10 things to know before chasing the Tour de France

by Wade Wallace

If you’ve never been to the Tour de France, it really should be on your bucket list. But in order to fully enjoy the experience, it's important to manage your expectations and bear a few things in mind.

Following my first Tour de France was a disaster but now that I know what I know, it’s become one of the highlights of my year. Here are my top 10 things you need to know before heading over to the Tour:

Don’t expect to see much of the actual race by being there. Sitting on the couch is the best way to do that. Being at the Tour is about being part of the show — you’re not there to necessarily see the Tour, you’re there to experience the Tour. Soak up the atmosphere and the excitement. You can’t get that by watching the race on TV.

A great compromise is to go for a ride that intersects with the race route, watch the riders come past, then head to a nearby bar to watch the rest of the race on TV. Of course to do that you’ll need to …
Bring your bike. There’s no better way to see the Tour de France (and the most beautiful parts of France) than on a bike. You get to experience the same climbs as the riders do and when they come flying past, you have first-hand experience of what the climb is like and just how fast they are going.

If you do bring your bike, avoid taking trains if you can. Lugging a bike bag or box on and off trains is a pain in the arse. But if it’s a choice between taking your bike on trains, and not bringing your bike at all, bring your bike. Or hire one.
If you can spare the extra money, go with a tour group. I can’t recommend this highly enough. Chances are you’ll only have a couple weeks to play with and you don’t want to waste it.

Being with a Tour group will ensure that you see many of the best things the Tour (and France) has to offer, all with a structure that allows you to get more done with your time. Not only that but being with a tour group removes the hassle of organising accommodation and transfers yourself.
Don’t expect everyone in France to be deeply engrossed by the Tour. Sure, the race is part of their national heritage and identity, and it is a massive tourism driver, but most people in France are largely apathetic towards the race … until it comes through their town.
Expect large crowds, traffic jams, and long delays. If you get caught in the wrong place after a stage finish, you could well be stuck in an hours-long traffic jam, unable to move at all. Either plan ahead so that you’re avoiding doing whatever everyone else is doing (e.g. coming off a mountain after a stage finish) or accept that crowds, traffic jams and delays are part of the spectacle.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with the crowds but want to see a Grand Tour, maybe head over to the Giro or Vuelta instead.
If you want to interact with the riders stage starts are better than stage finishes. You get to see the riders casually hang out around the start-line for an hour before their departure. If you’re lucky enough to know someone who can get you access to the “Village Tour de France” (the barricaded section that the team buses and riders are in), take advantage of it.

You’ll need a pass that allows you to walk freely amongst the riders and vehicles inside the Tour Village. These passes aren’t overly hard to come by, but you usually need to know somebody who is connected.

It’s also worth noting that the first half of the Tour gives you much better access to the riders and race than the latter half. It’s often not as picturesque as the later mountain stages, but it’s not nearly as crowded.
Don’t try to fit too much in. Of course coming to the Tour de France means that you’ll be travelling a lot, but don’t try to see every stage. If nothing else that would mean a lot of packing and unpacking — not much fun. Often you can pick a town to stay in that will allow you to see two or three parts of the race or multiple stages. Additionally …
Try to stay in towns that host a rest day. This means you get three days around the race — the previous day’s finish, the rest day and the start of the next stage — all without having to move around.
Make the effort to see a mountain top finish. The crowds will be massive so be prepared for long delays and plenty of traffic once the race passes through. If you’re planning on taking a campervan to a summit finish, you’ll want to be up there with as much time as possible to get a spot. I’m talking as much as a week or more.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with the crowds on a mountain-top finish, head to the penultimate climb. The crowds will be smaller and you’ll still get to see the action. That said, it’s the crowd and the atmosphere that make the race so exciting so if you can be at a summit finish, it’s worth the trouble.
Learn a little bit of French. You certainly don’t need to be able to speak the language fluently — but if you can, that’s a massive benefit — but even knowing a few key phrases will open doors for you.

So that’s my list, but what about you? Have you followed the Tour de France before? If you have, what other tips would you add to this list?

