2 weeks ago I went to see the Martigny-Borg Saint Maurice stage of the TdF.
I arrived in Valle d'Aosta the day before the stage and the first thing I did was to go on the Col du Petit Saint Bernard (in Italian it is "Colle del piccolo San Bernardo") and take a look at the climb.
There were already a lot of supporters there:people from Germany (I also saw the famous "Devil",already dressed up in red even if it was just 11 am of the day before the stage),Belgium, Australia (of course they had a big kangaroo peluche outside their camper),Denmark, Norwegy,Ireland,Great Britain,Spain,Basque Country,France (of course...),Italy (there was also a camper from my same city),Slovenia,Czech Republic,Holland...And of course,there were also lots of people from Luxembourg.And a lot of people were riding on the climb with their bikes.
There were even some things already written on the road,like "Go Hushovd!","Cav Cav Cav", "Go Wiggo","DK:Brian,Nicki,C.A."(it's not an abbreviation of mine,Dane supporters actually wrote "C.A." probably because "Chris-Anker" was too long),"Allez Schleck! Andy and Frank", "Vamos Contador!".I had never seen so many people from so many different countries in just one place before.
The weather was nice,so we parked the car in France and then we went to an Italian bar and ate something (that morning I went back and forth between France and Italy at least 10 times...). The landscape was amazing,so we decided to eat near to a little lake.
In the afternoon we went to take a walk,but me couldn't concentrate a lot on the wonderful landscape because Fangirl was taking over.
The following day,we woke up at 6.30 and immediately got in our car.Bad news,it was raining. Fangirl said: "Who cares?",but Logic immediately reminded her that sitting on the wet grass for 12 hours isn't actually a nice thing.Fangirl couldn't do anything but agree with Logic. Logic was actually a bit envious of people with camper and tried to imagine her day and compare it to the day of "a camper owner".
Logic's day: 6 am:wake up. 7.30:you're on the top of the climb. 8.00:you go and have breakfast. 9.00-12.00:you wander on the top of the climb.12.-14.00:you eat something (probably a roll or an hot dog) in a really slow way,so time passes faster.14-16.00:you use your English/German/ Spanish skills to try and get information about the race from someone who has a television,a radio,or is talking on the phone (who knows,perhaps they're asking for race updates).16.00-18: your daily turn is over,now it's Fangirl time.
Camper person day: 11.00: wake up. 12.00-13.00:you eat something warm and good,not a roll like other supporters do.13.00-14.30:you take a walk around your camper.14.30-16.00: ou watch the race on your own tv,without the need of using your English/Spanish/German skills in order to steal information about how the race is going.16:00:you go out from your camper and watch the race live.Of course you don't look as anxious as other supporters because you perfectly know when the riders will arrive,who is at the front of the race and so on.
Actually,I soon found out that "camper people" were already awake at 7.00 am and they were already having breakfast.And other people (the Dane guys at the bottom of the climb,for example) even slept in their car,using Denmark's flags as curtains.In particular,a Norwegian old man attracted my attention:he was awake,outside his car,wearing shorts,flip flop and a sweater. And it was raining and there were just 10 degrees.
A Swiss man instead put his tent on the top of his car and slept there.Unbelievable.
At 7.30 people started to built the "GPM" things on the top of the climb and weather started to get better.
From 7.30 until 16.00,supporters kept on arriving by bike at the top of the climb.Some of them were riding very strange bicycles.
The supporters also began to show their love to their nation during the morning.This is a big flag made by Dane supporters (they used 21 sheets to make it).I know it may look like Switzerland's flag but believe me,it was a Denmark's flag.
After having breakfast,my family and I started to look for a good place where to sit and see the race.I wanted to go on a little hill on which there was a big Luxembourgian flag and a big "Schleck flag" (see pic),but then I changed idea because it was too crowded.
We eventually found a very nice place near to the little hill and,since it was beginning to get too crowded,we sat down there and stayed there the whole day. 
Little thing to notice: we sat down there at 11 am.And the riders arrived between 16.30-17.00. Ouch.
There were some things written on the road in front of us,here are 2 of them that I really loved:
The Dutch family at our right wrote things in support of Rabobank and Skill riders and they even wrote "Go Kenny Van Hummel" on a sheet they had with them.If the guys at my right were Dutch,the ones at my left were probably Dane.Or at least,they were both blonde,with light blue eyes,tall and looking tipically Dane.Considering also the facts that they were wearing Saxo Bank uniforms and they yelled in an incredible way at los Sorensens,I guessed they were Dane. In front of us instead there were Kreuziger's supporters,while in the distance there was the "Luxembourgish hill".
At 15.00 the publicity caravan started to arrive.Boygues Telecom was the most generous team,IMO:they gave everyone they saw an official t-shirt of the team and a little hat.I managed to get the t-shirt without making any effort:I was walking on the road and a man on a car threw me a t-shirt.
Also Caisse d'Epargne threw some t-shirts and hats,but I couldn't get any (damn!).At the end of the caravan,I had a Boygues Telecom t-shirt,a polka dots hat (that I immediately wore because my patriotism was starting to show,jus like it does in every big occasion with lots of non-Italian people around),a pen and some sweets.
And of course in the publicity caravan there was also THE YETI.I was speechless when I saw it.
Anyway,when the publicity caravan ended and some minutes passed,I started to hear the sound of an helicopter."Am I getting crazy or do you hear a strange sound as well?",I asked my father.No,I wasn't getting crazy,he was hearing that sound as well.
The feeling you get when you're on the top of a climb,waiting for a cycling race,and you suddenly hear the helicopter sound is a very strange one.
