Le Tour magnifique
Occurred around July 2008
Bernard is a tall Frenchman who would seem right at home in the finance houses of Paris with his YSL shirts, handmade boots and spotless moleskins. In fact he's the genial farmer who is letting us camp on the side of his field near Apt in Vaucluse to watch the Tour de France. There aren't a lot of places to park a 7.5 metre motor home and we were lucky to find a picturesque spot overlooking Bernard's vineyards and sunflowers. There are eight other motor homes parked nose to tail along this stretch which is one of the few open areas around.
With an Australian rider tipped to win the race (Cadel Evans) we didn't need a lot of encouragement to join our friends for a few days. We arrived two days before the race passed this sector and the party was just starting. Bernard was happy for people to use the edge of his field without charge but with the understanding that we may care to buy our wine from him. His son arrived each afternoon on a little four wheeler with crates of wine, fruit and bottles of olive oil which were happily purchased by the little community of roadside campers. A pit fireplace had been provided and by early evening we found ourselves enjoying Bernard's wine with others from France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
On Saturday the road had been closed off since early morning and now the advertising vans and cars came past, dispensing free material as they went. Hats, key rings, flags …. We were ready for the riders, folding chairs next to the vans, umbrellas for shade, cameras at the ready. We heard the TV choppers first, approaching like some invading army as they hovered above the pack, moving closer and closer to us. Then suddenly the riders were on us, first a breakaway group of four followed by the peleton which swept past with flashing speed while the helicopters thrashed the air directly above us. It was over in minutes.
It's an impressive sight to see hundreds of bikes pass in a blur. We were cheering even if we didn’t recognise the leader and saw Cadel for no more than a few seconds. What a buzz. We stayed on for two more days as the party continued and no one seemed to want to leave. I can now understand why some people we met have been doing this for over 10 years. We're now planning our visit for 2009.
Submitted by Jeff Dixon - 05 Aug 2008