2019 Tour de France

On Sunday, we watched the finish of the 106th Tour de France.  

The 2,000+ mile race traditionally finishes in Paris on the last Sunday of July.  

Fortunately, our apartment is well located for watching the finish. 

We enjoyed watching the caravan, which arrived 2 hours before the riders.  Below are some photos of the caravan.  We like the irony of seeing modern advertising against the background of the stately Louvre. 

Generation Peche promotes recreational fishing in France.  Apparently, Tour de France fans also enjoy leisure fishing.  Who knew? 

Who doesn't love a bicycling chicken?

 
The cyclists, once they reach the center of Paris, complete eight 4-mile circuits of the Champs Elysees and the Rue de Rivoli.  Part of the circuit is paved with cobblestones.  So, the high-speed ride must be bone-rattling and a bit dangerous.   

Our apartment looks over the Rue de Rivoli where the riders enter the circuit and then pass 8 more times.

The location of our apartment is marked with a yellow arrow.

  

The location on the Rue de Rivoli next to the Louvre where the riders enter the 8km circuit 

We watched the riders from street level and from our apartment window. 

A group of riders, including the overall leader in the Yellow Jersey, the Maillot Jaune

The Maillot Jaune races by again.

 In the center of Paris, the race is a high-speed sprint.  At times, the riders' speed exceeds 32 MPH.   So, when the pack raced by, it was almost a blur.  

The overall winner of the race was 22-year old Egan Bernal of the INEOS team.  He won the Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune) and also won the White Jersey for the best young rider.  

Thanks for watching the Tour de France with us.