We were at the base of d'Huez this morning around 8AM (the riders will be there around 5PM) long enough to buy a jersey that bears the name of the epic mountain climb and hop back into the car -- watch the stage today to see how crazy it is at the end (think "sea of people").
We're positioned near Le Rivier-d'Allemont (between Col de la Croix de Fer and Alpe-d'Huez) in a nasty section that kicks up to a 12% gradient (and on a bike, that's steep). From where we are parked alongside the road, we'll be able to see the riders three times today (see our car at the apex of the turn ). A real bonus, the four guys (from Bruges, Belgium) across the road have been ferrying up the pieces to create a satellite TV. We'll be able to watch the race live for as long as their battery and generator hold out.
Toady's stage is incredible for reasons completely different from yesterday. These are the days you hope for when spectating. The sky doesn't have a cloud in the sky, it's not too hot (yet), and never have we been positioned so well on a major mountain pass -- relatively no one is around us as they're all crowded on to d'Huez.
And, about five riders from the Chipotle squad, who aren't riding in the Tour, have biked past already -- some struggling a bit more than others to make it up the climb.
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1 comment:
hello Tim and Angel,
Your blog with nice photos, videoclips and comments is a really fine "souvenir" of the stages in the Tour de France 2008 we also followed. From these pictures I can see that we have chosen a place very close to each other in Molines-en-Queyras and in Jausiers. It was great, wasn't it !!!
Many greetings from the 4 Belgian guys at Croix de Fer, alias "the polkovnik gang"
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