Le Tour! Allez!

Hubs and I took off for a quick weekend getaway to see a stage of the Tour de France in Colmar. It was so close - less than 3 hours from our apartment - and Colmar is on the Alsacien wine road, which was supposed to be pretty picturesque. It did not disappoint!

I'm not the most expert of Tour fans, but my father is what you might call a Superfan. He watches DVDs of old Tours every day when he runs on the treadmill. He and I love to bike together when I'm home, and my parents have seen several Tour finishes in Paris. I wish he could have been there with us!

We rolled into town late Friday night, and I expected a big party in the streets. Not so much. It was literally dead. You could have heard a pin drop on the cobblestones. I even wondered if we were in the right city! We were...but I could only tell because there were a bunch of official race vehicles everywhere and all the shop windows were decorated with yellow shirts and bike gear. I know the cyclists have to sleep and all, but the fans! What about the fans? We ate some ridiculously delicious (and large) dinners and called it a night.

Saturday we made our way to the official start and my quest to locate Famous Cyclists continued. I know the big names but it's tough to recognize them when their helmets and sunglasses are on. And they're so little! 120 pounds soaking wet, I bet. I felt like a giant. The Tour parade went by about an hour and a half before the start, with floats from sponsors and different cycling teams. It was a bit bizarre - the salami sponsor had several floats with women (all harnessed in, like everyone on the floats) waving pompoms in a sort of coordinated dance. Now whenever I think of salami, I'm going to think of that; however, I don't think that would be a bad summer job. Travel France with the Tour? Nice.

We had a good spot standing on a ledge just a few meters back from the start line, and we could see all the riders signing in on a podium behind us. It rained a bit, but the crowd was still pretty excited. Once a rider signed in, he went to the start line to wait for the bell. Lance rolled right in front of us and stopped to talk to the media, so we got great views. Score! I still think he's probably a less-than-selfish person in real life, but his athletic accomplishments are so phenomenal that I can't help but cheer him on. And wear his LiveStrong bracelet. And covet his other LiveStrong gear. Call me crazy.

Once the bell rang, the riders left in a leisurely sort of way, and the real race began once they left the city. We spent the rest of the day wandering around, window shopping (it's August in France, and that means SOLDES!), and going for a bike ride of our own. Next year? Multiple stages.

Allez!