Monthly Archives: July 2014
Tour de France stage 12
As cold as the Tour had been leading up to the rest day, it's suddenly turned hot. Very, very hot. Fien, Liesa, and I had to defend our small territory against people desperate for freebies who didn't mind at all rubbing their sweaty bodies all over us. It was was that kind of morning. … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 11
While I certainly missed seeing the peloton during yesterday's rest day, it was great to have a day off to do my laundry, visit my friend Guillaume, and explore Besançon. It was back to business as usual this morning with 4 categorized climbs over the 187.5 kilometers of stage 11. People often ask … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 10
I've seen mountain stages in the sun and I've seen mountain stages in the rain. I prefer the sun. Today it was rain. When I woke up at midnight to the thudding of rain on the roof, all I could think about were the poor crew members probably slopping around a muddy mountain in the … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 9
The Tour de France is everywhere! Walking to the train station this morning to catch the stage 9 arrival in nearby Mulhouse, I spotted several Tour vehicles in the parking lot. Even though I missed my train and then missed my tram, I still managed to get a great spot right on the finish … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 8
One week in to the Tour, Tomblaine, neighbor to yesterday's arrival host town of Nancy, was the site of today's departure. The bunting and decorations were already up while the booths were being erected when I arrived. Cyril Lemoine, likely enjoying his final day in the climber's jersey before the main climbers get … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 7
Even though I knew I had plenty of time to get ready this morning and find a good viewing spot at the finish for today’s stage, I still found myself waking up at 5:51am out of habit and excitement! One of the people who has come to recognize me from last year’s Tour and … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 6
After all the mud and gunk from yesterday's cobbled sectors, it seemed like adding insult to injury by starting stage 6 in Arras's muddy and cobbled citadel. The rubber mats laid down did little to cut down on the dirt. The crowd was respectable for a drizzly Thursday morning, but it was immediately … Continue reading
Ypres, Belgium
With the Tour de France starting in Ypres (or Ieper, if you prefer the Flemish), this seemed like a good opportunity to write about some of the ways World War I is remembered here. Back in April, I visited In Flanders Fields, a museum dedicated to documenting the experiences of the soldiers and civilians. … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 5
The only way I could imagine making the Tour a bigger deal was to bring it to the Mecca of cycling, Belgium, yet the Tour organizers went one step beyond with their course for stage 5. With 9 sections of cobblestones, the stage is essentially a mini Paris-Roubaix and let's not forget Paris-Roubaix's nickname: the … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 4
Of all the days when the electricity could go out in the Chunnel tunnel between England and France, of course it was precisely when journalists and fans (well, me at least) were travelling from London to Calais & Lille to catch stage 4. My train, scheduled to be 100 minutes, arrived in Lille over 2 … Continue reading