Day 58 Friday 16th July:
Stage 12 of the Tour de France! Woke to a beautiful sunrise over the valley – looking down at the creek at the bottom of the valley – it is the start of the Loire River.
Many people had arrived and were setting up chairs and umbrellas before we were even out of bed. The tour was still seven hours away!
Recreational riders have been passing all morning – doing the climb. From about 12 noon the roads were closed and only official cars could pass; this though kept the road very busy for hours. The number of people employed in one capacity or another is phenomenal. Just after 1.00 pm the “caravane” arrives – this is an assortment of sponsors cars, vans, trucks, all throwing product out to the crowds lining the road. This goes on for about 20 minutes, with people stacking their gains in little piles on the roadside.
At about 3.10 the main
show arrived .. it was all over within a few minutes. But the size of the support teams is incredible. Roads re-opened about 30 mins. That was the Tour de France. We then drove for two hours going down the Ardeche River valley - beautiful scenery all the way. Arrived at Berrias-et-Casteljau for the night – very hot again.
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