Final Race Report: The Champs-Élyseés

The day after we watched the climb on Col de Grosse Pierre, my husband and I were relaxing on the couch watching the Tour on TV.  Something on a screen, I don't remember what, caused me to say, "Seeing that almost makes me want to go to Paris on the 22nd."  He looked at me and said,

"Well, let's go!"

While I had been thinking about what going to Paris for the final stage would mean- train tickets, standing for at least 8 hours straight, dealing with a crowd that will dwarf anything we've ever been in before, getting food- he was thinking "Do it."  Good thing that's how he works, or we probably would have spent last Sunday on that couch watching it on TV.  A once in a life time opportunity would have been missed.

Miraculously, the TGV to Paris was running a special on tickets so we paid less than half price for a  one day trip.  That's one advantage of living in Luxembourg, we can get to Paris and back in a day- a loooooong day, mind you, but it's doable and handy when every hotel in the City of Lights is booked.

So, we hopped the train from Ettelbruck to Luxembourg City at 6:00am on Sunday.  It was late, as usual, so we barely made the TGV leaving at 6:40am for Paris.  Thankfully, half the people on our local train were also going to Paris, so they held the TGV for us.  Even if the conductor can't stay on schedule, at least he was nice enough to call the station so we wouldn't miss our connection.

Anyway, we met our friend who was joining us for the day at the station and began our adventure.

The TGV is an amazing thing.  I think I've said this before, but I'll say it again, don't drive to Paris if you can take the train.  We arrived shortly before 9:00am, without a hitch at Gare l'Est and immediately jumped on the Metro to the Champs-Élyseés.  Well, actually we only made it to the Louvre station since all the lines heading to the Champs were closed in the morning, but that gave us a lovely walk through the famous courtyard of the museum and through the Jardin de Tuileries.  Last time we were there was in March before anything was in bloom.  So, it was splendid to see all the flowers and fountains in all their glory.

Our goal was to get near, but not at the Arc de Triomphe to watch the race.  Rumor had it that the road filled up pretty quickly the closer to noon it became.  The area near the podium (at one end of the Champs) and the Arc (at the other) would be the most congested, so we decided to go for an area in between to spend the day.  As it was, the barriers were up very early so walking around all the closures was a challenge.  The whole area and gardens around the obelisk were closed off for the village and podium and the hardcore fans had already staked their claims.

We ended up on the south side of the road at Rue de Marignan, near this lovely lamp.

Yes, even the lamp posts in Paris are attractive.

Now, I should mention that the weather for this final day of the Tour de France 2012 was particularly gorgeous.  It was sunny, slightly breezy from time to time, and in the low 80's F.   Really, you couldn't ask for a nicer day to stand on the side of the road for 8 hours, and 8 hours it was.  We didn't bring chairs as we had no idea if there'd be room for them when we arrived and we didn't want to deal with them on the train.  So, yeah, we stood for 8 hours.  I suppose we could have plunked ourselves down on the sidewalk, but people don't mess around when it comes to claiming space.  You give an inch of your spot away and someone will be there in a flash to take it over.  Somehow, I had inadventantly agreed to save space for a woman when she asked for some information.  So, between our few feet of space and her's it was tricky.  It's all good though, she kindly (and totally unnecessarily) brought us food in payment for space saving.

We did bring along food with us so no one would have to leave their area and happily munched on sandwiches, apples, and granola bars as the hours passed.  We also brought along a Camelback, which was a lifesaver.  Of course, if you ever end up doing this too, keep in mind that you basically have to stay dehydrated to avoid bathroom visits.  Some businesses are ok with you using the WC without buying anything, others aren't and, once again, you could easily lose your place on the road.  Oh, the things we do to watch a cycling race!

Anyway, there isn't much to say about the waiting, even though that took up most of the day.  Our friend knew some people from Twitter that she finally was able to meet in person, which was cool.  One thing we noticed right off the bat was the massive amount of British spectators that there were.  Makes sense, with Bradley Wiggins being the first of their countrymen to win the yellow jersey.  But, we heard more English that day than French!  Not to give them any ideas, but it would have been the perfect opportunity for Britain to invade France again!  Jokes aside though, it was really nice to be there and see the enthusiasm on this historic day for Britain.

Although, we could have done without certain expressions of enthusiasm.

So we waited and wait.  There wasn't any brie today, just people watching to keep us entertained.

Not everyone in Paris was British.

Dancing girls still sold T-shirts.

Another year, another crowd to control...

This fellow, an official with the Tour, clearly made a unique promise to someone.

This wonderful woman had the classiest outfit I saw all day.

Some spectators were more thrilled than others.

Of course, there were those who paid thousands for the VIP rides down the Champs before the race.  One group opted to deck themselves out in yellow jerseys.  Not the best choice, in my opinion.

