re:viewing the Tour de France in Paris

[Jan]

"Graham Sharman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
As we will be in UK on family business in July we are going to the TdF for
the final 3 days with a Brit bus tour company.

Do any of you learned and much traveled cycle sporting veterans have any
tips and or advice as to the best places to get a view and to eat and
celebrate as hopefully, Lance comes into Paris with the sixth win ?

Last time in Paris was 25+ years ago and it was beautiful but mostly
populated by cochons.

All serious advice gratefully accepted.

GS
Too old to even be a wannabe.


You say you are on a Bus Tour.Are you going with Graham Baxter?? If so he
will advise on the best viewing spots.

If you want to view from the Champs D'elysses (sic) then be prepared to
get your spot very very early.
In Spain for the Vuelta final day, when it was a race rather than a TT, We
used to get to the finish line around 9am to bag our spot.
Jan

 

[Vandalay10]

If you want a good spot on the Champs you need to get there at about 8am to
stake out a good spot.

 

[Tom Kunich]

"Vandalay10" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you want a good spot on the Champs you need to get there at about 8am
to
> stake out a good spot.

And the crowds will push you out of the way even then unless you're a bit on
the pushy side yourself. Especially if there are Italians around you. They
will push you out into the street and then some Gendarme will tell you to go
elsewhere. Certainly I can't think of any cafe' in that area which has a
reasonable view.

After scouting the 2000 Tour course I decided on watching it pass within a
block of my hotel and then running back in after they passed the last time
to watch the finish on TV. If you're young or young-at-heart you may wish to
watch the finish in the crowd and jon the celebrations and the total Tour
atmosphere where you'll see some pretty famous people trying to move around
in the crowd such as Bernard Hinault and such.

As for myself, after getting in one too many French crowds I wasn't in the
mood to be trampled, pushed and prodded by visiting Italians. (Mind you,
there were some rather super Italians there as well but every time someone
was shouting to their friends right next to your ear, pushing you from
behind or cutting in front of you in a crowd they were invariably speaking
Italian.)