
then another one straight to Charleroi for the finish - through trains
from Liege to Charleroi or change at Namur). Use Multipass or Go-Pass
offers on Belgian railways, dead cheap, half hourly or hourly services
on the lines in question. A bike is a massive encumbrance anywhere near
a stage start or finish.

Liege and Namur stations are both pretty handy for the action, don't
think Charleroi will be too far away either.

Beer's better than in France as well.

Roger

David Cowie <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Options

1) Tuesday : Car to Dover, park there for the day (£9), cycling
passenger to Calais (£14.08), cycle or local train to see Stage 3
(Waterloo - Wasquehal) near the finish. Return same day (Tuesday)
Lille to Calais is 112km.

OR for this one catch the EuroStar from Waterloo to Lille returning
the same day (from £115 return)

2) Wednesday : Include 1) above, camp/hostel overnight somewhere to
see next Stage 4 (Cambrai - Arras TTT) near finish. Return on ferry
(Wednesday). 120km from Arras to Calais.

3) Thursday As in 2) above, but camp/hostel & stay on to see the start
of stage 5 (Amiens - Chartres), returning to Calais and Dover same day
(Thursday). Also about 120km from Amiens to Dover.

As the distances would make it difficult/tight to do same day trips,
combinations with trains would be a good idea. The distances are
approx. asthe crow flies, so cycling distance would need to add 50%.

Any suggestions on train journeys or alternatives & combinations for
the above ?

I have costed tunnel/boat/hovercat day trips on the 7th, all about £40
return for car + 3 passengers.

I appreciate these suggestions as well. I have the fortune to be living in
Brussels this year, so after years of watching TdF on TV from Canada, it
will be a treat to have the first stages so close to home!

Stage 1 - Is this where the big cobble-stoned climbs occur? Where would
you suggest as prime viewing location. (I would travel by train,
preferrably unencumbered by a bike, unless necessary.)

Stage 3 - For the Waterloo start, I think my best way of getting there will
be to cycle from Brussels, notwithstanding the crowds. What happens after
the start - is the course cyclable (at least for awhile) or do the roads
reopen to automobiles soon after the peloton departs? I'm trying to get a
sense if I could go on my road bike and get a ride-in after the start, or
would I be better-off with just a utility bike as a means of transport?

Thanks for the help,

Rob.

Roger Hughes said:

David Cowie said:

Any suggestions on train journeys or alternatives & combinations for
the above ?

Eurostar to Brussels first thing Saturday morning, then train to Liege
Guillemins, watch prologue, train back to Brussels, set up base camp
there and then get easy and frequents train to Charleroi on Sunday and
Namur on Monday for the inevitable big bunch gallops there (indeed, you
could probably get train down to Liege for the Sunday stage start and
then another one straight to Charleroi for the finish - through trains
from Liege to Charleroi or change at Namur). Use Multipass or Go-Pass
offers on Belgian railways, dead cheap, half hourly or hourly services
on the lines in question. A bike is a massive encumbrance anywhere near
a stage start or finish.

Liege and Namur stations are both pretty handy for the action, don't
think Charleroi will be too far away either.

Beer's better than in France as well.

Roger

robert.clark said:

Stage 1 - Is this where the big cobble-stoned climbs occur? Where would
you suggest as prime viewing location. (I would travel by train,
preferrably unencumbered by a bike, unless necessary.)

Nope. They're on stage 3. You can get to Geraardsbergen for the Muur by
train readily enough (about 1 km walk from the station), but you won't
be able to get to the start as well. The Paris-Roubaix cobbles,
Carrefour de l'Arbre are less accessible by public transport, though,
and there aren't so many trains crossing the border.

Stage 1 is pretty flat, except near the start, guaranteed bunch sprint
stuff. (ditto stage 2, despite being in the middle of some interesting
hills; I'm disappointed that they didn't use the Citadelle for the
finish in Namur).

Quoted message said:

Stage 3 - For the Waterloo start, I think my best way of getting there will
be to cycle from Brussels, notwithstanding the crowds. What happens after
the start - is the course cyclable (at least for awhile) or do the roads
reopen to automobiles soon after the peloton departs? I'm trying to get a
sense if I could go on my road bike and get a ride-in after the start, or
would I be better-off with just a utility bike as a means of transport?

Never actually been to Waterloo town (just up the Butte de Lion a few
times...) so I can't say; just that bikes and big crowds hemmed in by
barriers generally do not mix well. The course will be reopened fairly
smartish in Belgium, I'd expect. Then again, cars and bikes are not
actually mutually exclusive ;-)

Cheers

Roger

(MartinM) said:

I have costed tunnel/boat/hovercat day trips on the 7th, all about £40
return for car + 3 passengers.

That's good since I have a bike friendly car (Kangoo). Just have to
choose which stage to go and watch. I reckon on parking somewhere just
off the course.

Thanks for that bit of info.

David Cowie <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

(MartinM) said:

I have costed tunnel/boat/hovercat day trips on the 7th, all about £40
return for car + 3 passengers.

That's good since I have a bike friendly car (Kangoo). Just have to
choose which stage to go and watch. I reckon on parking somewhere just
off the course.

Thanks for that bit of info.

Of course that was for an early 0700 crossing, may be more if you went
at booze cruise standard time.

(MartinM) said:

David Cowie <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

(MartinM) said:

I have costed tunnel/boat/hovercat day trips on the 7th, all about £40
return for car + 3 passengers.

That's good since I have a bike friendly car (Kangoo). Just have to
choose which stage to go and watch. I reckon on parking somewhere just
off the course.

Thanks for that bit of info.

Of course that was for an early 0700 crossing, may be more if you went
at booze cruise standard time.

The earlier the better. thinking of the 6am ferry or thereabouts.