Before I took this trip, I looked at the Tour de France route. I guess I didn’t look at it very carefully. First, I did not realize that it was going to go past Lac de Bourget and go through Culoz. Then, as I was walking through Chambéry later, there was a banner saying that the race was going to go right through Chambéry! How did I miss that?
The day before the Chambéry stage, I watched work crews start their prep work for setting up for the race. They marked obstacles in the road and set aside barriers and other necessary safety equipment along the route. The next day, they set up all of those barriers, temporary fencing, and other necessary things before the approximately 2:00 o’clock time when the racers were estimated to ride through town.
I took a position along the route where I could get a good look at the riders as they went past. It was at one of the many round-abouts that exist everywhere in Europe. I measured it… It was exactly 60 steps from my AirBnB to my position along the race course. How amazing is that?
Riding through Chambéry was pretty early in the race, so I didn’t expect that there would be any breakaway riders. They usually wait until further in the race to try to attack for the stage win. So when the riders came through, it was without any breaks and the peloton was pretty relaxed. But exciting to see as usual.
Two hours later, there was not a trace that anything had happened, except for some paint on the road surface. I guess it’s not their first rodeo (or TdF). The race has been to Chambéry many times, even hosting starts and finishes. But I think the biggest cycling event that has ever been in Chambéry was the 1989 World Championship Road Race. And won by Greg Lemond!