Following France's 'Big loop'

The incredible spectacle that is the Tour de France has its own bank, bakery and hospital, as SALLY DILLON finds

It took about 10 seconds for the 200 riders of the Tour de France peloton to speed past in a blur of Lycra, an event I'd spent four hours waiting for. But, as any Tour veteran will tell you, watching the riders fly by is only a small part of the experience.

It was July and I was on a tour of France, exploring the quiet oak-shaded backroads on my bicycle, and had spent weeks in anticipation of seeing the world's most famous bike race. As I'd swooped down the hills beside fields of sunflowers, I'd imagined the riders doing the same, albeit at 10 times the speed.

Finally, the moment arrived. I planned to be in Bordeaux on the day the Tour came to town, and was determined to make the most of every minute. Early in the morning I pedalled through the quiet streets to find a good vantage point a few kilometres before the final sprint.

I then settled in for a long session of people-watching. French families turned the event into an outing, bringing chairs, food and gossip. Old men hunched on folding stools, radios glued to their ears as they followed the race progress. International visitors flaunted their national colours and waved their country's flags. Beer and wine flowed as groups of friends filled in the long wait.

After a few hours the caravane publicitaire arrived, an extraordinary parade of advertisers' floats in which the tacky mixed with the high-tech in a collection of decorated cars and fibreglass creations.

Enormous bicycle wheels, puffy Michelin men and cars topped with huge racehorses or icecream cones trundled by, carrying young women who threw trinkets to the crowd.

The advance party of high-speed team cars followed, horns blaring, roof racks of spare wheels glinting in the sunshine, the grim-faced drivers displaying skills rarely seen outside a Formula One course.

Finally, there was the race itself. The riders sped past in a hum of well-oiled machinery and a gleam of sweat as the crowd erupted into cries of "Allez!". I had only a few seconds to scan the faces of the pack of riders to try to find big names like Lance Armstrong. News helicopters swarmed overhead while photographers in pursuit of a perfect shot balanced on the backs of motorbikes.

And then it was over. Hours of anticipation, then woosh, it was gone. I rode my bicycle through the still-closed streets, following the yellow course signs as good-humoured pedestrians cheered me on.

By the time I resumed cycling the next morning the Tour riders were in another part of the country, their 200km days representing the distance I covered in four or five. It gave a new perspective to my cycling holiday and I appreciated my frequent stops at wineries, bakeries and chateaux.

Still, inspired by the riders' feats of endurance I thought I'd have a go at one of the famous Tour climbs, Puy de Dome in the Massif Central.

The 1465m climb was the scene of some memorable battles during the 1950s and 60s. In 1964 Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor rubbed shoulders as they jostled to the top, with Anquetil just pipping his competitor.

I wasn't expecting anything so challenging, but hadn't counted on the strict rules governing cyclists trying to climb the steep peak. I left Clermont-Ferrand at dawn, but made the mistake of turning up on a Tuesday - a sign at the bottom announced the route was only open to bike riders on Wednesday and Sunday mornings between May and September. You had to start the climb between 7am and 8.30am and be back at the bottom by 11am.

But I was there and I wanted to reach the top. So I cycled straight past the sign, pretending I couldn't read French, and flashed through the control gate, waving cheerily to the guard who shouted at me to stop. A few hundred metres up the steep climb and I thought I was on my way. Then an official-looking car screeched past me and braked in my path. The guard jumped out, yelling words like "Interdit" and waving me back down the hill.

I was stumped. Meekly, I apologised in English, maintaining my facade of the dumb tourist, and turned back down the hill.

It would have been much easier to try one of the climbs in the Alps, such as the grinding route up the Alpe d'Huez. Last year Tour winner Lance Armstrong pulled away from his competitors on the toughest section to win the stage. Other accessible climbs include the routes up the Col du Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux and the Col du Galibier.

Of course, you don't have to just recreate the hard bits. The Tour features 11 flat stages this year. There's plenty of opportunity to follow the 3395km race, either by doing very big days of riding, or by hiring a car to drive ahead of the competition.

Some cycle-touring companies offer the chance to ride parts of the Tour and shuttle by bus to other areas to pack in as much spectating as possible.

This year, the action starts on July 3, with the prologue's 6km time trial in Liege, Belgium. This year Le Grand Boucle (The Big Loop) travels anticlockwise around France, finishing on July 25 with the triumphal final stage into Paris. The days in the Pyrenees, July 16 and 17, are likely to decide the overall winner, with the 217km Stage 12 featuring a staggering 80.5km of climbing over five mountain passes.

For Tour devotees, following the race is about more than just watching the riders fly past. It's about living and breathing the event by staying in the same towns as the competitors and their incredible entourages. Thousands of people make up the convoy, with managers, trainers, doctors, sponsors, masseurs, mechanics and the media contributing to the energising bustle that surrounds the event. The race even has its own bank, bakery, hospital, weather station and hairdresser.

As tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc admits, "We close towns for a living". It's something you just can't experience from the couch. So, on your bike: ready, set, go!

GETTING AROUND FRANCE

French trains are fast and good value. The national railway SNCF will carry your bike free on regional trains; on fast trains, TGVs, bicycles have to be packed in quite small cases to travel free. See details on the website.


WHERE TO STAY

B&Bs or gites (self-contained cottages, apartments and even castles) can be viewed and booked online through the Gites de France website. Book hotels online or through your travel agent or, in low season, try your luck at the door.

ORGANISED TOURS

Several tour companies offer guided cycling tours in France. Book online or talk to your travel agent.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Read more on the official French tourist office website or the official Tour site.

TOUR WATCHING TIPS

Pack a hat, sunscreen, water, food and your patience. Try to get on a corner, where the peleton will have to slow down and you're more likely to be able to pick out individual riders.

Avoid being on a long strait, particularly in the final kilometres where the pace is likely to be very fast.

If you are lucky enough to be in an area where one of the alpine stages are being held, position yourself on the uphill climb in a section where you can see several switchbacks.

Do some research to find out whether any of the riders live in one of the towns on the route: if they do you can guarantee that town will turn the day's racing into a huge event.

A tradition known as the "bon de sortie" allows a local rider to ride unchallenged ahead of the peleton as he passes through his home town.