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Topic: Tour de France 2011 and travel.

bigdosser

20/2/2011 at 7:09pm
Location: South Lanarkshire
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Hi guys. We are going camping in France to the Vendee this year and due to travel to our campsite on the 2nd July the start of the Tour. Could anyone who has any experience of the Tour tell me what traffic congestion is like and should i try to change my travel to the day before to avoid delays with the traffic in the area. We have to cross the route of the Tours first stage to get to our campsite, we plan to go and spectate the 2nd and 3rd stage once we are there.
Thanks for any help
Cheers Kenny.

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jaiash

20/2/2011 at 7:35pm
Location: nr Derby
Outfit: Phoenix 440+

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http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html

Have a look at the map and see whether you are going anywhere near.

You could easily be held up for 2-3 hours or more if you attempt being on the same route(s) or those close by. The 'caravane' is what takes up most of the time amd space, the riders are past quite quickly, but then roads have to be re-opened.

bigdosser

20/2/2011 at 7:45pm
Location: South Lanarkshire
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We are heading to St Jean De Monts and have to cross the path of the first stage, been on the Tour website and the exact route and times are not available till June showing the roads it will be using.

Cheers Kenny.

Opensauce

20/2/2011 at 8:24pm
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The town it starts in will be packed in the morning, cars parked everywhere & so will the town it ends in, in the afternoon. In between in the countryside the road will be closed until the race has passed. Provided you use a map to navigate yourself around the immediate area you will be ok.

If you buy a newspaper on that day(L'Equipe is the sports paper), the course will be in there with times of when the race will be passing. Provided you arrive to pass across the course after the race has passed you will be ok.

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Francais

20/2/2011 at 9:28pm
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Hi bigdosser.
We were at Aubenas in the Southern Ardeche in July 2009, when the Tour de France rolled into town for the end of stage 17, most of the roads that day were closed of "Route Barre" signs all over the place, also a few days before all the campervan folk had taken up thier positions in every nook and cranny available, the day itself was superb, with the pre arrival shin dig, or "Caravan" as it's known lasting a good couple of hours or so, and the partying went on untill the small hours.

Enjoy!.

Montagnou

21/2/2011 at 8:23am
Location: Ariege
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This year the tour goes right passed us on 16 July and we expect the road to be closed for a good 2-3 hours before it passes. However, around us the roads will generally be quiet as there are no short cuts or back routes between the Cols.

Last year it passed through Saint Girons early afternoon and once it had passed through everything ran smoothly within about 1/2 hour.

The year before Saint Girons held the finish and it was gridlock in the afternoon and into the evening as everybody wanted a piece of the action.

-------------
Le Montagnou

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bigdosser

21/2/2011 at 10:20am
Location: South Lanarkshire
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Thanks for all the replies, looks like a change in travel is in order to miss the closures, might have to travel down on the Friday afternoon now.

On the plus side might catch some of the 1st stage as well now.

Cheers Kenny.

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paul_M

26/6/2011 at 4:42pm
Location: South Yorks
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Starting in the Vendee and working through Brittanny and Normandy, I should think plenty of us will have a chance to watch the race in the first few days of July! I may see the end but am getting in the mood - stocking up with wine and cheese wo watch le Tour on TV!

Kelper

26/6/2011 at 8:10pm
Location: Northern Ireland
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Still have a pile of goodies collected from the freebies thrown our way by the 'caravanne' last year.

We were in position by 9.30 a.m. and the last bike passed at about 3 p.m. ... then the roads slowly cleared ... we got away about an hour later.

Mountain Runner

26/6/2011 at 9:28pm
Location: Hawarden
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Shall be at Bourg d'Oisans as they go up Alpe d'Huez this year, we may go along to watch the TT at Grenoble the following day & perhaps the Galibier section the day before.

Should be a hoot.

atko

26/6/2011 at 9:40pm
Location: Kent
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Lucky lot. I'd love to see a stage of the Tour but going to France too late.

-------------
atko

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bigdosser

26/6/2011 at 10:30pm
Location: South Lanarkshire
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Hi guys planning to do our travelling on Friday hopefully getting to the site that night. This will allow us to go and watch some of the first stage on Saturday. This will let us avoid any closures on the Saturday morning.
Cheers Kenny.

Valk_scot

26/6/2011 at 10:46pm
Location: Scotland.
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We literally got locked into Pornic one year as the time trial stage of the Tour was running from there to Nantes, along the main motorway. From the day before to the evening of the stage day it was practically impossible to move around the town or nearby campsite except by bike. My Hubby had our triplet with the two kids and me on my solo bike behind...the triplet got a round of applause from the cycle-savvy locals wherever it went, lol. It was a great atmosphere, lots of freebies and promotions and we even saw Lance Armstrong ride out. There's nothing quite so french as Le Tour after all!

darrenmartin35

26/6/2011 at 11:09pm
Location: washington
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not in France this year....BUGGER....cyprus instead(various reasons) next year dordogne or ardeche...cant decide yet

Helen63

27/6/2011 at 10:41am
Location: West Berkshire-Hampshire border
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We're off to near Bourg d'Oisans two weeks today and Paris....can't wait!! My third trip to France for leTour.

Xantippe

27/6/2011 at 10:43am
Location: central Brittany
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The Tour has a stage end near us and we had planned to go, but wouldn't you know, our GS has a specialist appointment in the other direction on that day. If we can still get across Brittany without hazards we may just about make it.

The year before we moved here full time the Tour went past our house but we only got highlights on TV and they started in the next village after ours.

We have managed to see it couple of times since and the Caravane is fun. But depending on where you are the riders seem to go by in a blur, it is better to be on a hill they are going up rather than one going down, which is where we were the first time and 147 riders went past in one lump at about 60mph and we didn't see anyone really.

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