Sheesh.

Finally, shortly after 2:00pm or so the Caravan came through for their grand finale.  There were more cars than there had been at the other two stages we watched, and they all were giving their best for the last hurrah of 2012.  I can only imagine how tired these folks were after acting ridiculous and cheery non-stop for 3 weeks.

Then....we waited some more.

The French announcers being broadcasted on loud speakers clashed with the guys selling t-shirts over their loudspeakers to the point we couldn't understand either.  It wasn't until the cars and motorbikes came speeding through the course that we realized the guys were finally on the circuit and headed our way.  As you may know, they do 8 laps around the Champs-Élyseés course.  There were several breaks of varying sizes, but it was the venerable Jens Voigt who stayed consistently in all of them.  It may be his final Tour de France, so it made sense he'd want to go out with a bang.  I learned later that George Hincapie also lead the peloton for a bit for his final and record 17th ride into Paris.

By now, the crowd was as tightly packed as the proverbial sardine can.

My poor husband even had to fend off an old fella with an open wound on his arm from pushing his way through and spreading his ickiness into our tightly packed group.  Oh, the things we do to watch a bike race....


Shortly after the break went by, the main peloton passed (much faster than I remember from last year on the TV).

Wiggins, Cavendish, and Sagan lead the group on this lap.  Tommy Voeckler, Frances' National hero, is in the KOM
polka dots not far behind.

The crowd erupted!

They were, of course, mostly there so see Wiggins, Britain's golden boy.

Many were also hoping by another win on the Champs by Cavendish (two back from Wiggins, in his World Champ jersey).  Christopher Froome, 2012 second place winner and another Brit, leads.  Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norway's Champion, rides behind Wiggins.

Eight laps go mighty quickly, surprisingly.  It wasn't easy following the report in French over the speakers, but around and around they went.

This wasn't Cadel Evan's year to keep the yellow.  He rode with class nonetheless.

They were frantically followed by all the media and team cars, desperately angling for position.

Then, as quickly as they were there, it was over.  I whipped out my phone for a quick video of the final lap of 2012.  Pardon my amateur attempts to make it a little more interesting and lengthy.

 


That was it.  The 2012 Tour de France was over for us.


Cavendish did end up winning the final sprint, to the elation of the crowd.  The cyclists quickly sauntered off to debrief or take their places on the the podium and survive the most horrid rendition of God Save the Queen this American has ever heard.  


We did not stick around for the laps of honor nor did we muscle our way to see the podium.  After standing for 8 hours, a bench and bottle of wine was in order.  So, we headed down to the riverfront and found a bench in view of the Eiffel tower and Pont Alexandre III.  There we enjoyed a nice bottle of Luxembourgish wine among the three of us and our leftover snacks while we watched the people and the river boats pass by.  It was nice to be seated!

Before long, it was time to head back the way we came to the train station for the trip home.  We were ready, that was for sure.

As we rolled through the French countryside, I thought about what an incredible experience we had watching the Tour de France this year.  Seeing it in person was never something that seemed realistic.  For a cycling fan, the Tour de France is the Super Bowl, an event so big and distant, you never think you'd ever be there.  But, living in Luxembourg provided us with this once in a lifetime opportunity, an opportunity that I will never take for granted.  It has been one of the highlights of our experience thus far.

We don't know what the next year holds, so we may not be able to see it at all.  With the 2013 start being in Corsica, we can almost guarantee we won't be attending that.  If we do make it out to a couple stages, I'd say that the one's on the roadside with the locals are worth another visit.  That day on Col de Grosse Pierre was the most fun we had during the 2012 Tour.  Paris, of course, is a must.  But, like going to the top of the Eiffel Tower or viewing the Mona Lisa, it is probably a one time thing.  It was fun, but I'm still recovering.

If you think you'd like to attend a future tour, I'll tell you right now in the word's of my husband- Do it! You won't be disappointed.  There's nothing like it.  A successful spectating experience hinges on your attitude and on your planning.  This isn't something that can be done right on a whim, unless you live close.  Be prepared for confusion and for some things to go wrong.  But, just roll with it.  Chances are, you will still have a great time.  For some good advice on planning a trip around the Tour I recommend Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide.  While it is rather out of date (he wrote it while Lance was still in the Tour), his advice on how to get around, how to communicate, and what to see are still helpful.  His tips on photography are also very useful, especially his point that your aren't going to get great pictures all the time.  That's what they pay these guys for,

Anyway, it has been a great pleasure this year attending all the races (except that day at the Tour de Lux, of course).  We learned a lot about how to spectate properly and we look forward to the 2013 season with anticipation.  Next year, we will be getting to as many Classics as possible.  But, I think it's safe to say that our 2012 Spectating Season ended on the Champs-Élyseés.


There couldn't have been a better finish.