I didn't know anything about how the race was going,and I didn't know if the riders were already on the climb or not.Of course all the kind of thoughts started to run through my mind:"And if you don't see los Schlecks? And if they got retired? And if they have fallen? And if they're on a breakaway? And if a big doping affair was found out this morning?".
Also people near to me were very anxious and,probably,worried:they started to stand up,wake the little kids,start to laugh in a nervous way...
Then the motorbikes started to arrive and,after a few seconds,we saw the 3 riders at the head of the race:Astarloza,Van Den Broeck and Pellizotti.I didn't take any pic 'cause in some situations I think you just have to enjoy the moment and focus on the riders,not on things like "Is my camera right? Oh my,I have to zoom that! When do I take the pic? Now? F***,they already rode past me! Is it better if I take a pic or a vid?".
My patriotism unfortunately was already free,so when Pellizotti rode in front of me I screamed "Vai Franco,vai,vaiii!" and I felt pretty stupid.Anyway,I wasn't the only person looking a bit "strange":all the people I could see were screaming,clapping their hands,whistling,jumping...I suddenly felt relieved: I wasn't crazier than anyone else.
Then a group of riders including Fedrigo and Roche came;you don't need to have a great fantasy to understand how I managed to recognise the French rider.
Then,after a little group of riders including also Karpets,the GC contender group came.I just recognised 3 people between all the ones that were in that group:Voigt,Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck.I didn't see Armstrong,Contador,Wiggins,Nibali and the other riders:I was paying too much attention to the Saxo Bank guys.
Voigt was pulling hard,with a look of pain on his face,while Andy was on his pedals.I just saw Frank's back because I was a bit too much concentrated on Andy. Random thought: "Man,Frank's skinny!".
Of course you all know that Jens crashed 3-4 kms after riding in front of me.When I found out about that (and phoned home to ask if he was badly injured),my day got worse.Anyway,Jens is now doing ok after the circumstances and has said he may come back in September. Obviously, me's looking forward to see him on the road again.
After the GC group there were Kreuziger,Sastre and Kirchen.I didn't recognise Kreuziger,but I saw Sastre and Kirchen very well.Then I saw Brice Feillu,riding with Cadel Evans.Evans was clearly suffering,while Feillu was just...skinny.Random thought "He's even skinnier than Frank Schleck! And he even looks taller".
Then I saw Nocentini (patriotism made me scream "Vai Rinaldoooooo!!!"),Gerdemann (Fangirl went:"Leeenooos! Gooo!") and Sylvain Chavanel.
A few seconds after them,all alone,came Chris-Anker Sorensen.He didn't look as suffering as usual and seemed to have a very good pace.Of course I had to scream something,and Fangirl and Logic had a little debate: Fangirl:"I'll scream 'Go Chris-Anker!".Logic:"You can't scream that,it's too long.By the time you open your mouth and scream,he will already have ridden past you". F:"What about 'Go Sorensen?" L:"nah,if Italian chronists heard you,it would sound as if you couldn't recognise the Sorensens.And you can tell who is Nicki and who is Chris-Anker after all this time,right?".Logic approved Fangirl's last idea and found herself screaming (together with Fangirl): "Go Chris!!!".The Dane guys near me screamed the same thing,adding something in a language I didn't understand.Random thought I had when I saw C.A.? "Man,he's very skinny as well!"
The following Saxo Banker that rode in front of me was Nicki Sorensen.And here,Fangirl and Logic agreed in screaming: "Go Nickiiii!".There was another little debate when Gustav Erik Larsson rode past me,but agreement was soon found and I screamed "Go Gustav!".
Then Vanotti rode past us and Patriotism connected with Neighborhood made me scream "Vai, Alessandro,vaiii! Bravooo!!",while someone of the family was screaming something in Bergamask.
I also yelled something at Menchov and at Tony Martin.Sister was disappointed to see him in the last position of the race and so was I.
Then came the first gruppetto.And it was lead by-guess who? Pozzatolocks (and Ballan).Nobody didn't scream anything for him,probably because people were more concentrated on supporting Hushovd and Freire.With them there was also Fab Fab,who I recognised at the last moment because he was already wearing the "descent jersey" (how d'you say "mantellina" in English?).
Then there was the 2nd gruppetto,including Bello Benna,and the third gruppetto including Cavendish,Renshaw and other Columbia riders.I didn't see O'Grady and I was pretty worried about him.
After the 3rd gruppetto,everybody started to go on the road,but there was still one rider missing:Kenny Robert Van Hummel.He eventually arrived,alone,looking in pain,and everybody (everybody,Dutch family,Italian people,Dane boys,mountain rocks) supported him in a great way.Probably he was the most supported rider on that day.
And so the race was over.
We got back to the car,tired but happy,and got the news of Astarloza's victory.
We all know how it ended up with Astarloza.When I heard the news that he failed an anti-doping test,I remembered a person I rapidly saw that day:it was a basque man,driving his camper in the column of vehicles heading towards France immediately after the stage;He was looking happy and showing everybody a Basque flag and a pic of Euskaltel-Euskadi.I smiled at him and he smiled back at me.That was my first thought when I heard that bad news.People say: "There's always a risk when you start to love cycling",but I'll never get used to it.And,even with doping,cycling is the only sport that can allow you to live amazing days,waiting for hours on a climb (or doing 12 kms uphill by foot,like an Irish supporter did) just to see your favourite riders ride near to you.
(pics by me and my sister-"Second day at le Tour" will arrive soon).
Finally we saw some buses (and some indications) and managed to find the "bus area" and the start zone.
When the bus had parked,lots of journalists,photographers and cameramen went there,so it became impossible to take good pics of the riders.
