As the daughter of an avid cycling fan, I’ve grown up watching Tour de France highlights on TV for as long as I can remember. The TV coverage of ‘La Grande Boucle’ is all about the race, but after seeing it live for the first time at this year’s final sprint stage in Nîmes, it became clear that watching in person is a totally different experience. I was able to get within an arm’s reach of the support staff, journalists, and even the riders themselves.
“We may have only seen the racing for a few moments, but a day spent at the Tour de France was a unique experience in itself”
Stage 16, from Gruissan to Nîmes, was the final sprint stage of the 2024 Tour. With Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) confidently wearing the Yellow Jersey, it didn’t seem that the stage would bring too much disruption to the general classification. However, the stage in Nîmes promised excitement nonetheless, with British sprinter Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) competing to extend his record for all-time stage wins that he set earlier in the Tour. Tough competition from Jasper Philipson (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), the current holder of the Green Jersey, would make this no easy task. In the words of broadcast journalist Gary Imlach, without a stage in Paris this year, “this is essentially the Champs-Elysées transported to the South of France”.
We arrived in Nîmes at 11am, two and a half hours before the Grand Départ and just a mere 6 hours until the riders reached the city. Even so, activity levels were already high and spectators had begun to line the track. We staked our claim to a spot on a barrier 30 metres from the finish line and within half-an-hour, all the other spaces around us had also been secured. Danish supporters were out in force, many holding onto the hope that Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) still had a chance of edging out Pogačar for the yellow jersey. Their flags, bright red outfits, rock music (even including a specific song about Vingegaard), and eagerness to photobomb live broadcasts provided the entertainment for the first hour.
As journalists arrived to begin their broadcasts, I was close enough to speak to Gary Imlach, who has reported on the Tour since 1990 and is the face of ITV’s coverage, and ask about his predictions for the day’s race. He was hopeful that Mark Cavendish, “in essentially the last sprint of his Tour de France career, makes it win thirty-six”, but “it’s going to be a big bunfight”. He believes that Pogačar is secure in the Yellow Jersey and will “just keep riding away from everyone, like he did in the Giro”, which he won in May this year. He doesn’t predict the Alps will see any dramatic change in the rankings, arguing that if Vingegaard does try to steal the top spot, it will “provoke” Pogačar and “make the gap even worse”. Luckily, none of the hopeful Danish fans were nearby to hear us discuss this. Reflecting on his own experiences of the Tour so far, his favourite moment was “Cavendish in stage 5”, a historic moment which interrupted the usual “blur of service stations and bags of crisps”.
Excitement began to build as live coverage appeared on large screens above the finish line (another perk of having secured a spot so close to the action) from 12pm. Around 2pm, the real spectacle began. Despite intense heat, spirits were kept high by teams of sponsors parading along the barriers, handing out free drinks, food, and merchandise to the crowds. Yellow Tour de France caps, free soft drinks, tote bags, and even “The Laughing Cow cheese” t-shirts were in high demand, and we were soon swept into the scramble to catch various freebies that were being tossed into the crowds. As Coldplay was blasted out of the loudspeakers, it was easy to forget the real reason why we were all there.
About an hour before the cyclists arrived, the infamous Tour de France caravan made its way along the track. Huge floats were decked out with statues of the riders themselves, as well as mascots from the main sponsors such as the LCL Lion. More unexpected appearances included characters from Haribo sweets, Laughing Cow cheese, and supermarket ready-meals. I was beginning to feel that I’d stumbled into a Disneyland-like fever dream.
As 5pm neared and the peloton approached Nîmes, attention returned to the race. Tensions were high as we heard of a crash under 2km from the finish involving Biniam Girmay. Was this Cavendish’s chance? Within moments, the cyclists had reached the closing sprint and hurtled down the track towards us. It was the definition of a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. Travelling at 70 km/h, they flew past us so quickly that I barely had the chance to watch the stage’s winner Jasper Philipsen cross the line, following a perfect leadout by world champion Mathieu van der Poel. The rest sped past; we were so close that I could have reached forward and touched them.
Unfortunately, Cavendish had failed to secure his 36th stage win, finishing in 17th place. Since he has achieved the goal of becoming all-time record Tour de France stage winner and undoubtedly the best sprinter of all time, his aim now must surely be to complete his final Tour without incident and cross the finish line safely in Nice in a few days time. This would be an incredible end to an incredible career.
Almost as soon as the race had finished, fans flocked to the stage to see awards for the day’s stage and the jerseys. We were then free to wander amongst the team buses, and I found myself a metre away from Mark Cavendish as he emerged for his post-race interview, looking remarkably unphased after a long day of cycling and intense competition.
We may have only seen the racing for a few moments, but a day spent at the Tour de France was a unique experience in itself. I came for the cycling, but I stayed for the free t-shirts.
