Le Tour de France is a fantastic event that comes around once a year, usually in July. Gina shares her first experience as a spectator when the tour passed by her doorstep in 2014.
I remember the first time I ever went to one, it was passing right by our house and we were all so excited. We got there early and got to see a lot of advertisement vans drive past, throwing out little gifts and toys to the kids. The gifts were extremely varied, from whistles and bouncy balls to bottles of water and umbrellas! There were so many people who had left their homes to come and watch this great event.
After about an hour of excitement picking up all of the free gifts, we finally saw the cyclers arriving. I personally had a near death experience because I was in the road looking at all of the cyclers coming straight for me, I was behind the safety line but you can’t anticipate how fast and how close the cyclers are going to come past you, so if it wasn’t for my brother pulling me back by the scruff of my shirt, I would’ve been flattened!
It’s so exciting watching all of these cyclers ride past you, there’s nothing like it. I still remember that day as if it was just yesterday! I’ve been to a couple of Tour de France now and each time it’s the same experience.
If you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you could manage to find yourself a little cafe or restaurant that provides you with a fantastic view of the route, so you can watch the cyclers whizz past you while enjoying a typical French meal.
This year the Tour de France is from the 4th to the 26th of July, so if you’re in the South of France during that time, then be sure to catch a glimpse of these amazing cyclers.
Photo by Árni Svanur Daníelsson on Unsplash
