Tour de France Final, Stage 21

Unless you're really into the Tour de France, maybe you should skip this post, or at least just look at the photos (I know, I know, you only read this for the words -- you don't care about the photos!).

Paris has been a ton of fun.  We've enjoyed wandering the tiny back streets of the Latin Quarter and the left bank and many of the other arrondissements.

Paris is for lovers, new and old

Hank... (i.e., Henri IV).  "Good King Henri" more popular after he died than before...

The Lovre and the river Seine

The Louvre

The Seine

The Grande Palais at the end of the Tulleries

In the Tulleries

Saturday afternoon and the crowds are enjoying a beautiful day

The Tulleries

Arc de Triomphe in the distance

And the Eiffel tower

Again

Henri with love locks on the fences

Early Sunday a.m. view from our apartment looking across the Seine
toward the Hotel de Ville

It is quiet this time of day, but it is the only time.  Crystal hours.

 But Sunday mostly means the last stage of the 2016 Tour de France.  A mostly ceremonial stage with the spring at the finish the only thing that matters – the overall places are locked in and no riders would dare attack the peloton until they arrive on the Champs Elyses sin Paris.  Froome is safe in his yellow jersey, Sagan in Green. Majka in the polka dot climbers jersey and Yates in white for best young rider.

The ride enters Paris from the southwest this year.  It passes by the Arc de Triomphe and then begins the ritual of 8 laps around the Champs Elyses and around the Arc de Triomphe.  Security around the circuit was impressive – all of the bridges were closed with hundreds upon hundreds of police vans, all filled with gendarmes, and the sides of the route (at least those that fans could access) were lined with cops.  Probably the safest place in Paris today.

A group of cop supervisors -- no doubt making sure that the working stiffs
are doing a good job of making sure that the fans and riders are safe.

The timetables put the peloton arriving in Paris at about 1700.  Knowing that there would be massive crowds, we headed to the Tulleries, which is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment, at about 1400.  The weather was warm and the crowds were building quickly, so we were glad that we’d come early.  We picked out a good spot near the corner of the Place du Concorde – our plan was to watch 3 or 4 laps of the circuit then scurry back to a bar near our apartment that we knew would be showing the final stage on a bunch of big TVs (the bar is called the “Bar Canadienne” though there was nothing in evidence to show that it had any connection with Canada – no poutine on the menu, for sure!).

The caravan on this final stage races by but they throw nothing to the fans.  I guess that they don’t want fans in the road.  Security is extreme.  Smart, I guess.  And there are barriers lining the entire circuit – fans are kept back from the road a few meters.

After the caravan passed we waited.  And waited.  And waited, for the peloton.  Some folks were watching the race on their phones and so we got a running update of their position.  They were taking their time, that’s for sure.  Finally we saw the TV helis off in the distance and just then the French air force flew 5 jets over a path that followed the Champs d’Elysee – the jets were trailing the tricolours behind them – blue, red and white.  The race was close.

Tradition dictates that the yellow jersey leads the peloton onto the Champ Elysee sand once that happens the real racing and attacking begins.  But this year the peloton bestowed the honor of leading the peloton on Joaquim Rodriguez, a Spanish guy riding for a Russian team (Katusha) and who is in his final Tour de France following an amazing career.  He is obviously thought of very highly for this was a huge gesture by Team Sky and the rest of the peloton. 

Rodriguez was the first to pass by

Following Rodriguez was a the peloton, a bloc, and the disappeared around the corner.  We timed the first lap and it took about 8 minutes.  Next time by the pleasantries were gone and a group of 7 or 8 riders had jumped off the front.  The peloton gave them 15 or so seconds, but the sprinter’s teams were keeping things in check.  The break kept off the front for a couple more laps, cheered on by the massive crowds.

The peloton's first pass by our position

They're still not very serious about the race -- 50 km to go

A break has formed on the next lap

Sagan (in green on green bike) is getting things going.  Froome (in yellow yellow bike) is staying safe

The break on the 3rd lap.  They know that they're doomed, but for the glory!

Tommy Voekler chasing the break down for his sprinter

Froome leading the chasing group on lap 4

A few guys from the break, probably discussing their inevitable demise

After lap 4 we bailed out – there isn’t any real interesting racing to be watched anyway from where we were, and we need a beer.

So we dashed to the Canadian bar just as the riders passed the finish line to start lap 7.  Perfect timing.  We ordered beers and settled into our watch.  There was some interesting things going on, but at the end of the day the big German sprinter Andre Greipel won the sprint with Peter Sagan a very close and closing second, and the fast Norwegian Alexandre Kristoff third.  Froome and his team followed the peloton in, Froome in the middle of the team lined across the road.  Figure out how Lorie got this photo!

Beer.  Canadian bar.  Big TV with the Tour.  Life's good.

The victorious team and Froome.  Chappeau!

We are heading to Reims tomorrow morning for a day or two to look at the cathedral and to try champagne. 

When we get back to Paris we’ll make arrangements to get to the airport to fly to Iceland and then we’re going on a 2-day ride to Vallee Chevreuse, which is a very pretty rural area southwest of Paris.  We ride a local train (the RER) outside of town and then get on the bike and ride.  Funny, but we’re really both looking forward to getting on the bike again.

Au revoir for now.