As the Tour draws to an exciting end, Oli reflects on a dream coming true … as well as two aspects of Le Tour that the TV cameras don’t capture. - By Oli Munnik, Bicycling Gear Editor
I’ve always dreamed of being a part of the Tour de France … battling it out for cycling’s greatest prize, enduring hours upon hours in the pain cave and of course savouring the moment of racing into Paris and pinning it around the Champs Elysees (often I’m wearing the yellow jersey!).
Alas, while that particular scenario hasn’t exactly panned out, this year my dream did come true in a slightly different way, as I formed part of Bicycling’s Tour de France team for the period that the peloton spent hurtling through the English countryside.
As opposed to being a regular fan, I was at Le Tour armed and dangerous … I had a press pass! And with this piece of plastic dangling around my neck I gained access to the front line as it were; it was almost surreal to be so close to the action. I was ring-side.
The Bicycling team included James Startt, a 25-year veteran covering Le Tour and ardent Black Keys fan; James’ daughter Ella, who was his assistant; Frankie Andreu, Tour de France veteran and now star of Tour Talk; Brian Patrick, who films and edits Bicycling’s online TDF videos; and finally, Joe Lindsey, my roommate and tech wizard.
Over the course of the week I learnt an immeasurable amount from these guys, and much to my liking, we necked a few beers in the evenings and shared many a joke. We also somehow managed to drive on the left hand side of the road – for most of the time – a miracle as James and Frankie are big fans of their home nation’s driving habits, often veering to/hugging the right hand side of the road.
Amidst the excitement of being at the Tour, it didn’t take long to realise that I had made one crucial oversight – rather than carrying a DSLR camera with a telescope-like lens attached to it, I had eased in armed with my IPhone … it was the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight.
As this dawned on me, I realized that my coverage would have to be more about immediacy than high definition. @Bicycling_SA (on Twitter and Instagram) was about to get bombarded with exclusive tech images and behind-the-scenes action, as well as updates as they unfolded right in front of me – I even managed to get a shot of Kate Middleton aka the Duchess of Cambridge as she winked at me … well, the wink might be a slight over exaggeration, but I got the shot!
Looking back on the experience there were two aspects of the event that really stood out for me.
A Logistical Masterpiece.
Logistically, the Tour de France is an absolute animal, a wild tiger that roams through France (and of course other participating countries) bringing a sporting spectacle second to none, to millions of road-side fans as well as those watching on TV and online.
Walking among the international broadcast trucks with cables strewn in every direction like a bowl of spaghetti,
as well as spending time at each day’s media centre, I was blown away that each and every day it was all packed up and shipped off to the next day’s venue.
And then there is the paraphernalia at both the start and finish line that is also all built up and broken down every day by a crack squad of Frenchies – these okes are on a tight schedule and hit their targets day in and day out.
Riding is the ‘Easy’ Part
The above heading may sound ludicrous but let me explain. Excepting for the odd TT, TDF stages very rarely start and finish in the same town. This means that teams and riders are required to transfer by bus to the start of a stage, as well as from the finish to that evening’s hotel, both of which can be hours away. Luxurious team buses make absolute sense.
This idea really hit home while walking between the team buses in a London parking lot moments after the finish of Stage 3 and wondering why there were so many puddles of (smelly) water around. It turned out the dirty water was coming from the showers on the team buses, as riders were literally getting off their bikes onto their bus and into the shower (while their bikes were being loaded onto the roof racks of their team cars.) While riders often shower on the buses, many chose to ride their bikes to the hotel and shower there. Not after Stage 3 though as the entire TDF circus was headed over the channel to France, for the start of Stage 4 in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage the next day!
While the TV cameras were focusing on the podium presentation, the teams and riders were frantically organising their things to make sure they were ready for the journey that lay ahead.
From the finish at Buckingham Palace in central London, riders were bussed to London City Airport where four chartered planes flew them to a military airport in France. From there they were driven to their hotels – it seems impossible, given this schedule, that the guys are expected to race 165km the very next day! In the end though, the show must go on.
The rest of the team personnel and equipment would catch the ferry (the Channel Tunnel train was closed due to a fire) finally arriving at their hotels at 2am. Having chatted to Sky’s chief mechanic, South African Gary Blem, it was clear that he was absolutely shattered by the time they had reached Sky’s hotel.
While there was so much going on during my time at the Tour, these were the two aspects that impressed me the most. Having said that, I had better not forget to acknowledge the achievements made by each and every rider in their own right … simply making it to the finish of every stage is stupendous, let alone surviving the three weeks to arrive on the Champs Elysees.
Now with a perspective from the inside, it is evident that life at the Tour is as hard off the bike as it is on it. No matter from which angle you look at the 2014 Tour, it has been brutal.
Click here to check out the various galleries I shot of my time at the Tour De France.
Ciao ciao
Oli
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Bicycling’s Gear Editor, Oli “The Pinner’ is tackling his new job with gusto. He’s just back from Europe doing what Gear Eds do best, testing gear, putting bikes through their paces, attending launches and checking out the awesomeness at Le Tour! Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @olivermunnik
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