I can think of no other way I would have wanted our Tour of the Tour to end than the way it all played out last Sunday on the Champs-Élysées. It combined all of the best parts of the trip: old friends and new friends, great athletes and champions, some cancer kicking and the beauty of Paris.
It all started at 6:30 a.m. with the sound of the alarm. Dave, Anne and I dragged ourselves up and out of our beds, through breakfast and out the door on our way to Paris by 7:30 a.m.
We were some of the first to arrive that morning on the Champs. But we weren’t “the” first. That award goes to Livestrong Volunteer Superstars Jerry and Angie Kelly from Alabama.
When it comes to following the Tour de France, watching the final day on the Champs and supporting Livestrong – Jerry and Angie wrote the book. Jerry is a cancer survivor and a longtime supporter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He and Angie were out there raising awareness about the fight against cancer and supporting the foundation long before LAF coined the term Livestrong and launched the yellow bracelets. And each year they continue to impress with their fundraising efforts, raising thousands of dollars and being honored at the annual Ride for the Roses event in Austin.
Dave and I have had the privilege of meeting the power duo several times over the years: at Ride for the Roses in 2007, at the One Voice Against Cancer D.C. Lobby Day in 2008 and at the Livestrong Summit in Columbus in 2008. We have also followed their efforts through social media and by following their blogs of their Tour de France adventures (part of the inspiration for writing our own blog for the trip). They have also met Lance on many occasions and are close friends with the Lance Armstrong Foundation staff.
A few weeks before our departure, I e-mailed Jerry to ask some advice on following the Tour. I knew he was a busy guy, and wasn’t sure if he’d have time to respond. Well, I should have known better. Within 30 mins, I received a wonderful, long response, packed with advice for our adventure. And also an invitation to join them on the Champs for the close of the Tour in the un-official, official Livestrong cheer section. We were honored.
So Sunday morning, when Anne, Dave and I arrived in Paris at 8, Jerry and Angie were already there – setting up – since 5 a.m. Impressive.
They cordoned off a large section of prime real estate. Without a doubt the BEST spot on the Champs for Tour viewing purposes (you’ll find out why later). They also “borrowed” a few extra barricades and hid them under flags, so when no one was looking, they could create a “pen” for us there and protect our area from the swarms of people to come.
They also strung up from the tree over our head a giant vinyl banner of Lance that says “HOPE RIDES AGAIN” that has had many TV cameos on Versus throughout the last two years of Tour coverage. Along the barriers they hung American flags, LIVESTRONG banners and a banner commemorating Jerry and Angie’s fundraising campaign “The Peloton Project.” There was no mistaking it, this was Livestrong headquarters.
Over the next few hours, we made a lot of great new friends as we began the long wait for the riders to arrive.
There were Dan and Margot Fowkes from Oregon. And their children, Jimmy and Molly. Jimmy is a 17-year-old brain cancer survivor who is currently battling the disease for the third time since he was 13. Jimmy got the attention of Lance and the foundation when he was first diagnosed and at 13 was one of the top fundraisers for the organization. He and his family actually attended the same Ride for the Roses as I did that year. Jimmy and Lance formed a strong relationship since then. The two of them keep in contact. According to Jimmy’s Dad, Lance has been a huge supporter of Jimmy and would move mountains for him. Lance will call Jimmy and send him encouraging text messages and has told him, that he can reach out to him whenever he needs him, 24 hours a day, no questions asked. A few days earlier, Jimmy even got a personal Tour of the Radio Shack team bus. There is no doubt that Jimmy (who will be attending his first year of Standford next year) is a very special young man and his family is amazing. What an honor to get to know their story and to share a fun day with them.
We also met 25-year-old Steven from Ireland. He was fantastic and a fast new friend of ours. Steven is currently living in Cambridge, England and traveled across the channel to connect with the Livestrong group and see the close of the Tour. He spent eight years as a bass player in a band in Ireland until he became disillusioned with music. For the past two years he has been working at a Red Cross Thrift Store in Cambridge and has decided that he wants to find a job where he can give back and help people in need. Getting to know the Livestrong crowd is a great first step. He’s a huge cycling fan and supporter of the Foundation.
Other new friends: Crawford and Emily from Scotland; Mike and Terry from Toronto; brothers Bixby, Happy and Will – and their Dad, from Greenwich, CT – to name a few. All friends that Jerry and Angie have made over the years either through Foundation work or through their seven Tour experiences. We also re-found our new friends from the Top of Tourmalet – who are founding members of the Livestrong fundraising event “24 Hours of Booty” (that has already raised 7.5 million for the Foundation). We had suggested that they come find us, and they did! And they spent the day with us as well. What a wonderful, passionate group of cancer fighters and cycling fanatics! We were ready to cheer on Lance and the Tour.
Later in the day, we got visits from Livestrong Staff who knew Jerry and Angie would be there. Chris Brewer, a senior manager for development and communications at LAF, came by and delivered really great Livestrong retractable banners for us (along with two bottles of Champagne) and Renee Nichols, a cancer survivor and director of development for the Foundation – who is also close with Angie and Jerry, spent most of the afternoon with us. Renee also used to head up all of the Livestrong Challenges.
