The publicity caravan is a big deal at the Tour de France, and roadside goers take the swag hunt very seriously.
In the hours before the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift peloton scorches the pavement, a much slower, yet just as rowdy, race passes through the quaint villages of France.
The publicity caravan is as much a part of the Tour de France as the yellow jersey itself. It’s a time-honoured tradition for race goers as they wait for the real show. For some, it is the real show. The reason they trek out to the middle of nowhere, not an open boulangerie in sight. A couple of bucket hats, a bum bag, even a chocolate pudding. All free.
The publicity caravan is so enthralling that our very own Iain Treloar has made it his thing, once a year. This year, he even tested it out himself, inside a moving cauliflower.
I rode the Tour de France cauliflower
Heatstroke, spotty hats, and a Shakira song on loop: a day in the life of the Tour de France caravan.
But this isn’t a story about the Tour de France Femmes caravan. No, I will leave any reporting to Iain. I wouldn’t want to step on his toes.
One day I will be a big caravan vehicle but today I am broken down
A tragic tale on a big mountain day.
During the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes, we decided it would be a good idea to drive the whole course. On the ground at the finish of stage 2, and again at the start of the third stage, the talk had all been around the difficulty of the stage. It would be harder than anyone expected. It could be a GC day, even. We decided to see just how hard it was for ourselves.
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