Anyone actually been to the Tour de France?
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theShiba posted 14 weeks ago.
Well, the only thing that I can tell you is that 2 days is plenty of time for your travel... you can make it from Germany to France in a few hours, not days. It looks like you might be able to make it in under 8 hours from Frankfurt to Cholet if you are tricky with your train selection. As far as how packed things tend to get, I can't tell you.... Hopefully someone else here with more experience will be able to help you.
What I can tell you is that France's rail system can handle a lot of people, especially since there are a lot of people who use it on a regular basis.
Of course, you had better hope that they don't go on strike... then you'd be screwed. That happens all the time, by the way. Rail goes on strike, and the whole darn country shuts down... it can be a nice day off though, but that's another story altogether. You could always rent a car...
"Every journey has a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware." —Martin Buber
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brittda posted 14 weeks ago.
the part I CAN help on is the train part. 2 days is PLENTY of time to get there. Trains are always busy in the summer, but I would assume even busier during the tour. I would make sure and make a reservation (been caught with out on on a couple of busy routs even in the winter and regretted it). You should be able to do this at the train station when you get into Frankfurt. If they go on strike no worries, you can 1. rent a car or 2. take the bus-- I have actually had to do just that years ago when the rail went on strike. Still got to where I needed to though :)
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Iron Dan posted 14 weeks ago.
I have never traveled to a TdF city during race time, but when I have traveled by train in Europe, their trains are fairly busy, though I have never had trouble getting on one. I would say it is very realistic to make it to a TdF city in two days. I would make a reservation on the trains if it was me, but I don't know if you absolutely would need one in order to get where you are going. I was able to stand on a train one time for a few hours because all of the reserved seats were full. Should be fun, and sorry I could help with race specific travel details.
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catwood posted 14 weeks ago.
I've been there. I was near the 1st KOM on the infamous stage 17 in the '06 tour. It was a ton of fun. I got to the little mountain town of Saisies with a long time to spare. I wandered around town for a while eating lots of sweet sticky goodness from the local patisserie and then found a spot. I bet is is really crowded by the end of a sprinter's stage - I was a 1/2 mile from the top of a KOM in a little tiny ski town and the crowd was 3 people deep. The race caravan starts to come through ~2 hours before the bikes actually come through and its pretty hard to cross the road once that happens.
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tresvite posted 14 weeks ago.
OK, so while I now live in much warmer climates, I am originally from France, so I guess I kinda have to answer this...
I haven't watched the TdF per-se, before, except this one time when they went through my town when I was a kid. It was cool to watch the caravan go by, but they did go by quite quickly. I couldn't really see who was who.
The other thing that I might be able to help you with is accomodations in Cholet. There is a fencing tournament there every year that I've been to a few times.
TriSooner wrote:
1. Logistics: Is it realistic to leave Frankfurt on Monday and make it to a TdF city - by train - in two days? I assume so.
Totally realistic. You'll make it no problem.
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2. Trains: Are the trains just super-packed and booked solid with people leaving Paris to get to the tour cities? Do I need to be 100% certain to get reservations for the train?
You need reservations. There is no other way in the summer, for any train. If there was, it's not worth the hassle and the little bit of money you might save in the end, and most importantly, not worth the risk of missing your destination.
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3. Lodging: I don't have a hotel or hostel in Cholet. I tried, sorta. But Cholet is tiny and I suspect all the available rooms got booked by big shots early. I am totally fine with camping out by the side of the road. Is this the norm?
You're totally fine by camping out by the side of the road. AFAIK, for the TdF, it is the norm. There are campings in Cholet, which might still have some spots available. This is what we did last year for our fencing tournament. I can ask around if someone still has the address, PM me if you're interested.
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4. TdF race day: Stage 5 is flat, but the longest of the Tour. I will be at the 'end' city. Should I find a spot first thing in the morning or do I have some time to burn before they blow by me at 40mph?
You probably will need to get there early if you want a good spot. If you just want to be blown by at 40mph, you'll find a spot.
Does stage 5 go by Puy du Fou? It's reasonably close, and that's not too flat, you might have a good spot there.
Yes, this is a TdF-related question, but I am going to catch a leg of the Tour after I do the Ironman European Championship in July. Therefor, it is a tri-related question. Sorta.
I just bought my plane ticket today. DFW to Frankfurt, landing early July 4. Race Ironman on Sunday, July 6. After that (say, Monday) start making my way to Stage 5 of the Tour de France (Cholet to Chateuroux) by Wednesday, July 9. Here's my question to anyone who has travelled by train through Eureope, especially anyone who has gone to the TdF:
1. Logistics: Is it realistic to leave Frankfurt on Monday and make it to a TdF city - by train - in two days? I assume so.
2. Trains: Are the trains just super-packed and booked solid with people leaving Paris to get to the tour cities? Do I need to be 100% certain to get reservations for the train?
3. Lodging: I don't have a hotel or hostel in Cholet. I tried, sorta. But Cholet is tiny and I suspect all the available rooms got booked by big shots early. I am totally fine with camping out by the side of the road. Is this the norm?
4. TdF race day: Stage 5 is flat, but the longest of the Tour. I will be at the 'end' city. Should I find a spot first thing in the morning or do I have some time to burn before they blow by me at 40mph?
Ironman Germany (July 6, 2008)