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OFF TO THE TOUR DE FRANCE
July 18, 2009 (our 44th wedding anniversary!!!)
On Saturday, July18, we packed up and headed for the Tour de France race route. The riders will s
tart on Sunday in Pontarlier, France and come down through Yverdon les Bains and on to Lucens, Romont, Gruyeres, Aigle, Martigny and finish up in Verbiers. We picked up the route near Yverdon and followed along the pretty, rolling green hills. The enthusiasm for the race in Switzerland is very high. In many cities we see decorations, bicycle art and welcoming signs to the Tour. The sign-posters were out marking the route with some great arrow signs. As we neared Verbiers we began to see many huge parking lots set up for the crowd. Every cow pasture in the valley has been commandeered for parking. Pretty soon the police were stopping motor homes from going any 
farther, but we were allowed to continue up the valley. Then we started to climb up, a very nice hill climb (well, ok, they are the Alps, so I guess I shouldn’t call them hills). There were several steep spots, but most of it looked like it would be cake for the riders. As we neared Verbier we began to see motor homes, campers and tents staking their spots for the night. Hundreds of fans were already in place. There were tents on roofs of garages, hanging on steep hillsides, in the rondo of land in the middle of switchbacks. There were flags of every color and country. And there were crazy 20 something guys, already drunk and dancing on the course. Every ten feet Don was yelling at me to take a photo of this or that—the people, the bicycle art, the colorful flags, the scenery, the cluster of tents, the long line of motor homes, the nutty guys doing guy stuff.
tart on Sunday in Pontarlier, France and come down through Yverdon les Bains and on to Lucens, Romont, Gruyeres, Aigle, Martigny and finish up in Verbiers. We picked up the route near Yverdon and followed along the pretty, rolling green hills. The enthusiasm for the race in Switzerland is very high. In many cities we see decorations, bicycle art and welcoming signs to the Tour. The sign-posters were out marking the route with some great arrow signs. As we neared Verbiers we began to see many huge parking lots set up for the crowd. Every cow pasture in the valley has been commandeered for parking. Pretty soon the police were stopping motor homes from going any 
farther, but we were allowed to continue up the valley. Then we started to climb up, a very nice hill climb (well, ok, they are the Alps, so I guess I shouldn’t call them hills). There were several steep spots, but most of it looked like it would be cake for the riders. As we neared Verbier we began to see motor homes, campers and tents staking their spots for the night. Hundreds of fans were already in place. There were tents on roofs of garages, hanging on steep hillsides, in the rondo of land in the middle of switchbacks. There were flags of every color and country. And there were crazy 20 something guys, already drunk and dancing on the course. Every ten feet Don was yelling at me to take a photo of this or that—the people, the bicycle art, the colorful flags, the scenery, the cluster of tents, the long line of motor homes, the nutty guys doing guy stuff.
Verbier is a fancy ski town trapped up a steep hill in a canyon. There were already thousands of people in the shops and restaurants, on the streets and plazas. I was getting claustrophobic—can’t get out of the canyon,
can’t get away from the drunks, eeeeeeeeeeek!
can’t get away from the drunks, eeeeeeeeeeek!
On the other hand, the nature is stunning and peaceful. Dramatic, snowcapped peaks, a cluster of little chalets nestled in a green valley, colorful flowers in pots and window boxes everywhere.
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