Tour de France 2013 - Stage 12

The Tour de France came within reasonable distance of us today, so we went up to Lignieres de Touraine, just south of Langeais, to watch.

Crowds had already gathered when we arrived and there was a large screen in the square to see the riders en route... We loved the combination of high media tech and agricultural machinery..

We found a good vantage point to watch the race but first of all there is the accompanying caravan...

Float after float passed, all throwing freebies our way.. And then the wait for the riders..

The lead group whizzed by in a flash...

Then the main body of riders..

including the famous "yellow jersey", worn today by Chris Froome....

The whole field of riders was gone in a second. We were so close we felt the wind they created as they passed.

All that remained was for the crowds to disperse and that was a sight in itself

It's been a really amazing day and one we will never forget!

Postcript: The Alternative Tour
Due to the extreme temperatures and bad sunburn, we had to go and 'rescue' my son, David, who was cycling his way down to Braye. He is taking a few days to recover and when the temperatures drop a little from the highs of the past days he is going make up the miles by cycling back to Preston, Lancashire.

For those who very kindly donated to his chosen charity, Wateraid, please feel free to withdraw the donation if you would prefer. Otherwise, David would like to thank you very much for your support and we will let you know when he completes the return trip.

The Alternative Tour de France

Saturday last saw the start of the 100th Tour de France, a race in twenty one stages, covering 3,404km, finishing on July 21st.

The publicity which follows the race is monumental and the crowds lining the route are treated to a fantastic display from the accompanying caravan. We went to watch two years ago near Montrichard..

                               
For anyone lucky enough to be able to attend it is a day to remember. The whole spectacle takes two or three hours to pass, but the actual riders are gone in a flash.

                               
However, at the moment I'm following the progress of another "tour de France" as my son, David, set off yesterday to cycle from his home in Preston, Lancashire to Braye-sous-Faye, touring parts of France en route.

There is no accompanying caravan and no support car, physio, medics or bike repair outfit.. Likewise there is no accommodation provided and no route markings to follow.

 He is doing it solo and camping along the way, his only means of communication being a very basic mobile phone which is likely to run out of charge unless he limits use to one text per day to let us know he's safe. This is doubly important as he was diagnosed with epilepsy last December after a cycling accident which landed him in hospital with a shattered clavicle and dislocated shoulder.

Why is he doing it? To raise funds for WaterAid, a charity which provides safe drinking water for areas of the world without a safe supply.

Now part of me is very proud of what he's doing but the other part is scared stiff!

We hope to watch the 12th stage of the official Tour de France on Thursday 11th July, when the riders go from Fougeres to Tours, and we hope to welcome David here later in July but in the meantime my advice to him is:

"If it says 'peage' don't go there; it's a motorway!"