Pre-TDF 2004

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by TomKC
Greetings,
My wife and I will be in Europe prior to the 04 TDF but unfortunately won't be able to stay for the start of the race. Does anyone know if you can catch any of the team training rides, get some "preTDF race feel", or should we not waste our time. Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks

TomKC

I read you mail with interest.
Here’s my experience of the pre Tour.

The 1998 TDF came to Ireland and the pre TDF atmosphere was something special.
The buildup to the TDF really kicked in the week before it actually starts.
The roads have already been resurfaced and the flags and posters are in place.

The prologue usually starts at 4.00pm local time.
I took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the prologue, off from work,
just to sample the atmosphere and here is an account of my few days pre Tour !

The thing that you notice is that the buildup of journalists and media crews gathers
a pace before the start of the prologue, in Dublin’s case this started on the preceding Monday/Tuesday, to the prologue.
In Dublin in 1998, the city was full of large vehicles transporting telecommunication
equipment, satellite equipment from Wednesday before the prologue.
Large public accessible areas of our city was cordoned off from Wednesday evening, to
allow the media organizations to set up their equipment close to the route of the race.
The TDF attracts huge media coverage, and I saw that the city actually does swell in terms of the sheer numbers of people that it attracts.

The cycling teams arrived in Dublin from Wednesday onwards, before the prologue.
They stayed in city center hotels, with their various team buses located outside the
hotels where they were staying (so it’s easy to spot who’s staying, where !).
The entourages for these teams are pretty big and, depending on the team, you can get to chat with the mechanics and support personnel.

Thursday before the prologue is when I first noticed the teams out cycling.
We had the pleasure of seeing the ONCE team out cycling.
Myself and a friend followed them by car on a 50 mile training ride.
Jalabert, Herman Diaz Zabella stopped and posed for photos with us.
When you see these teams out cycling over the same routes that you, yourself, have cycled it really is something to behold.
On the parts of the route where you normally die, they simply float !
As ONCE were finishing their session, who came along but Mercatone Uno (Pantani & Co), Telekom (Ullrich & Co) and Banesto !!!!
So we refueled the car, and off we went up the road following them !
Telekom were very friendly, Udo Bolts and Rolf Aldag posed for photos.
Mercatone Uno weren’t as friendly but when they saw me at the side of the road with my camera, Marco Pantani deliberately slowed and raised his arm to salute me while I was
taking their photo.
A nice gesture and a treasured photo.

The Banesto boys were probably the quietest of the lot – I suppose this was because their
team was full of Spaniards who had little or no English speakers.
The Banesto management stopped off a small pub in the Dublin mountains, while their team were putting in the hard miles.
We spotted their team car outside the pub and we pulled over to take a look at the Pinarello’s on top of their car.
Their machines were immaculate : ultra light and with 54 x 20-10 setup.
As we were looking at their bikes, out comes Jose Maria Ecchieverria (Indurains former manager and Banesto team boss).
So we managed to persuade JME to pose for a photo as well beside his team car !

That night we went in to a few of the city center pubs and there were a lot of Italian
Tifosi in town to support their teams.
The atmosphere was great because a lot of the team support people were out to.

The Friday before the Prologue has an event called the Grand Depart.
This is where the teams are formally presented to the media, local dignitaries and the invited public.
This event is usually reserved for VIPs.

The morning of the prologue itself, is worth being there, if you can make it.
The route was by this time been closed off to public traffic.
We got there for 10.00am and already the teams were out surveying the route.
The Saeco squad were blasting around the route and (this ones for Hempland), we got to meet the one and only, Lionking himself, Supermario !

Cippo was circumnavigating the circuit approx every 7 minutes (5.8 km circuit).
Each time he passed our spot on the circuit, we’d shout out “Forza Mario” (faster Mario).
My friends sister was with us and she’s a buxom woman and obviously Mario had noticed her too.
So during his warm down, he started to cycle by, slower and slower each time.
Any way he pulled over and say ‘Ciao, comme esta” – Hello how are you” while
ignoring me and my mate, and looking at my friends sister !!
She was loving all this attention.
My friend thought this was hilarious and – knowing that Cippo’s English isn’t great – he started to take the [censored] out of him !
He was saying things like “Cippo, you know you’re only a bollix” and Cippo was nodding his head and laughing !!!!!!!!!!
In the meantime, all Cippo was saying was “Bella donna” and patting his chest with his
hand, to show that his heart was racing as he held my friends sisters hand !!!
It was hilarious.
Anyway, Cippo bade us farewell, gave my friends sister a peek on the cheek, and off he went !

In the meantime, we got to see the Francais des Jeux team out reconnaitre the route.
Marc Madiot pulled over in his team car and posed for photos.
Chris Boardman was busy cycling the route – he did so about two hours !

The prologue itself is pretty boring compared to the build up but I would recommend
that if you can try to stay for the week before the TDF starts that you should do.
You’ll get to see the stars – and who knows you might even get to meet them !

Yes Limerick that does get me p'd off a bit about Mario.

I was in Paris last year pre-tour and there were alot of similarities, probably working to the same format.

We arrived on Wednesday, spent Thursday playing tourist and surveying out the plan for the weekend where to watch from etc.
It was an experence to stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower working out the Prologue route.

One thing to watch out for any vehicle with a tour sticker is driven by a madman, they don't adhere to the rules of the road in any shape or form.