I made it to the Tour de France for stage 7. Having arrived hours early, I managed to get a spot overlooking the course, just 60 meters from the finish in Le Creusot, as I was hoping that I could watch the final sprint to the end. But, the lead rider came across 80 seconds ahead of #2, so no drama today.
It was fun to see the spectacle, the party atmosphere, and support for the riders for the most watched sporting event in the world. I was impressed at how much goes into it. For example, there are sponsors that drive along the course 1 to 2 hours ahead of the riders handing out free souvenirs (yes, I got a hat from LDL). Those sponsors have about 250 vehicles and hand out over 10 million freebies every year.
Throughout the race, there will be 29,000 police, fire and medical people working at different times.
The 21 stages will be watched in person by 12 million people.
Just glad to be one of them this year!
