2 Flypasts and Lots in Between..

I was glad I was having a lazy start to the day, although still up just before 7 a.m., and as I wandered back from the shower block,I was getting some pictures of the sun rising over the River Loire and then I heard the whoosh of noise,and slowly saw some hot air balloons rising up into the sky from the opposite bank , what a majestic sight, as in total 3 balloons rose up into the sky, floated over the river, over the campsite, with the occasional roar of their gas jet burners, lifting them on high, and being carried away on the light morning winds, so that’s one flypast so far today, and I’ve not even got to Paris yet !

I then finished packing, said farewell to Milo and Do, having got yesterdays paper, and set off for Paris, happily travelling along through sunny rural France in the Sunday morning peace and sunshine..towards Paris and the final stage of the TdF…

I arrived at a campsite on the outskirts of Paris, in Bois de Boulogne, at just after 12-30 p.m., and so, I think did half the world ! –it was chaos with people trying to get on, and I only just got on, refusing to pay a $20 booking fee for 1 nights stay ! I was plonked amongst loads of tents near the shower block, but it would do for the night, and should be secure ..most of the people already there, or arriving seemed to be British, nice to see such great support…and once I’d worked out where to go, I gathered my stuff and set of for the centre. A shuttle bus ran from the campsite to the top of the Champs Elysee, and then it would only be a short walk to the Arc de Triomphe, and the circuit..

As I got off the bus at Porte Maillot, I stood on a great roundabout with no clues as to which way to go, neither did most of us, and it took a bit of working out to start going in the right direction – once we got going though, it was soon confirmed as the roads were already closed, and it was only 10 to 4, the race wasn’t expected to end until after 9 p.m. !

I took advantage of the closed Champs Elysee, to walk up the centre, capturing the sights on camera –most times I’d be mown down by traffic doing this !.. and wandered up the road towards the Arc d’Triomphe

Across and around the Arc the circuit was already laid out – the riders would come into Paris later tonight, and then race about 10 laps round the circuit, each one lasting about 5 minutes, before the final sprint for the line…with great expectations of another British win – the tour already having been won by Chris Froome of Team Sky .. I wandered along the course, trying to get into my best position, hopefully near to the finish line –not to be that was closed up to fee paying ‘guests’ (no room for the public !), and I wandered along the Seine, and back to get the best spot – there were Union Jacks and British in great abundance all round the course, although it was very hot, and still 5 hours to go – in fact it was so hot that the tar between the cobbles on the road had melted, and your feet stuck to the ground as you walked along, hopefully it’ll have cooled before the riders have to do this ! I did manage to get close to the presentation stand, that the riders will be standing on later…but don’t think I’ll get this close then 

I’d worked out where I felt my best spot would be, in the middle of the course, where I would get a view of them going up and down the Champs Elysee, and a distant view of the finishing straight, and with a view of a large TV screen also ! So that’s where I settled, waiting in a nearby shady park, with a convenient water fountain (and big queue for it !)

The big moment finally arrived as the Team Sky riders led the peloton along the Champs Elysee with Chris Froome in yellow amongst them, as my second flypast of the day happened as the French air force did a flypast just as this happened,right above our heads, rather noisier than this mornings !

There then followed over an hour of ups and downs as the riders swept up and down in front of the crowds, sometimes led by single riders (one being British rider David Millar), and then as it got to the last laps, really speeding up as the sprint teams made it to the front, ready for the final sprint of the tour.. all the Brits were going wild as Mark Cavendish started to hurtle his way to the finish line…would he overtake the faster Marcel Kittel ? (who won in Bastia,at the start)…everyone roared for him, as we watched the live action, and on screen as the finish line beckoned, and Cavendish thrust for the line…had he made it ? Oh No !, just beaten by half a wheel…as Kittel and his team mates stopped in front of the great British crowd, with everyone clapping and cheering…

More parading of past stars then took place before the presentations started, with a huge cheer for Chris Froome, who had won the overall race, and was presented with the winners yellow jersey, of the 100th Tour de France, I did have a distant view, although my best views were on the giant TV screen across the road.. a great day/night/3 weeks…has it been worth it ?… Of course it has !

Time to gather in my last views of Paris by night and make my way back to the bus stop, to pack on the crowded shuttle bus with the hordes, and to the heaving campsite for a good nights sleep…Bonne Nuit !