Simon

Parking at the bottom of a climb and then riding up is a really good idea sometimes. You can generally arrive the morning of the stage, get a ride in and then avoid a lot of the traffic by descending down again before the cars start coming through.
Daniel

Enjoy the race but do not, I repeat, do not run along with the riders. They will hate you for it.
- Steel
  
  Yeah I hate it when blokes run past me when I’m climbing too
jimmy james

Also get there at 8:30am for a mountain top finish, even though the tour doesn’t come through until 4pm or so. You’ll make friends with those around you, enemies with those trying to steal you spot and it makes the moment they come through all the more sweet.
Russell Bennett

All really good tips. We did the 2011 TdF but organised our own trip for six weeks. If you organise it and book accommodation and a car early its certainly very doable and a lot cheaper than the tours. Definitely take your bike or hire one. And ride a mountain top stage on the morning before the pros.I did Alpe d’huez in 2011 and Dutch Corner was amazing! Its the closest us mere mortals will ever get to feeling a like the pros do !
dnsmcart

Bring some nice food and/ or drinks that you can eat/ drink yourself and share with people next to you. It’s nice to make friends and you’ll be stuck together for at least half a day :)
crack

Great tips.
A mate and I hired a station wagon, threw two bikes in the back, bought a tent and some lilos (cheap) and drove around France, camping along the way (good campsites are everywhere, and cheap).
No dramas with trains, buses or anything like that. You can then stay anywhere up to 50km or so away from the race and ride in, sit around eating and drinking, then ride home - easy, cheap and awesome. Agree to only see selected stages - far too tiring to chase it around for 3 weeks. Mountain stages must be a nightmare (logistically) if you aren’t riding up there. How good is the FOOD
seano

Echo the comments about riding the climbs.

If you take your bike, then plan to do one of France’s great cyclosportives run around tour time (Etape du Tour or La Marmotte).

I also loved the crazy descents after the race has passed. If you can get going before most others do it’s generally possible to avoid most of the traffic on still closed roads and occasionally with a Gendarme escort.
Dan

When travelling to the route, stop in a spot an hour before they come through where there are very few people waiting along the route (not none, but a few) and you will absolutely clean up when the caravan comes through. More lollies and plastic crap than you could throw an empty water bottle at.
Pedale.Forchetta

If you have to choose one stage, a good choice is the ITT. You’ll see all riders parading one by one in front of you for the whole duration of the race and not the short instant of a regular one. Just sit and enjoy the show.
- ali
  
  I couldnt agree more! bring the bikes and have fun watching the all day affair that is the ITT from various points on the route.
Tom W

I have friends that own a chalet on Col d’Ornon which the tour goes up and over on the way to the first ascent of the Alpe d’Huez tomorrow. We are going to watch them pass us on the way down, and follow the ride down into Bourg D’Oisans where will see them pass on the way back up to the finish.
Davoe Magpie

Next time I go, as well as all the other tips, I’m going to pack a fold up umbrella, not especially for rain protection but for the shade. it gets very hot sitting in the sun waiting for the riders. The shady spots were well gone by the time we got near enough to get a good look. Bon voyage mes amis.
Adam Moore

Great list of things to consider. This is definitely on the list of must do’s. Is it easy to get good bikes to hire over there? Or are you better off taking your own?
Vaughan

If you are riding to watch a mountain stage take plenty of food, ‘liquids’, sunscreen and a lightweight pair of non cycling shoes, standing for hours in Sidi’s is both uncomfortable and damaging to your shoes and cleats, if it’s a hot day bare feet won’t cut it! Don’t discount time trial days, the action lasts longer, it’s on a short parcour, look for a hill or rise, sharp corners, it’s where everyone congregates but it’s worth the hassles to be around all different nationalities with a common passion … new friendships are always made, even if you don’t speak the same language.
Vikske

Follow the Tour de Suisse :-)
- Tim Dougherty
  
  Don’t forget the Publicity Caravan that come through before the race - it’s something that’s unique and never shown on TV.
  
  And don’t forget to arrive early to see whatever stage you’re interested in- the race route closes very early in the day to car traffic- that’s why a bike is so much better.
  Do go with a tour company- at least for the first tour visit- it saves lots of hassle. There are companies that are not stupid expensive, with operators that really know the country side. This helps, not only viewing the race, but also because they can point you to the amazing cycling to be found on the quiet country roads in France.