Following the Tour de France, Episode 415

Do you dream about following the Tour de France in person? Perhaps you'd like to ride where the professionals are going to battle it out? Maybe you want to see the finish line on the Champs Elysées and get an autograph from some of the riders? My guest for this trip report, Tammy McKibben did all of these things. She even did something that can complicate your life a bit: they brought their own bikes to France in the belly of the plane! Listen to her experiences so you can plan your own adventure following the Tour de France in person. Table of Contents for 'Following the Tour de France' episode [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:35] Today on the podcast [00:00:53] Follow The Tour next year [00:01:49] Supporting the podcast [00:02:27] Following the Tour with Tammy McKibben [00:02:45] Have things changed since the last time? [00:03:53] Advice in following the tour [00:04:30] Grand Depart for 2023 in Spain [00:06:37] Which stage was she in? [00:08:57] Planning stages [00:09:35] Find a hotel [00:11:21] Riding the same road before the caravan arrives [00:14:10] Arrive early [00:16:10] Booking hotels very early [00:20:43] Rent a bike or bring your own bikes? [00:22:17] Bring your own bike – Airport experience [00:27:17] Clubs or bike associations [00:29:22] With the bikes on the train [00:31:24] Renting a van [00:31:51] Renting a vehicle from a grocery store would be ideal but probably not doable [00:32:59] There are companies that can arrange all of that for you [00:33:41] The finish in Paris [00:35:35] Team and rider victory lap around the Champs Elysées [00:36:30] Watching the Tour on TV [00:43:11] Outro [00:43:32] New patrons [00:44:09] Supporting Elyse [00:44:33] Preparing a trip to France? [00:45:22] GPS self-guided tours [00:45:57] Amazon recommended products [00:46:58] This Week in French News [00:49:38] Personal Update [00:50:25] Show notes [00:50:44] Next week on the podcast   More episodes about active vacations in France