We live within a few kilometers of the route of Stage 19, in the 2022 Tour de France. Papa and I drove along country roads, to a spot we thought would be good to watch. Alas, we weren’t the only ones! We arrived about an hour before the riders passed, so we got comfortable, along the road and next to a field of sunflowers. The road was closed to through traffic, but there were plenty of cars, trucks, and motorcycles carrying press and rider crews, ahead of the riders, honking their horns and waving to people along the road. There was a van with a loudspeaker, “5 minutes, 5 minutes.” We got up from our chairs, and I got ready to take photos. A lead car with flashing lights came along, then a motorcycle with a camera, and the first four riders were right behind him. Then one more, and all the rest, but one (he was several seconds back). A helicopter hovered over the road a few hundred meters from us. In less than a minute, they all passed by us! An then came the rest of the crews, carrying extra bikes, medical vans, and more. It was an exhilarating few minutes!
