My trip to Tour De France in Reims France July 2010

Boston, MA

My trip to Tour De France in Reims France July 2010
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People go to France to experience the wonderful museums, Eiffel tower, Arch of Triumph and French Riviera but I went to France to go see Tour De France cycling race. One problem though - I had no idea how to go see one. In the summer of 2010 we had checked into a short-term rental in Paris in order to give ourselves a shot at it. We had been in Paris for almost two weeks now and we were about to head back to London in a few days and I still have not seen a single Tour De France stage. We had a terrific time in Paris but returning to US without seeing TDF would be a total disappointment.

I tried to talk to people who I ran into at tourist sites, restaurants, on trains about my plans to go see TDF but did not have much luck with getting any advice. I would first do smalltalk about weather with my neighbors, local baker, grocery store clerk, bank teller and I quietly bring up the topic of TDF but they did not share my enthusiasm for the sport. But I discovered something in the process though; I found out that the few French phrases I picked up from reading a guide are barely adequate to carry a conversation in French and I vowed to work on my French but I have not kept my promise.

I changed the tactics and turned to Internet for help. The tips I found on the web weren't really helpful for someone in my situation. What makes it impossible for a tourist to go watch the race is a) hotels are booked months in advance b) road closures. Frustrated, I told myself "forget it" I am going to figure out my own strategy. I studied the course one more time and figured the town of Reims is hosting the stage 4 finish that has presented me with the best chance. The stage 4 is tomorrow! We had no time to lose; we got on the metro train, went to Gare Du Nord "North Station" that looked more like a museum to buy train tickets for our trip to Reims.

I could hardly sleep that night fretting over every little thing that can go wrong that could prevent me from going to the race. For most of the night I was drifting between two sets of delirious thoughts. One I was not going to the race but just dreaming about it, the other I was going to the race and I better believe it. I was relieved when my wife Sri woke me up because she put me out of my misery. Sri, Ryon and I were the first people to show up for any train that morning at Gare Du Nord. Even though we had plenty of time before our train departed, I reluctantly agreed when Sri announced we should go get some breakfast because I didn't want to miss the train. I did't want to leave anything for chance. My heart was already pumping hard with excitement just thinking about as what lay ahead in the day for us.

The ride on super fast train was smooth and it got there in a breeze. To be honest when it dropped us off at Reims I didn't want to leave the train because it was so comfortable. Reims(RONSS) is a wine country some 150 kilometers east of Paris ideal for folks who want to live in quiet country side yet a short train ride away from megalopolis. The town is kinda like "Riverside" to "Los Angeles". We had ample time before race activities began later that day so we hatched a quick plan for the day. First up we spent some time at the town square to get acquainted with the town. Next we walked over to the cathedral which is lot bigger than "Notre Dame" in Paris. It is a perfect place to gather your thoughts, pause and reflect. Next door is visitors center that has a tiny little park next to it where we had a picnic and ate our lunch.

Now is the time to walk over to finish line and be part of the action. As we walked towards the edge of the town I was thinking about all the subplots that were dominating the headlines.The previous year Lance Armstrong had come out of retirement and raced after 3 years removed from winning his record 7th trophy. But his comeback resulted in a disaster because he had to drop out of the race when he crashed and broke his collar bone. In 2010 he was determined to snag a spot at the podium(The top 3 riders make the podium) and in the process go head-to-head against the new sheriff in town an outspoken Spanish cyclist Alberto Cantador. Today I was going to see An American superstar athlete riding for one last time. People were gathering along the boulevard and first came the caravan with giant floats. We walked up and down along the street soaking in all the crowd frenzy and festive atmosphere and also looking for a perfect spot to watch the riders descend on the scene. Right before the riders were to arrive you can feel the raw excitement in the air and anticipation of seeing their favorite stars was quite agonizing. The PA system was blaring with frantic live commentary in French that only added to the fervor. We settled near the finish line, not before long, the peloton came and gone right by us all in a blink of an eye. I was on cloud nine and trip back to Paris was all a blur to me. 

In a stunning tragic turnaround Lance Armstrong was stripped off all 7 of his trophies in 2013 and all his wins were expunged from records because he admitted he had used banned performance-enhancing drugs while racing. He may have fallen from grace but the explosion of popularity he brought to the sport in America is undeniable. The reason you see millions of bikes on the roads and trails today in America is because of him. He made riding a bike cool again.

This year the race is going to begin on July 4th right during Independence Day weekend. I hope you get a chance to watch a stage or two this year. Some of the big names to keep in my mind for this year are : The defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, British rider Chris Froome and finally 2-time champion Spanish rider "El Pistolero" Alberto Contador.

I was overjoyed by experience that I had at Tour De France in 2010 and the euphoria from that day stayed with me to this day.

==Merci Beaucoup==