Contre le Montre

Tour de France 2025

Wednesday 9 July: Stage 5 Caen - Caen
By car: 0 km
By bike: 34 km

Tat: EF Education lanyard,  E.Leclerc polka dot T-shirt (yeah!).

The ‘holy trinity’ of this year’s T-shirts - Škoda, Total Energies and La Vache Qui Rit (Laughing Cow) still elude me.

Today is Time Trial day - or  ”Contre le Montre”  as the French say (Against the Clock) which I  think sounds much better. Time Trials are quite boring for the TV audience - everyone comes back when the last rider (the one who is leading the race - they go in reverse order) starts, or just watches the highlights. However, for spectators at the race, they are special.

Spectating at a bike race normally involves sitting around in the hot sun for three or four hours, the tedium only punctured by the arrival of The Caravan. When the race finally arrives, they all whizz past in a few seconds. You’re very Iucky if you can make out any individual riders. And then it’s all over. Time Trials are the complete opposite. Riders are served up to you at two-minute intervals throughout the day. As they are riding individually, it’s easy to get a good look at them. Because there’s continuous action, it’s easy to move around the course, especially in the non-barriered sections out in the countryside. The paddock (pit area) is also open to the public (this would be the equivalent of Liverpool FC opening up their bootroom to everyone in the stadium just before a league match in football). Someone leaves the start house every two minutes. If it’s a circular route, like today, then there’s also the finish to visit.

On the Brompton today, I managed to visit the start, the finish, the paddock and timing points one and three, and get back to see the final riders, and the presentation ceremony at the end of the race. For spectators, Contre le Montre is great fun.

 

 

   

Likely spot me tomorrow at : Cote de la Rançonnière (145.5 km remaining)

Tomorrow's T-shirt: A nondescript royal blue one (it’s whatever comes out of the bag)

What’s this all about ? New readers start here

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Location: 14000 Caen, France

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