Spectating at a big cycling event
Whether it's the Tour de France, Giro, Paris-Roubaix, Tour Down Under or some other event, one thing is clear: when spectating at a big cycling event you must plan!
For example, watching a Tour de France stage isn't a case of just turning up; there is a lot of planning involved to make sure you don't miss out on watching the stage (believe me, it can happen!).
At a minimum, you'll need to consider:
- When to get there
- How to get to your vantage point
- Where to watch from
- Watching on TV
- What gear to take: camera, running shoes etc
- Ride or drive
- What food to take
- What cheese knife to pack (a CD will not cut the mustard, so to speak)
I've been to quite a few Pro Tour events including Grand Tour stages. I've seen it all from successful days to missing seeing anything.
Here's some recounting of my experiences and insights, to whet your appetite.
- All my Tour de France trip stage reports – click here
- 2013 TDF Vantage points (this is how much planning I put into watching TDF stages)
- How to plan a cycling trip part 5 – the Tour stage
- How to outflank a gendarme at Le Tour
What about other events?
Well, generally speaking, the Tour de France is so meticulously planned and tightly controlled that if you stick to the planning maxims in the above articles and scattered around VeloNomad, you will be fine.
For example the Tour Down Under is a much more laid back affair, with rolling road closures allowing much more movement between vantage points on the day. The police are more relaxed too.
Even the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana are laid back in comparison to Le Tour.
If you're heading to the Tour de France, check out my Cycling in France guide which covers the Tour stage.
Alternatively, sign up to the mailing list for a lot more useful information about cycling trips.
Support VeloNomad
A significant amount of time and effort goes into these reviews, all with the aim of helping you. As lots of readers say, I give way too much information away for nothing, and it really does take a lot of time and effort (but I do love doing it!).
If you found the site useful, and you didn’t need a SIM card or ebook, I’d really appreciate it if you dropped something in the Paypal tip jar below. Or if you’re buying something online, use one of the affiliate links below the Paypal button.
Paypal tip jar (choose your own amount)
These affiliate links provide me a small commission (2-4%) on each sale and they don’t cost you a cent extra.
