Tour de France 2020 - Lathus (Chauvigny - Sarran) 10/09/2020
The first four - Peloton leading for more information go to : https://www.letour.fr/en/media-area
https://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cycling_tdf/tdf-2020-dossier-de-presse.pdf
To view the highlights with France TV go to :
https://www.france.tv/sport/cyclisme/tour-de-france/1964267-tour-de-france-2020-le-resume-de-la-12e-etape.html
The next and main body of riders - super high energy after waiting for 90 minutes in baking sun - gone in a blur, Morgan asked me why there were no women…
Last riders through and the choppers overhead
We have lived in France for four summers now and have never seen or been part of the Tour de France.
It was a completely awesome and exciting as well as (obtusely) calm and celebratory experience - with acres of anticipation, baking heat and intense bursts of crowd and community spirit. We watched the cavalcade from the small town of Lathus which is only 15 km from our home and were lucky to have perfect roadside views of the event. I am profoundly happy that we went.
Observations.
Several things; turning up to the Tour on your bike, in your lycra is akin to bringing your horse to Ascott and wearing your jodphurs and riding outfit - it could be percieved as a little over keen.
The main safety element it seems is to keep out of the road, yet there was (seemingly) a team of middle aged women/demon road crossers as well as fish and chip eating gendarmes who were very laid back. There were no injuires I am glad to say.
Most however had brought practical seating and sunprotection and everyone thankfully had their masks.
I think letting your children sit in the road is perhaps not a good idea either, but there was lots of carnivalesque stuff to enjoy and (unhand sanitised) free gifts a plenty being thrown from passing floats - I only caught one; a minature wooden spoon - which is very cute.
The delay this year due to COVID-19 meant a smaller turnout as the children were back at school and many could not come out of work. The cyclists themselves evidently had not lacked in any training or determination.
Some of the worst road crossing and free gift snatching culprits as well as the UK contingent with Union flags and glasses of wine - and the race itself.
Also, if you wear a white open face motobike helmet and a white face mask, you look exactly like a federation storm trooper from ‘star wars’ - I was too gobsmacked to take a photo - but it looked awesome!
I reflected that a British event of this nature, there would be streakers, but luckily this was not the case in Lathus today.
All images copyright : Annett
