> Just wanted to know if anyone watched the mountain stages of the Tour
> de France live. I've always wanted to watch a mountain stage and
> wanted to know:
>
> 1. Which is the best stage to watch?
> 2. Where do I plant myself during the stage (middle, end, etc.)
> 3. Where do you stay? Do you stay somewhere close the night before and
> then drive up early in the morning? Where do you park, etc....
You might check out this page on our website, which describes what makes
watching a TdF stage on a mountain, in-person, such a fun & memorable
experience-
http://www.chainreaction.com/tdfwatching.htm
It doesn't go into the mechanics of your questions all that much, which
leads me to believe I should probably update it a bit and include such info.
I'll be going again this coming Friday, taking my 14-year-old son along.
We'll be doing the train/rental car/biking gig, which should prove
interesting. But to answer a few of your questions-
#1: Best stages to watch are those that will make a difference. That usually
means multiple nasty climbs. It's not always the case that the best climb to
watch is the final one; the last climb can be intensely crowded. In 2003 I
watched the infamous Luz Ardiden stage (the once Lance caught the bag on his
handlebar and crashed) from the top of the Tourmalet. An incredibly-dramatic
setting.
#2: If you can bring a bike and ride up the mountain, look for the place
where you think the riders are going to suffer the most. Your legs will tell
you where that is! And, if possible, plant yourself on a corner that the
riders will be cutting close on the way up the mountain.
#3: If you've got a bike, getting to the stage is no problem, particularly
in the Pyrenees (where there are a ton of side roads that few travel).
You'll be able to park your car maybe 20 miles from where you want to be,
and get in & out without trouble. In the Pryrenees. In the Alps, it can be a
different story, because there are far fewer roads (but even so a good map
and a willingness to take the road less traveled can do you quite well).
As for where to stay, try and find one place you can stay in for several
days, if possible. Moving around is a hassle. Accor Hotels is your friend!
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/reservez/fr_top.jsp?ecran=rech_par_carte
and click on the country of France, and then the region you'll be visiting.
You won't get the real French experience at such places, but they're
efficient, clean, & very reasonable. If you want to go really cheap, the
Formule 1 option will generally run about $45/night. Really. It's a
robo-hotel though (you check in with your credit card; there may not be
anyone obviously on duty) and you'll have a shared bathroom down the hall.
For not much more money (maybe another $10) they have the Etap hotels,
similar to Forumule 1 but with your own bathroom & shower. That's what we're
doing. Another $10-30/night gets you into a more-traditional Ibis, and if
you want something borderline fancy, they have their Mercure chain, which
can run $100-$250/night depending upon location.
Get the relevant Michelin maps; for a good start, you want the France
Sud/South map for the Pyrenees, Ventoux, Bordeaux etc., and France
Nord/North for the Alps, Paris and all that. More detailed info can be found
on Google Earth and Mappy.fr (Mappy.fr is exceptional at locating local
places to eat, gas stations, points of interest etc).
Hope this helps-
--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com