Where to watch
Stage finishes are usually very hectic. More often than not, the final hundred-plus metres of each stage are taken over by stands reserved for officials, the press, friends and family of riders, etc. If you’re hoping to get a slot near the finish line, get there early (at least three or four hours before the race arrives). On flatter stages, it is not normally too difficult to find a slot outside the final kilometre. Climbs, however, are always very popular. This is where the riders slow down, spread out over as much as an hour – and it’s also where the race is won.

On the big climbs (in the Alps and Pyrenees), motorists are well advised to turn up the night before – particularly on final climbs. The mountain roads taken by the riders often close many hours before the race arrives. In the case of climbs near the end of a stage, roads may close the night before. Note that road closure times indicated on this site (under Road Advice in each stage) are for motorists only. Pedestrians can walk on the roads until a few minutes before the race – and cyclists are usually allowed on the roads till a couple of hours before the riders arrive. Indeed, the big climbs are often crowded with cyclists taking the opportunity to ride on traffic-free roads (with the exception of an occasional speeding official car).

Cars can usually be parked on the route by the roadside (providing you turn up early enough to get a slot). Otherwise, it’s usually possible to park on a neighbouring road. Note, this advice does not apply to big towns and cities, where parking is likely to be difficult – even if local authorities usually lay on extra parking facilities. In the mountains, an interesting option is to park the car on a neighbouring climb and hike across to the tour route. This way, you can avoid the worst of the traffic.

In the mountains, expect traffic jams. Stages that finish at ski stations accessible by one road only are bad news, in that they create chaotic, hour-long jams once the race has finished. Many riders descend the final climb on their bikes, because it is quicker than taking the team bus, which has to fight through endless traffic jams.

Caravane publicitaire
Preceding the riders by roughly an hour, the caravane publicitaire is the advertising cavalcade that distributes free gifts to fans awaiting the race. The chief sponsors of the race and the teams are all represented in the caravane.

Each sponsor has a number of vehicles, which are often designed in unusual ways to grab attention – take the motorised Crédit Lyonnais lion, or the PMU horses atop a car. The vehicles form a procession which follows the same route as the riders, but precedes them by about an hour. Teams of helpers inside the vehicles throw out freebies to the crowds. These may be keyrings, pens, bags, hats, fridge magnets, etc – all duly inscribed with the sponsor’s logo. In recent years, coffee sponsors have given out free coffee samples (and even free cups of coffee), bakeries have distributed mini-cakes, and Champion supermarkets have thrown out red-spotted waterproofs.

Difficult to say which is the most ridiculous vehicle in the caravane

The caravane usually takes 30-odd minutes to pass by. Be prepared to scramble for gifts that are thrown from the passing vehicles. Also watch out for the Aquarel vans, equipped with water jets to spray the public!

Near stage finishes, sponsors often hand out freebies (hats, PMU cardboard giant hands) to crowds in the last kilometre or so.

En fête
Above all, the Tour de France is about enjoying yourself. For towns on the route, it’s a chance to show off. The local authorities usually make an effort to impress tourists, sprucing up the town, hanging flags, and – particularly at start and finishing towns – laying on free entertainment. More often than not, the town hosting the finish puts on live music, a dance, fireworks, etc. See the Events section of each stage on the Roadside Tour site for more details. On the roadside, families get out their garden furniture, barbecues, and have a typically long French lunch as they await the Tour. Time-trials are particularly great occasions to soak up the atmosphere, as the riders fly by one-by-one over an afternoon.