It's the 100 year anniversary of the Tour de France, and that means you have an opportunity to attend an historic event. This year's tour runs from July 5 to July 27th. The race has come a long way from the time riders used to share cigarettes in the peloton before the big climbs.
The Stakes
The Tour de France offers a total of 3 million Euros prize money, of which 400,000 go to the winner.
The distance
3361 kilometers, done in 20 stages. Riders get two days of rest.
Where the Tour de France Goes
The tour goes clockwise around France, starting and ending in Paris. You can find route information in the links on the right.
Watching the Tour de France in Europe
European television gives quite good coverage of the Tour, of course. Since many of the stages are run in the middle of hot afternoons, I like to sneak into a local bar or cafe to watch on television and take in some of the local culture rather than sit in my room watching the little TV. Friends can be made easily when people see your interest in national events. (Remember that in Europe, a bar is often a family place that offers food and soft drinks as well as alcohol.)
Watching the Tour de France in France
Viewing some of the stages in person, especially the alpine climbs, is a passion for some people who enjoy the party atmosphere that surrounds the spectacle.
You can watch the first "prologue" stage and the finish in Paris quite easily. I stumbled upon the barriers one year (not into them) and found that the race was expected in two hours. It came in three, of course, but I saw it and the festivities that came before the riders. Don't figure on getting anywhere near the finish line though, unless you're willing to come way early.
A fabulous illustrated guide to viewing the race with tips on how to position yourself for each stage is found at Tour Tales: Tour de France 2000.
Tour de France: Photography
If you get close enough, a 100 mm lens is all the telephoto you'll need to get a good, single bike picture. Try panning with the rider. A normal lens will capture a cluster of riders. The photo above was taken with an Olympus 2002z from along the barriers at the San Francisco Grand Prix of Cycling.
Note that many digital cameras take quite a while to focus. In this case, I pre focus on an object or stripe in the road that the riders are passing, then pan with a rider and click the shutter at the point I've focused on.
