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Going to France during the TDF. Any must-do things for cycling fans?

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Going to France during the TDF. Any must-do things for cycling fans?

Old 03-23-19, 12:13 AM
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MookieBlaylock
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Going to France during the TDF. Any must-do things for cycling fans?

I will be visiting France this summer, and I will be seeing TDF stages in Nimes, Pont-du-Gard, and Paris.

Besides the racing, is there anything a cycling fan "must-do" in France? I won't have a bike. Is there a TDF museum? Is it fun to watch a stage in a cafe? What do you do when you're staying in a city during a rest day? Anyone have any interesting ways they have enjoyed the tour?
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Old 03-23-19, 06:09 AM
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This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx's first TdF win by starting in Brussels. That's three hours from Paris and probably going to be crazy crowded but I'd want to see that.
Not cycling related but perhaps enjoy a local Rhone wine while in Pont du Gard.
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Old 03-23-19, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Pemetic2006
This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx's first TdF win by starting in Brussels. That's three hours from Paris and probably going to be crazy crowded but I'd want to see that.
Not cycling related but perhaps enjoy a local Rhone wine while in Pont du Gard.
Thanks. Yeah, I'd love to see Eddy Merckx celebrated, but we won't be there for the first stage. I'm sure I'll see him one of the stages. I'd love to be in the vicinity of him.
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Old 03-24-19, 08:21 PM
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Just make sure you tell Froome to take that motor out of his bottom bracket when he motors by you during the stage.




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Old 03-25-19, 11:07 AM
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Booze and road flares.
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Old 03-26-19, 07:25 AM
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Well, when I was there I kept it to tourism related to being in France when it wasn't about the bike.

I was there for about 3 weeks for work last July. Two weeks work, but I came early and left late on the weekends around that to have more time.

I did bring my bike. It was totally worth it. I rode to/from work everyday. Easy to work downhill (no sweating) and all uphill the way home. Then went to mountains on the weekend.

I used the bike to tour castles and get lunches and try a few wines along the way. I just mapped my rides on Strava before leaving, then spent all day out on the bike taking my time. I can easily do over 70mi and 6k feet a day, so it made it easy to not worry about where to park a car or take trains or other transport. It was grand.

The Tour stuff in Paris let me down a little. The race was cool, watched it from garden Toulleries by the Louvre. Got there early and grabbed a lawn chair by the road and ate a waffle with cream. There wasn't as much "expo" stuff as I thought there'd be.

Don't miss the Euro fan clubs of 30 riders showing up down the Champs the day before the arrival. They can all eat/drink together somewhere on the Champs to watch the next-to-last stage. Saw a cafe' full of about 50 "Peter Sagans" with matching bikes.

Unless you're going back again sometime, don't neglect the non-bike tourism.

And by all means, eat up.
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Old 05-24-19, 10:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Pemetic2006
This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx's first TdF win by starting in Brussels. That's three hours from Paris and probably going to be crazy crowded but I'd want to see that.



It already started in Brussels....
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Old 05-24-19, 11:01 AM
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Enjoy every moment! I was there for my honeymoon in 2016 and followed the Tour for a couple stages. The Wife and I rented bikes through France Bike Rentals https://www.francebikerentals.com/ though I'm not sure I'd recommend them - they were somewhat of a fiasco in that they delivered our bikes to the hotel in the Pyrenees to pick up, but forgot to include the bike rack, so we had to hare around the small towns while searching for an open bike store, all part of the adventure in the end, but somewhat frustrating and stressful at the time. I would recommend renting a bike at some time if you are able - the French drivers typically just wait behind you patiently until its safe to pass, very different from here in the states. Be prepared for fiascos of this sort and be ready for adventure. We used AirBNB for accommodations and booked a couple of 3 day stays ahead of time, but otherwise just let the wind blow us in the general direction of the tour and booked each night. We couldn't have done this without getting the international plans on our phones. I'd also recommend seeing a mountain stage as the riders pass by much more slowly and in smaller groups rather than just whizzing by. There are several posts on my blog in my sig line on the rides that we did there (search on France) and you can PM me if you need other recs or more advice. I do not recommend going out for a hard ride in very dry Provence then imbibing vin et tartare de boeuf for dinner - did not agree with my stomach, as I said expect and be prepared for adventure.
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Old 05-24-19, 12:00 PM
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Get on a steep part of Alp Duez

