So we were up at 4 AM and on the road in less than 30 minutes, We followed the identical route as yesterday and in fact we only had to travel 62 km to get to our viewing spot. Our early rising paid off, the roads were not yet closed so we were able to drive to our viewing spot, only 4 km from the finish of the race, on Turrn 4. (The 23 turns on Alpe d'Huez are numbered, and each name after a rider.) We were in place by 6 AM...the riders weren't due until 4:30 PM...10 hours to go!
The 10 hours went by quickly, from our spot, the mountain scenery was spectacular and the people watching just as much.
We had also arranged to meet Matt and Emily Ryan, a couple from Australia, that we have become friends with after meeting them several years in a row at Le Mas Perreal in Provence. It was great to see them; we've been emailing each other for months about this reunion.
The anticipation of the riders grew and grew as did the crowd, and as you can see by my pix, there was barely enough room for the cyclists to pass. I'm sure they hate how the crowds just surround them.
Quitana was the second rider to appear, and if he were to have any chance of overtaking Chris Froome, he had to beat him by 2:38. So it was expected that Quintana would be ahead and the big question was, "by how much?" The anticipation was incredible as everyone waited to see Froome, who passed us about one minute later. Froome's overall lead appeared to be safe, but with 4 km to go you never know. One of the RV's parked behind us had a TV on, so many crowded around it, and the results became known...Froome prevailed.
In watching the Tour for 8 years this was the first time we saw any bad feelings toward any rider. Many in the crowd clearly didn't like Froome, and they expressed it win signs like "Armstrong + Froome=EPO" (a reference to one of Lance's drugs). There were many boo's as Froome passed by...and off course in the Pyrenees one fan through a glass of urine on him. Hard to explain such hostility especially when Froome appears to be very much a gentleman and a good sport in his interviews.
It took about 30 minutes for all the racers to pass us; some of the ones in the back even interacted with the crowded, joining them in "the wave".
Once the blue van displaying the "Fin Du Course" sign passed by, we started packing up and were in the car and heading down the moutain quickly. It was a little after 5 pm. Unfortunately after travelling no more than 100 yards we were stopped by the gendarmes who said no private vehicles can move until all the official trucks and buses at the top have left...and that probably not happen until 10 PM. This is the normal routine for summit finishes that have only one route down, but we didn't know it. So we sat in the car, visited with Matt and Emily who were walking back to their accomadations in nearby Villard Reculas, and just enjoyed the scenery. If you have to sit in your car for 3 or 4 hours, you couldn't have a better view.
A little after 8 pm we were finally allowed to get going. The drive back to Grenoble went smoothly, and we were sitting in our dinner restaurant by 9:45 pm.
We ate at one of the oldest cafes in Grenoble, La Table Ronde, which serves very traditional, regional food. Since Grenoble is a univesity town, it is very busy at night...thousands of students everywhere...very much like Harvard Square, so it didn't seem that late. Joni and I laughed about where you could even get anything to eat after 10 pm in Littleton...probably only a candy bar at Iving Gas!
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