Well, tomorrow is my last day in Switzerland, then I am heading back to the states on Wednesday. But, at least I got to go out with a bang. I certainly had quite a list of things I wanted to do every time, knowing full well it is impossible to get everything in, but the top of the list was certainly the Tour de France. I had hoped to go last year, but couldn't stay that long thanks to the rules of the Schengen Zone. At least I made up for it this year, and I am pretty sure we were in a better spot than Dad was last year. (That was just his practice run to make this one a good one).
It was only Dad and myself headed to Stage 8 this year, as Mom really has no interest and didn't seem to enjoy it all that much last year. This was the first stage in the Alps, with two category 1 climbs. (Category 1 is the "toughest" but once it gets REALLY into the Alps you see several HC, or "beyond category" climbs which are even steeper and longer). You can watch a flat stage, but nearly all the riders will be in one main group with perhaps a small breakaway in the front, and they will be going so fast they will whizz right by you. Or you can watch at the finish line, and see the riders finish the stage, but there will be massive crowds and barricades and traffic and what not. But if you can get in a good spot in a mountain climb, the riders will be moving relatively slowly, the group will be split up, some riders will be alone, and there are no barricades, meaning you can literally touch the riders - some fans even give them a high five or pass them a water bottle as they ride past. Last year Mom and Dad went early only to discover the barricades went
up after they got there. Dad realized for the last 2.5 km or so there are barricades, as well as at the top of a climb or a major checkpoint. The hardcore Tour fans camp out. This way they get to the route the night before (meaning before the roads are closed), park on the side of the road and camp. This way they have an established spot early on, with shade, food, and anything else you need, and they can ride their bikes up and down the climb all day until the Tour rolls in. (Or they can hike, sleep, wave their flags, or just drink beer). It really is a party and the crowd following the Tour is like a makeshift city, a whole culture of fanatics out for a good time.Dad and I did not camp, but we were out the door before 6 am to drive over to the ski resort town of Avoriaz, the and of the final climb of the stage. Of course, we couldn't get all the way into Avoriaz. We parked a bit down the mountain and took the ski lift up to the top, then we hiked down the mountain about 3.2 km or so until we found a good spot to park it for the day. Believe me, it was far from empty even in the early morning. There were RVs, cars, and tents lining the streets all the way down the final climb. We took a day about 2-3 weeks ago to drive to Morzine (the bottom of the final climb) and follow the route up to Avoriaz. There were over 20 switchbacks of steep climbing (we drove it in extreme fog as well), so we knew that a spot relatively near the top would be great.
Of course, once you get there and stake out a spot you have about 5 hours to kill before the
riders actually pass. The forecast said it would be rainy, but it was sunny and hot all day. Fortunately, there was plenty of shade and we had plenty of food and drinks. All morning long cycling enthusiast ride up the climb on their bikes, wearing the jersey of their favorite rider or team. Obviously, we had no television to watch the events, but eventually the cops come through and clear the roads and about an hour before the riders come up the caravan comes past, all the sponsors in floats and cars, tossing out candy, hats, water, and other goodies to the crowds before the riders come through. Dad had hos blackberry so we were able to get live updates on the status of the race as the riders approached.
Early on in the stage there was a breakaway of 7 riders, which was eventually reduced to just 3. The peloton was completely broken up, but riders do their best to stay in groups and share the workload up the hills. Riding in the slipstream of another rider allows you to exert 30% less energy, so a group of riders will take turns riding at the front setting the pace. The group just behind the lead breakaway included both Contador and Schleck, as well as several other top contenders for the yellow jersey. Lance Armstrong fell behind early, caught up in three crashes throughout the day and was unable to keep the pace with the elite group of riders. The yellow jersey also fell far behind, as well as all the sprinters, who thrive on the flat stages and struggle in the mountains.Just 2-3 km before our location the Contador/Schleck group caught the breakaway, so we knew these would be the lead group. We were located at a turn about 3.2km from the finish. (Sorry
Patrice, we watched the VS coverage when we got home, and right about where we were located they cut to Lance Armstrong, and then bring it back literally right after the spot we were located so you can't see us. But, you can at least get a good idea for our location). We were in a great spot on the inside of the turn so the riders came by literally right at the edge of the road in front of us. I felt as if I were in the way almost, but they don't flinch at all with all the crowds so near. Contador was the second rider, riding in the slipstream of his teammate, and Andy Schleck was just behind him. As they headed up the hill and under the 1 km mark, Andy Schleck made a move and attacked. Contador was unable to stop him, and Andy won his first Tour stage. The yellow jersey changed hands to the rider Cadel Evans, with Schleck now 20 seconds behind in second and Contador a minute behind in third. These gaps are quite small, as the mountain stages can open up gaps of five minutes or more. Anything can happen in the next few stages, but chances are those stages will be decisive in the yellow jersey competition for the Tour.There was a long string of riders that kept coming up the hill, remnants of the first group which had broken up somewhat on the final climb, the Lance Armstrong group, the yellow jersey group, the polka dot jersey group, some groups very small or even single riders, some groups a bit larger. Lastly, the sprinters, a good deal behind the first group of the day. Lance Armstrong came past us about 6-7 minutes after the first group, but he went on to finish at 11 minutes behind that group, leaving him in a position he will not be able to recover from to win this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment