2011 Tour de France: Brittany fans

Near Avranches, France, BMC’s Marcus Burghardt wishes he had this fan’s umbrella. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

This was the roadside scene for over 140 miles of racing today. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Sharing a moment before the race arrives. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Four deep against the barricades for the greatest show on earth. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Seeing as Dol-de-Bretagne was founded around 500 AD, this 16th-Century hotel is pretty recent. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The sound of helicopter blades sends necks craning to see the peloton coming down the road. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The Tour is reason to party. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The Tour is coming. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Ready for rain or shine in the fields of Brittany. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Vive Le Tour, Vive Le France! Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

They start watching when they are young in France. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Cycling fans near Vire, France. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

A little rain in Brittany is like sunshine in California—it’s just part of your day. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

A long day of waiting can take its toll on the young ones. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The Tour is cool. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

French police watch the watchers. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Fans like this fill every town and village the Tour passes through. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The Tour brings generations together. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

French cycling fans attend to three things: coffee, cigarettes, and cell phones. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

For fans, the Tour de France is much more than a bike race. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

Crowds greet the peloton in Dol-de-Bretagne, a town in the Brittany region of northwest France. Photo: Mark Johnson/Ironstring

2020 Tour de France