What would have been our last full day
in France we had planned to cross something off of our must-do list.
Although the Tour de France did not pass as close to Clermont-Ferrand
as it did last year, there were several options open to us as we were
willing to drive a few hours. As many of the mountain stages that
were within our radius occurred while we were on holiday, the choice
was made for us, and so we headed southwest on Friday to catch 222.5
km-long stage 18, Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde.
After visiting Rocamadour (which I have
yet to write my journal entry for but I’ll share some pictures
eventually) we backtracked in a hurry to Cressensac at 193km. Really
having no clue as to how easy it would be to access/park/find a spot,
we chose the intersection that we did based on proximity to the
highway and ease of access, but mostly just chance. Thinking it might
be better to avoid the stage 18 finish in Brive-la-Gaillarde as there
would be more people there, our route from Rocamadour led us straight
to an intersection with the race. The road was blocked off and cars
parked up and down the sides of the road, so we just fell in step
with others headed the same way.
Cressensac is home to a 14th
century castle, the Chausseneige. Located in the Midi-Pyrénées
region which is the largest region of France, the Pyrenees are to the
south and the massif Central to the north-east. However, the stage
was a flat one with a few minor climbs, so when we settled in with
our blanket and snacks, we chose a spot on the inside of a curve
where we had a view of a small hill they would be coming down as well
as a straight stretch that would take them into the village.
And then we waited. Soon the sponsor
trucks came, music blaring and throwing little trinkets to spectators
as they passed at 40km an hour. Somewhere I read President Holland
had chosen stage 18 for the customary drive, but I’m honestly not
sure if he passed us. Caught up in the excitement we waved and danced
and chatted with other people, some from the next village over and
some from farther away, like the man from the UK to our left. He had
arrived with a RV (probably very early that morning or the previous
night), a large banner hanging down the side and chairs out front,
and was kind enough to give us some of the free keychains when he saw
us relatively empty-handed due to the quick little professional
scavengers to our right, four local kids who seemed to catch the
freebies in mid-air.
We later found out there had been an
incident with a dog at 120km, which caused a crash and exchange of
words, but at our location it was quieter. Their imminent arrival was
announced by helicopters, and soon we saw the riders cresting the
hill amidst all the cars and video cameras. A quick woosh, and they
were past, in an exhilarating run that left us in awe of how quick it
happened. And then the rest of the group was by; my impressions of
that moment are of cheers, whizzing tires and colorful jerseys. It
was over in a few seconds.
On Sunday this
99th Tour wrapped up, with Bradley Wiggins emerging as the
first ever Briton to win. His Sky teammate Mark Cavendish won stage
18, but I’ll remember the 99th Tour de France more for
the anticipation, the excitement and the bittersweet knowledge that
this might be one of our last truly French experiences, than for the
winners. Just after the peloton passed us Lauris turned to me, waved
his hand in the up and down motion he uses for when he wants more and
simply asked, vēl?
(I'll post a few more pictures once Air France allows the end of our in-transit status!)
Sounds like so much fun!! I love that feeling of joining a huge group of people who are all there for the same purpose, with a sweet sense of camaraderie...
ReplyDeleteOf all the places to be stuck, France is a good one :) the strikes have been annoying but so nice you can make the most of it. What a rush to see all those cyclists! Sounds a lot more fun than seeing the finish in Paris (where crowds of people really prevent you from getting a good view)
ReplyDeleteI love the Tour de France too. Saw the final in Paris last year, but this year I'll be watching it on tv!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad place to be stuck in, we'll be watching the Tour this year, the final stage in Paris. And great you got something ticked off your travel list!
ReplyDeleteI love watching the TDF. We're lucky it's been trough our village twice in the last 7 years and I saw it in Paris once too. It is funny how you wait for hours and the it's over in seconds but that's just part of the fun. Thank for linking this lovely memory to #AllAboutFrance
ReplyDelete