Le Tour Toujours

Today was really about two things. Spending time at the Tour de France and relaxing in Provence. Mission accomplished.

We got up early again (no rest for vacationers) and had the same lovely breakfast with some conversation with our new Belgian friends – who were also big cycling fans. It was cut slightly short when we were notified by the innkeeper that we needed to leave right then, or risk being trapped in the driveway for another 30 mins as the harvester made its way up the hairpin turns to the nearby fields. Ah, Provence.

So we jumped in the car and headed to nearby Sisteron (about a 30-min drive) where the Tour was scheduled to depart that morning. Sisteron is much smaller than Gap and is much more like an ancient hilltop village (or Village Perches). It prides itself in its stone Citadel which sits high above the town and is illuminated by impressive spotlights at night.

The small town handled the onslaught of the Tour very well. And that’s no small task. We have learned that when the Tour takes over a town, it’s a huge undertaking. Thousands of people come out of the woodwork – locals, visiting tour hoppers like us, event staff, cyclists, team support staff and mechanics, media, sponsors, police, emergency vehicles and hundreds of Tour-related cars and potentially thousands of spectator cars. But these small French towns handle it like clockwork. And, according to Dave, they pay to have the Tour come to town. It’s a big deal for your town to be a start or stop location.

We were routed into a large field set up for event parking and hiked up into town (only a five-min walk). We were there almost three hours before the cyclists were scheduled to depart, and the town was already full with people. From the starting line and down the main boulevard in town, people were lined three or four deep to watch the departure. But that was okay, we expected that. The goal of the day was to get the lay of the land. We plan to be there at the crack of dawn in a start town in the Pyrenees and will secure a prime spot early on that day.

So, today we explored and soaked it all in. The town was alive with Tour fever. Banners were hung across the streets, and giant colored jerseys were displayed on the medieval stone towers. It was such a great atmosphere.



At around 10:50 a.m. the caravan was scheduled to depart (generally a few hours ahead of the peleton). The caravan is an interesting phenomenon and something that you really need to see to understand. All of the Tour sponsors have cars and trucks, set up almost like parade floats. There are young, pretty girls and handsome French men strapped into the truck beds wearing microphones and waving and yelling to the crowd – in French – probably telling them how great their product is. The music is blaring from each truck and they throw free stuff into the crowds. It’s one big giant, crazy, cooky advertisement, but it’s fun and it gets the crowd excited for the race. We especially enjoyed the Vittel water trucks that sprayed mist on the onlookers. Just be sure to hide your cameras and be ready to grab the much-needed free bottles of water!



Dave scouted out a good idea for us, since it was next to impossible to see the start line. There was a long stretch of road, with barricades on each side, that led from the Team buses to the start line. All of the riders would need to roll through there to sign in for the day and line up. And this area wasn’t crowded at all. So we picked out a spot in the shade, draped our American flag over the barriers and prepared to get the attention of any of the cyclists we knew.
This was also the area where the press walked back and forth from the team buses to the starting line. We saw a well-known Versus anchor and his crew. And Velo News, Cycling News, AP, AFP, etc, etc. Any Americans would smile and wave to us as they walked by and saw our flag – which was an unusual thing to see in a small town in the Alps during the Tour de France.

One guy came up to us and asked us where we were from. Turns out he is a freelancer for Bicycling Magazine who prepares video packages of the tour for the magazine’s website. It was his 12th year following the tour. The first eight were as a fan and spectator and the last four he was working them. He had some good advice and we had an interesting conversation…we then exchanged contact info and said “see you in the Pyrenees next week!”

Then, around Noon – the cyclists began to trickle by. One at a time or in small groups of three or four. This was great! We waved our large American flag and yelled out to the cyclists we knew to say hello. And the American riders responded to us! They were all so nice. We didn’t know a lot of the early riders to come by, but then more and more cyclists we knew began appearing. It was surreal to see them in person. Man, these guys are big! Machines.

We said hello to (pictures below) Chris Horner who waved and said hey guys! We got a great hello and response from Tyler Farrar (side note, Tyler is one of my new favorite riders. First of all, he’s a young American sprinter, which doesn’t happen very often and as of yesterday, I found out he is exceptionally nice.) George Hincapie and Levi Lephieimer both said hello. We even got a smile and wave from the legendary sprinter, Mark Cavendish. And a smile and nod from David Zabriske. What fun!








You must understand that these guys are celebrities to us – and the only time you get a chance to see them is typically in Europe during the one-day classics or grand tours. And the great thing about them all, is that they are nice and approachable. The American flag definitely came in handy and brought out lots of smiles and waves. We look forward to stalking these guys further in the Pyrenees!

At 12:45, Stage 11 began and the cyclists all departed the tiny town of Sisteron. And with their departure, the crowds dispersed as well. Dave and I went to the official Tour boutique and bought some shirts that say Le Tour Toujours “The Tour Forever.” While in line, we met a nice couple from Colorado who were following the Tour in an RV. We exchanged notes and also said “See you in the Pyrenees!”

Dave and I headed out of town. Now that the Tour left, we are Tour free until next Monday in the mountains. We decided that the priority for the rest of the day was to relax and actually spend some time at our lovely hotel. We had planned out a two-hour drive into the mountains outside of Sisteron heading east and then south over a few passes and back down to the hotel. Right in the middle is one of the famous hilltop villages of the Hautes Provence – Thoard. It was a good way to get some local sightseeing in.



The drive was beautiful and the town was just what we expected. Narrow streets, stone walls and a church sticking up high in the middle. The town was surrounded by fields of lavender and mountain peaks.



We parked and stopped at the only café in town and ordered their plat du jour (plate of the day) which is the only thing on the menu. It was a simple, yet very complex salad, filled with all sort of good things and wonderful flavors. Honestly, one of the best meals we had up to that point.



From there it was another 30 mins back to the hotel. We were hot and tired (it’s been about 90 every day) – so I headed for the pool, and Dave of course headed for a bike ride.

The pool here is gorgeous and surrounded by amazing views. I lounged with the other five families here at the hotel. And the nice thing about this place is that the owners joined us. Charles went for a swim and Annick was out picking lavender. Meanwhile, our dinner was wafting good smells across the property.

Charles and Annick cook dinner twice a week for their guests, and we had a feeling that it was something we didn’t want to miss. A long table was set up in the back garden, below our balcony. Very simply, elegant decorations so as not to compete with the beautiful nature that surrounded us.



About 10 of us gathered, and Charles and Annick joined us for the dinner that they prepared. We started with drinks and small appetizers. Our first course was an avocado tartar with tomatoes, pine nuts and shrimp. Then the masterpiece arrived. Charles had cooked three large pots of Provencal beef stew. Large chunks of beef, bacon, olives, tomatoes, lemon, red wine and Provencal spices. It was served with large boiled potatoes. This meal immediately surpassed our lunch as the best meal of the trip so far.



Dessert was a cheese, cream and raspberry coulis custard, more wine and great conversation with our new Belgian and French friends. We laughed, ate and learned a lot about each other’s cultures. The sun set around us, the temperature was perfect and the candles lit for the evening. Nobody wanted to end the night, but everyone was tired from the wine and sunshine of the day. We bid each other goodnight and went our separate ways to our rooms. One by one, the lights went out and all that was left was the sound of the crickets in the field. It was another beautiful day in Provence.