> 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
"Tom I" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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