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Will Frischkorn's Tour de France diary, stage 1
Garmin-Chipotle's Will Frischkorn checks in after his first Tour stage
Garmin-Chipotle rider Will Frischkorn is riding his first Tour de France. He will share his journal entries with VeloNews.com readers after each stage.
People. That's the word of the day. I'm always amazed by how many people swarm the climbs in races like the Tour of Flanders and the Pave of Roubaix ... that's nothing. I'd seen the videos and the pictures, heard the stories about the crowds on the epic climbs of the Tour, but had no idea how many people would be EVERYWHERE! Crazy.
Until this morning the magnitude of this event hadn't really hit home. The presentation was big-time, but yesterday we got to relax at the hotel. We'd actually stayed at the same place for a Coupe de France race last year and I think the familiarity and the fact that it wasn't the plushest place kept things grounded. It was raining much of the day and a few of us stuck to the trainer, doing just enough to keep the legs open, but not dealing with the stress of the roads in the rain. Fortunately when I popped the blinds open this morning sun was shining and it stuck with us all day.
Breakfast, courtesy of chef Willy, kicked the day off well and we were off in the bus shortly afterwards. Rolling up to the start area was when the fact that it was the Tour de France really hit home. Those aforementioned people ... they were EVERYWHERE! Press was surrounding the doors to the bus. The US ambassador, security crew surrounding him, rolled up for a quick hello. We had our race meeting, stuffed some grub in the pockets and after sign-in were off. The feeling standing there on the line, the classic Tour split-arc start banner across the boulevard ahead and people lining it as far as you could see was enough to put some goosebumps on a lot of arms.
Back to those people. The racing — it's still a bike race — the same guys we've been racing with the past few months — only the nerves are HIGH. It's not often you see guys like Zabel, Schumacher or the Schlecks juking guys for spots in the neutral ... The biggest difference is honestly the crowds. They're unreal — and dangerous as all getout; people poking their heads out, camera in front of their face, trying to grab that shot; kids peeling between parents legs; baby strollers and wheelchairs sticking out a bit too far; flags that get swung a bit low; and then, the worst, the spectator who turns to follow their favorite rider as he passes, not realizing that they are sliding out into the road, their backs to a charging peloton. Scary. Unreal scary. You waste more nervous energy looking out for spectators than you do paying attention to the race.
All that said, it's hard to not appreciate, if not be truly awed, by how many people are out watching a bike race. When people say that the public are abandoning the sport ... not a chance. Faith renewed. I can't imagine the mountains ...
As far as the race went, I spent a good chunk of time running errands to and from the car, and getting guys positioned near the finish run-in. From 25k to the turn with 10 to go I had Julian on the wheel, riding beside those chasing on the front, and eventually taking a couple turns to keep the speed high and our guys in the sweet spot. Then my job was done.
I was fortunately still positioned ahead of the crashes as I drifted back through the field, and then tail-gunned it into the bottom of the last climb, sitting up at the bottom and staring, in awe, at the crowds lining the last 2k. It probably took 10 minutes to make it the 500 meters to the bus, and then another 30 for Yvon to get us on the road, slowly following a police escort through the mobs.
We're now just about back to the hotel and my thumbs are starting to cramp on the Blackberry ... but thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing this pretty crazy experience over the three weeks to come! Three weeks ... jeebus ... three weeks! Wow. Just the beginning ...
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