My Mom was an avid fan of the Tour de France! Her favorite part of it was seeing the wonderful scenery and historical buildings when the Tour was shown on TV! I used to call her on the phone and we would talk about the favorite things she saw each day. There is no sporting event in the entire world like the Tour de France. It  takes place over 23 days (21 stages and 2 rest days) and covers over 2,000 miles. Each year the race takes a different route, but the finish is always in Paris with a magnificent sprint down the Champs-Élysées. I’ve been on numerous cycling tours during the Tour de France. We rode many of the same routes the day before a stage or the next day. It was exhilarating to ride part of the routes and fantasize what it is like to be a pro with all their screaming fans. I will share images of some of these trips and hopefully you will feel the “joie de vivre” I have when visiting this beautiful country. The Medieval Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard in the hills near Lac Annecy shown above was seen in this year’s Tour.

My Mom loved to see the old villages and the pageantry during the race.

Another favorite of hers was to see the French aerial views of “farm art.” During the Tour many regions of rural France design intricate farm art to advertise the unique aspects of their area often with hundreds of people participating. They all are hoping the French TV helicopters will show their creations.

Cycling gorgeous rural roads in France.

Each year the small villages included in the race route get all spruced up with flowers and flags.

You see monuments like this in almost every small town memorializing those who died during World War 1.

This year stage 10 started in Lac Annecy. The wonderful building in the middle of the river was once a 12th century island prison.

Dining in Annecy town.

Lac Annecy is the purest lake in all of Europe!

There are many challenging cycling routes from the lake and many have been used during the Tour.

I traveled with my son-in-law Stan on my first Tour de France cycling tour in 2002. We are riding around beautiful Lac Annecy.

Years later my son-in-law Ray and I rode a “Classic Climbs of the Tour de France” tour. We are heading up a steep road from the lake. The views were amazing!

The Tour de France has often gone over the 8678′ summit of the Col de Galibier, high in the French Alps.  I’ve cycled it twice and it was the hardest cycling day I’ve ever had! I began in hot sun far below in the valley and  summited in frozen rain!

Almost there! Legs and lungs don’t fail me now!

I made it!

After you ride over the summit of the Col de Galibier you head down toward the gorgeous little alpine village of La Grave. The Le Meije glacier is across from the village. 

French television does a great job of showing helicopter images of interesting sites on the stage routes like the 9th century Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Abbey. My friend Philippe and I cycled in this region of Southwestern France and enjoyed a delightful lunch in town.

French country roads and colorful poppies. 

I positioned myself at the 1 kilometer marker to watch a stage of the Tour.

The Tour occasionally goes into the the Ardeche area of France. I spotted this ancient bridge while riding in this region.

I love all the ancient chateaus one can spot while riding.

This was a fabulous day in the Alps.

An ancient bridge in Southwestern France.

Years ago I was fortunate to ride in Paris a few hours before the Tour pro riders entered the city on the final day. It was so exciting and a day I’ll never forget!

I could see all the team buses from my viewing terrace at the Crillon Hotel in Paris during the 2002 Tour.

These are old images of my favorite ever rider of the Tour de France, Gino Bartali. He won the race in 1938 and in 1948. He is remembered for much more than being a champion cyclist as he risked his life helping to save almost 800 Jews during the war. Click on the link to read about his amazing story.

I’m riding down to the town of Le Bourg-d’Oisans before tackling the infamous Alpe d’Huez. The Alpe d’Huez was used in this year’s Tour.

The scenery heading up the mountain is breathtaking.

I’ve summited Alpe d’Huez three times in past years. It is a total brute but worth the effort! I love the Tour de France and I hope you will watch a few stages to see the majesty of France.

“Mom, I hope they have TV coverage of the Tour de France for you in heaven!”

Photos: Dick Gentry, GruberImages on image #2.