take off clothes

put on banana hammocks and a devil mask

run next to peloton up hill as far and as fast as you can

life doesn’t get any better than that
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Old 05-24-19, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Rajflyboy
Get on a steep part of Alp Duez

take off clothes

put on banana hammocks and a devil mask

run next to peloton up hill as far and as fast as you can

life doesn’t get any better than that
You forgot the part about heckling the domestiques for their lack of ambition.
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Old 05-24-19, 12:49 PM
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The Roman amphitheatre at Orange is awesome, as is the arena at Nimes. The papal palace in Avignon is a great tour. Pont du Gard is fantastic, bring your swim shorts. There's tons of non-cycling stuff to do in the region, take advantage while you're there.
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Old 05-24-19, 06:33 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
You forgot the part about heckling the domestiques for their lack of ambition.
Yes

you have to heckle
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Old 05-25-19, 04:55 AM
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Originally Posted by bulevardi
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx2I7GDCi3W/

It already started in Brussels....
Nice. Where exactly is that?
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Old 05-26-19, 06:09 AM
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https://georgethecyclist.blogspot.co...-cyclists.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_des_Cyclistes

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Notre...39894282704102
(scroll down little bit)

you're welcome. a pilgrimage to be sure.

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Old 05-26-19, 11:36 AM
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I have been on Rue di Rivoli for the Paris stretch twice now. If I go again I will go to the same spot. You see each lap but not the finish. Less crowded than Champs Ellyse. I forget what the name of the park is but there is a park that has bathrooms beer and food right there

I then head to Champs Elleyse after the finish. I normally end up at the Danish Embassy. They in the past have kept it open for the race They used to keep their bathroom open if you asked them kindly. The Riders come around and any Scandinavian rider will stop there or has in the past. Many other riders stop there as well .

Once the riders are gone feel free to walk directly on Champs Elleyse without fear of being run over by crazy Parisan Drivers its a great photo op for the Arc

Besides wandering and a great city to wander I would suggest D'Orsay as a must see

I watched the Alp d Huez stage in a cafe in Monmontre it was a fantastic experience

Rude waiters great food and excellent coffee
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Old 05-27-19, 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Pemetic2006
Nice. Where exactly is that?
Mont des Arts
Coudenberg 68
1000 Brussels

Here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8431...7i13312!8i6656

Last edited by bulevardi; 05-27-19 at 09:32 AM.
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Old 05-27-19, 12:59 PM
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No matter how much the French tell you to eat an andouillete, don't do it.
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Old 06-05-19, 04:59 AM
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I went to France last year during Le Tour. Had a few weeks before the race began so I hired a bike and a car and went to ride some of the famous climbs in the Alpes on my own. It's fantastic getting out there on those beautiful historic mountains with quiet roads and perfect sunshine. If you are in the same town as a rest day on the tour, you can see the mechanics working away on the bikes, pro's riding around etc. I also pai a Tour de France professional tour company for 6 days to follow the race which was great too (but pricey). Sunday morning is a great time to hire a bike and ride around all the amazing streets in Paris to check out the monuments. Very little traffic on a Sunday morning. There are a lot of blockages and road closures on the final race day in Paris for the Tour. You can't just go where you want.
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Old 06-05-19, 06:07 AM
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Get a bike and climb all the HC climbs in the Tour when you go.
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Old 06-13-19, 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott
No matter how much the French tell you to eat an andouillete, don't do it.
Sounds like a fancied up serving of chitterlings. Lived in the South since I was eight. One of the few foods of the South I haven't tried yet.
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Old 06-14-19, 11:02 AM
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My sister went 2 summers ago. It was crazy fun !!! Enjoy it and send us lots of pictures !!!
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