Saturday 20 July 2019

La caravane publicitaire du Tour de France cycliste 2019


If you are a fan of cycle racing, but have not had the pleasure of seeing The Tour de France live, then this will give you some idea of the whole pre-race atmosphere.

The publicity caravan precedes the race itself, and is probably the reason why most people stand by the roadside. The caravan takes about half an hour to go past, the bikes just a few seconds. The caravan also hands out free gifts as it passes, mostly key rings, free samples, and cheap publicity hats. If you wish to see the race itself, you are better off staying home and watching on TV, but if you want all the fun of the fair, then you'll get that by being there in person.

As my local supermarket (Leclerc) is a major sponsor of The Tour, they have been handing out prizes to shoppers. So far I have won a question/answer thing about The Tour in the form of a fan (rubbish), and just yesterday I won an insulated bag for ice creams etc (useful). How exciting is that!




23 comments:

  1. High altitude finish today. Big test for Alaphilippe. What a race he is having!

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    1. Geraint should shine today. My fingers are crossed.

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    2. He didn't do badly yesterday, just Alaphilippe did better!

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    3. Up the iconic Tourmalet today. I shall expect much sorting of men from boys.

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  2. I always thought M.leClerc owned your local supermarket but it now sounds as though it is a chain.

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    1. It's a huge chain. A much better class of supermarket than most.

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  3. I watch it only because of the wonderful landscapes.

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    1. Up in the mountains again today; you should see some beautiful views.

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  4. Did you see the women who had her phone knocked out of her hand because she was shoving it in their faces ? She looked quite put out but I don’t know what she expected ...... I think she thought they should have ridden around her outstretched arm and phone !!!!! Those spectators really annoy me .... they really impede the riders. XXXX

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    1. Over the years I've seen some total idiots roadside. It's difficult enough for the riders without people behaving like fools. It was only two years ago (or was it last year?) that people were spitting at the Sky team riders.

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  5. Thank you for that snapshot of the caravan. Interesting to see all the sponsors.

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    1. It's always very entertaining, some of the cars/vans are really spectacular.

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  6. Isn't it a wonderful feeling to win a prize, no matter what it is.
    We can get the tour now on a satellite channel but I've only watched it a few times after reading yours and Rachel's blogs last year.
    I'm a tennis fan

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    1. They were scratch cards that you were given with every €25 spent. Even if the prizes were rubbish, I felt quite happy to have won something!

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  7. I suppose we should have gone to watch when it came quite close to us but it was always easier to stay at home and watch in comfort.

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    1. I saw them TWICE going through Frayssinet. Now I simply watch the TV. You see so much more!

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  8. Too hot to really comment...

    💧💧💧💧

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  9. Now I've finished dinner I shall watch the highlights. I've seen cycle racing in France but never The Tour. As you said, you see far more on TV.

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    1. Watching the 'caravan' pass by is, frankly, far more interesting than watching 100 men on bikes. On TV you can see exactly what is happening.

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  10. Myson spends all hours glued to the screen watching the Tour - I think it is just boring personally .

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    1. To keep up with the leadership race, it's best to watch just the final 15 mins of each day's stage. Watching the whole stage is like watching paint dry.

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  11. Today's stage certainly wasn't like drying paint!! I wish they'd show the caravan on tv,not just the racing

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