Sunday - this must be Limoux - Le Tour is here again

The Tour de France arrives in the heart of Pure France territory

It's little known to foreigners that cycling is compulsory in France. While others spend their sundays washing the car and mowing the lawn, frenchmen and women are putting in time at the handlebars.

And for good reason. There's always risk of a dawn raid by the Cycling Police with 20 years on Devil's Island for anyone caught not peddling. Having a puncture isn't a valid excuse.

There's only one way for non-cyclists to avoid time in the slammer - be a spectator. Hence the Gallic enthusiasm for the Tour de France.

I jest of course. Reality is much more serious than that - here rugby is total war and cycling is religion.



Anyone witnessing the Tour for the first time will see shock-and-awe level planning and organisation on the move. During the night, unseen hands will have scawled helpful and encouraging messages across any uphill sections of road.

The route will close to traffic several hours before the peloton is due to pass. That means no driving along the road or crossing it although one can still sneak up from a side lane.

Around an hour and half before the leaders pass, bikeloads of gendarmes lead course cars full of marshals, administrators, safety specialists. Then more gendarmes, team cars, gendarmes again, TV cars followed by even more gendarmes.

Perhaps the gendarmes spend the rest of the year in the Seychelles until the overtime money runs out.

Finally, exactly on schedule, clouds of helicopter-born TV cameramen precede swarms of their colleagues on motorcycles. Somewhere amongst them will be the lead cyclists. Oh, and some gendarmes. Further back, the peloton.

This weekend sees the Tour in the south of France with a stage from Limoux to Montpellier this Sunday 17 July. The cyclists will leave the esplanade at Limoux at exactly 12:55 after an hour or two of partying and razzamatazz.



Monday will be a rest day, with a stage from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap on Tuesday 19 July. The Tour will leave the start line at 13:15.



The following day, Wednesday, 20 July the Tour continues from Gap over the border to Pinerolo in Italy, starting at 12:30.



Thursday, 21 July, sees the Tour running from Pinerolo back into France, finishing at Galibier Serre-Chevalier. The riders leave the start line at 11:20.



The Tour transfers by road for the start of the next stage on Friday, 22 July at Modane. The riders will finish the day at Alpe-d'Huez. The stage leaves the start at 14:30.



After a day's rest, the Tour will transfer by train to Paris for the official finish on the Champs Elysée on Sunday 24 July.

Many spectators will have chosen their spot hours before the cyclists arrive. Some will have arrived the night before with their tents and camping cars. Whilst urban sections of the route will see rapturous crowds, there's usually plenty of space out in the countryside.

The Tour creates a party atmosphere, of fans united by cycling. It's not unknown for a neighbouring spectator to thrust a glass of something into your hand. Enjoy!

The Tour website (link below) offers a complete and detailed schedule of each day's stage so you can join the fun at any point along the route

Related links :

• http://www.letour.fr/