When Chris came by, he shared with us that Lance and Radio Shack (who would be awarded first place in the Team competition) had a plan to wear special Livestrong Jerseys on the final ride on the Champs. They were black jerseys with the number 28 on the back – representing the 28 million people in the world battling cancer. However, we later found out that Tour officials made them take off the jerseys on the road! They later put them back on for the award presentation and team photos. The good news is that the fact that they were ordered removed caused worldwide news coverage and in the end probably ended up bringing a lot more attention to the Foundation.
By now, the crowds were growing, and the natives were getting restless. The rows of people outside our barricades did not appreciate the amount of space that we had been hoarding – even though our group had been there since 5 a.m. and the newcomers had only just rolled in around 2 p.m. Nevertheless, a few bad apples got pushy and started pushing at the barricades (no lie) they asked for our “official papers” and threatened to call the police. Things were getting unnecessarily mean (Jerry and Angie said that in all their years, this had never happened). So they relented and took down the barricades. But before they did that, we all spread out and lined up along the front of the barricades and held tight to our prime spots. Despite some continued pushiness and arguments (with help from our French speaker Anne) we held our ground and kept our places in the front row.
Then the famous caravan arrived! Our old friends from across France! The rubber duck on wheels! The pole dancers! The giant chicken! We hadn’t seen them since the Pyrenees. What fun to see them rolling around at top speed, blaring their horns on the Champs!
And then the hour-wait between the caravan and the arrival. It felt like it was lasting forever. Anne’s brother Steven had joined us, and he was very helpful – calling home to get updates on when the riders would appear. The countdown had begun, the kilometers between us and them were dropping quickly.
The flashing lights of the lead motos appeared on the Champs. The peloton was here! Oh how exciting it was to see them speed in circles around the cobbles. We were at the top of the Champs, right by the Arc on the edge of the turn as they came back down the loop. We saw them speeding toward us and racing around the corner to head back down the main drag. The gears crunching, the carbon wheels wooshing and the bikes bumping across the stones. They raced around Paris eight times and we cheered them like mad each time they came around! The Radio Shack team car knew right where we were and Johan honked like mad at us each time he made the circle. Allez! Alllez!
Over the loud speakers, we heard that Cavendish had taken the stage win (but not the Green Jersey). As we had all expected. The podium presentations were at the other far end of the Champs, and we could barely hear what was happening on the load speakers. But that was just fine. We knew from Angie and Jerry that we still had the best seats in the house.
And that was confirmed minutes later as the first team rolled slowly down the Champs toward us for their team picture only a few feet away! It was great. One by one, each team arrived and stopped in front of the media for their photo. And when they were done, we cheered and cheered and called their names and they headed straight for us to say hello, shake our hands and sign autographs. Dave and I had brief encounters with riders like: Carlos Sastre; a signature from Ivan Basso, handshakes with Cadel Evans, Ryder Hesjedal and George Hincapie. A brief conversation with Canadian Michael Barry and Irishman Nicholas Roche. And even a congratulatory hand shake and good wishes to the unstoppable (and adorable) Andy Schleck.
But life really got exciting when Team Radio Shack arrived. The crowds went absolutely nuts for Lance and his crew. It was great to see Johan (team director) riding down the champs next to Lance on his bike too. It was also very emotional, knowing that this would be Lance’s last appearance at the Tour de France (at least as one of the riders).
As soon as their photo was done we yelled like crazy. But there was no need. Lance knew exactly where the Livestrong crew was stationed. It was surreal. He had his sights set and started walking directly toward us. The media was all clustered in front of him, blocking his path. He gave them such a stern hard look and brushed his arms aside, and they all parted for him. He walked through the crowds straight to our barricade. And then when he reached us, he turned around to face the cameras. We crowded around him and thanked him for everything he has done and dozens of cameras clicked and flashed like mad. And the cameras all had lights on them, so the entire scene was lit up with a white glow. At one point, Lance reached over and grabbed Renee (director of development for the Foundation) and hugged her tightly. The cameras flashed. And standing right by his side, as it should have been, was Jimmy and his family. It was his tribute to the work of the volunteers. He didn’t speak or steal the limelight, he just stood there and made sure that the volunteers who always stood behind him had their time in the spotlight. Thank you Lance!
(Later that night, I searched the internet for photos of that moment and came across the following photos from the Associated Press and Reuters. How fun!)
And like that, it was over. The last riders disappeared, the crowds began to disperse. And all of a sudden, I realized that our Tour was coming to an end. We spent some time hugging all of our new friends and passionate cancer fighters from across the globe –exchanging contact information. I really do hope that all of our lives do cross paths again. The Livestrong Community is so inspiring and I am very proud to have been a part of it for all of these years.
Anne and I made a quick trip into a nearby store to pick up some decadent macaroons for dessert for later that night and then the three of us trudged back to the car after our 12-hour day on the Champs-Élysées. Twelve hours and it was worth every second.
That night, we had a lovely dinner with Anne’s family. We shared stories, ate good food and enjoyed the nice weather in their backyard. We had her mom’s meatloaf, polenta and delicious grilled vegetables. Dinner was followed by fromage of course. And then a dessert that was a perfect ending to our culinary travels: fresh and colorful macaroons from Paris, perfectly ripe green plums and café.
Then it was off to pack and then to bed – with visions of the Tour and meeting Lance circling in our heads. We were sad, for certain, but also content that our trip was a huge success. We had a grand tour of an amazing country that came to a grand end on the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées. A fitting conclusion to our adventure of a lifetime.
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