I needed to come to France for work, and the timing just worked out well that I could take a few extra days to try to catch the Tour. I've had a goal to see it in person for a while now. I looked at the schedules for the mountains and time trials, and the Morzine-Avoriaz stages worked well. Poked around on the internet to find a place to stay and found an apartment for rent in Avoriaz. It's a ski resort, so there are lots of rentals available there.

If you really want to go, it's best to start planning right when the route is released so you can reserve a place to stay far enough in advance. The only other logistics you need to consider are the road closures affecting access. Those details come out closer to the race though. Hope you get to go sometime! It's a blast.

That is awesome, Steph! Thanks for the tips, too! I know watching all of the stages we are in awe and so wanting to be right there!

Great job! ;0)

Out of curiosity, on a normal leg, how much do you actually see? I would assume the vast majority of the pack comes through in just a 10-15 minutes span or is that just a misconception (gah! I just had to rely on spell check to tell me that misperception is not a word; it should be) caused by TV coverage focusing on frontrunners?

Going to a street race in person always seemed kind of like only be able to watch four seconds of the Indy 500. (Not saying there aren't other reasons to see it in person, just curious about that aspect of getting a sense of an actual race.)

So true, you do see much more on t.v. :0) {my selling point for my hubby NOT making it to the motocross race in Washugal this weekend.....}

I think it is just so exciting to be at a race. Of course, in France, so much more!!

That's why I decided to focus on mountain stages and time trials. You get more action spread out over time. Stages that end on a climb string out the pack, and generally the riders are going more slowly past you, although they still go a lot faster than you'd think. The prime spots along the mountain are staked out with campers for a couple of days ahead of time with people from all over. It's a pretty crazy, fun scene. For time trials the riders are spaced out to race against the clock, so you see them come by one at a time.

Before the riders get there, the publicity caravan comes through with the sponsors giving away lots of free stuff.

I like free stuff!! :D Souvenirs can be sooo expensive! A pen that I can use daily and be reminded of my fun times...a mug.

I do take the pens from hotels. I like to have a bunch, in my car to doodle on the road, give to the kids, etc. It is a nice feeling later when I am looking for a pen and I pick one up that says 'Yosemite Lodge' or 'Disneyland Hotel' or...you get the point. :0)

It's not just 'cause I'm cheap. :0)

We were very very close from each other when i was in Strasbourg ! snif snif next time we should organide a meetup .