Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Tuesday, July 20 - STAGE 15
RIDE PROFILE: Grenoble to Grenoble (519 m). Ride 63 km to see the Tour De France finish on Villard de Lans (1023m)
THE DAY:
Today we would watch our first of 3 stages of the Tour! The whole group was excited and ready to go. We had some gentle climbing up to Villard de Lans along with hundreds of other Tour enthusiasts. The rode was packed with cyclists, the accents were great! Aussies, Italians, French, Americans and Germans .. everybody headed up to the race. Although I continued to be the slowest climber in the group, on this day, I was never “alone” on the road.
We regrouped in a the village of Lens en Vercors, grabbed out day-bags from the support vans and headed out the last 10K towards Villard de Lans and the finish line. Jim and I stayed together and wandered into town along with thousands of others. It quickly became apparent that to really get around at a Tour Stage town, a bike was the way to go.
We rode into town, discovered the last 3K to the finish was already closed off to traffic (we would have to walk our bikes) and decided that we would head back down and watch the race from a great spot just past the 5K banner were we would be able to see the racers start there last small climb as they made there way to the finish. Having decided on a “spot” we wandered back into town to grab water, a baguette, Coca Light (Diet Coke) for me and Coca (Coke) for Jim, some fresh nectarines and mini ham and cheese pizzas from the Patisserie/Boucherie (Notice a pattern here?? Ham and Cheese?)
Watching the Tour was everything we thought it would be and more. The fans are just as vocal as any fans at a football game here in the states! The caravan that precedes the race is crazy and the fans are crazier. Screaming and Yelling and Scrambling to get the free hats, candy and water that the caravans throw into the crowd! Without becoming a “frenzied fool” I managed to catch a hat or two and get some pictures of the Caravan and the crowds. Now all that was left was waiting for the riders to arrive.
The arrival of the riders is heralded by the helicopters. You hear them long before you “see” anything but the excitement when you hear the helicopters is so intense .. it's like the adrenalin you feel before a road race or a triathlon. We watched and listened as the roar of fans grew and you knew that they were coming. Suddenly there they were …. Simoni, Veronque, Hincappee, Basso, Armstrong… and following not far behind, the peleton and Vockler (still in yellow). To see these men up close, was awe inspiring. To see the speed with which they were climbing after a rest day, humbling. To hear that Lance won the stage less than 5K away from us and took the Yellow Jersey for the first time in the tour - thrilling! Jim and I were both as happy as pigs in mud! We were right where we always talked about being while sitting on the couch after training rides watching the tour on tv.
Following the Stage finish, it became apparent once again that riding a bike is the way to see the Tour. We were out on the road on our way back to Grenoble long before the cars were ever out of the parking lots made from local farmers fields. Due to a little confusion with the cue sheet, Jim and I got a little lost on the way back through Grenoble. This is where my wonderful “techno-loving” man comes in so handy! He had brought a handheld GPS unit to track our climbing and all we had to do was plug in the hotel address and turn every time it beeped. Within 5 minutes, we were back at the hotel. We were luckier that some of our fellow Tour-mates, some of whom spent an hour wandering the street of Grenoble. As Hank said as he rolled in “I was lost but now I am found!” Dinner was in town at Bistrot Lyonnaise Another great but very long meal. The lack of daily naps that Jim and I are accustomed to taking on our Bike VA trips was beginning to catch up to us. There is much to be said for naps, at any age!
THE DAY:
Today we would watch our first of 3 stages of the Tour! The whole group was excited and ready to go. We had some gentle climbing up to Villard de Lans along with hundreds of other Tour enthusiasts. The rode was packed with cyclists, the accents were great! Aussies, Italians, French, Americans and Germans .. everybody headed up to the race. Although I continued to be the slowest climber in the group, on this day, I was never “alone” on the road.
We regrouped in a the village of Lens en Vercors, grabbed out day-bags from the support vans and headed out the last 10K towards Villard de Lans and the finish line. Jim and I stayed together and wandered into town along with thousands of others. It quickly became apparent that to really get around at a Tour Stage town, a bike was the way to go.
We rode into town, discovered the last 3K to the finish was already closed off to traffic (we would have to walk our bikes) and decided that we would head back down and watch the race from a great spot just past the 5K banner were we would be able to see the racers start there last small climb as they made there way to the finish. Having decided on a “spot” we wandered back into town to grab water, a baguette, Coca Light (Diet Coke) for me and Coca (Coke) for Jim, some fresh nectarines and mini ham and cheese pizzas from the Patisserie/Boucherie (Notice a pattern here?? Ham and Cheese?)
Watching the Tour was everything we thought it would be and more. The fans are just as vocal as any fans at a football game here in the states! The caravan that precedes the race is crazy and the fans are crazier. Screaming and Yelling and Scrambling to get the free hats, candy and water that the caravans throw into the crowd! Without becoming a “frenzied fool” I managed to catch a hat or two and get some pictures of the Caravan and the crowds. Now all that was left was waiting for the riders to arrive.
The arrival of the riders is heralded by the helicopters. You hear them long before you “see” anything but the excitement when you hear the helicopters is so intense .. it's like the adrenalin you feel before a road race or a triathlon. We watched and listened as the roar of fans grew and you knew that they were coming. Suddenly there they were …. Simoni, Veronque, Hincappee, Basso, Armstrong… and following not far behind, the peleton and Vockler (still in yellow). To see these men up close, was awe inspiring. To see the speed with which they were climbing after a rest day, humbling. To hear that Lance won the stage less than 5K away from us and took the Yellow Jersey for the first time in the tour - thrilling! Jim and I were both as happy as pigs in mud! We were right where we always talked about being while sitting on the couch after training rides watching the tour on tv.
Following the Stage finish, it became apparent once again that riding a bike is the way to see the Tour. We were out on the road on our way back to Grenoble long before the cars were ever out of the parking lots made from local farmers fields. Due to a little confusion with the cue sheet, Jim and I got a little lost on the way back through Grenoble. This is where my wonderful “techno-loving” man comes in so handy! He had brought a handheld GPS unit to track our climbing and all we had to do was plug in the hotel address and turn every time it beeped. Within 5 minutes, we were back at the hotel. We were luckier that some of our fellow Tour-mates, some of whom spent an hour wandering the street of Grenoble. As Hank said as he rolled in “I was lost but now I am found!” Dinner was in town at Bistrot Lyonnaise Another great but very long meal. The lack of daily naps that Jim and I are accustomed to taking on our Bike VA trips was beginning to catch up to us. There is much to be said for naps, at any age!
# posted by Holly : 12:41 PM
