Today was cool, really cool...actually, it was rather hot (low 90s) on the mountainside where our Thomson Tours reception venue was positioned 2 kilometers from the Stage 13 finish line at Chamrousse, but the cool part was our group getting to ride 36 kilometers (20 miles) of the actual Tour stage route up to the finish line & witness all the craziness required to put on a Tour stage -- the "Big Circus" as the riders call it. As in previous days, the inclines reached gradient levels in access of 8 & 9 percent over the last 15 kilometers, making the effort quite challenging yet rewarding reaching the top. I've been to professional bike races in the past, even been to other professional sporting venues like baseball & basketball, but nothing--NOTHING--is like the Tour; the openess of the venue & "playing field" (to an extent) to the fans & spectators yet the clear delineation between professional & non-professional participants, the carnival-like atmosphere of the Tour Village much like a county fair or town square parade, and vast amount of technology vans & trucks proving the digital infrastructure broadcasting to the world. And if that isn't enough, add thousands of journalists to the mix, the majority of which are NOT sitting like those in a stadium or a broadcast booths, but view openly and commentate from tent-like structures mounted firmly on a flat bed trailer. And while all that was rather amazing to this technology savy cyclist, I found the mountain top venue hosting this spectacle beautifully captivating and inviting...
I made my way as far as I could to the closed off finish line, about 100 meters away (mandatory arms raised photo op, of course), then proceeded back down the mountain to our group's viewing venue, pausing for a moment to take a picture of the village Usias bellow where we began the morning. I arrived to our group's location where a fresh set of pre-staged clothes awaited each rider along with a picnic venue of prosuitto baguette sandwiches, wonderfully fresh cucumber & tomato salad, watermelon, and Coke--and it's true, European Coca-Cola products taste BETTER than USA products, who knew! And Pepsi? Fughettabowtit...! Not being a regular consumer of Coke, I think I've more than made up for any Coca-Cola deficit I may have had. The remainder of the afternoon consisted of witnessing the infamous Tour Caravan where all the corporate sponsors of the Tour make their way up the route tossing out various promotional "swag" items, some of which are highly sought after by Tour fans; finally, we could see the TV helicopter providing live viewing footage approaching the mountain side and within moments the lead riders were upon us--what speed & strength of effort!
Vincenzo Nibali stamped his authority on this year's Tour this day...I know, I was there. :-)
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