Tour de France

On Thursday, we headed out to see the tour.  We had been advised to get there early to get a place, and also to see the "caravan".  We had decided to go to a relatively small town, Durtal, where we expected to see other fans, but not be too crowded.

We found the course without difficulty, finding some barricades and police.  We were able to park within a couple of blocks, and wait for the barricades to be moved, closing the course.  We set up our stools next to a metal barrier, just at a downhill corner.

After a few lead vehicles, the caravan began.  The caravan is a group of cars and floats, promoting various companies.  They typically throw trinkets to the crowd, generally of an advertising nature.  Richard was able to snag four of these trinkets, ranging from a madeline (cookie) to a wristband promoting Yorkshire.

There were trucks selling tour goodie bags, including t-shirts.  Cynthia was disappointed in her bag, as her T-shirt did not say Tour de France, although she did get an umbrella that said Tour de France.

Lead group

After a wait, the lead vehicles rolled through.  Then the lead group of riders.

Peloton

After several minutes, the peloton arrived.  The peloton is the mass of riders.  The overall leader, with a yellow jersey, is typically in the peloton, as he does not need to win the individual stage.  The strategy for the tour is very complex, and we do not pretend to understand it.

It was an amazing experience to be within 10 feet of the racers, to see the tour in the flesh instead of on TV.

The peloton went by within thirty seconds, and then it was over.  We packed up and took the scenic route home.

On Friday, we stuck around the house.  Cynthia deadheaded flowers.  Richard mowed the large yard.  Cynthia cooked a quiche with spinach from our garden, and eggs from the chickens.

We took a hike in the evening, following the markers for the Chemin de St. Jacques de Compostelle, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella.  Richard hiked 200 miles to Santiago in 2002, and hopes to return to hike another section in the future.  The trail goes right by our house in Brissac; we had no idea before we arrived that a branch of the trail went through the small town of Brissac.  We stopped in the town square on our way back, had a glass of wine, people-watched, and studied the architecture in detail.