To continue my post-Tour therapy, let’s talk about what happened when we went to the start of Stage 3 in Valenciennes. This was our second consecutive rainy day. We’d bought four umbrellas at a Carrefour Express for Stage 2, but they were already starting to show some wear.
Pro Tip: I can’t believe I have to say this, but if you have a sturdy, travel-friendly umbrella you like, take it along, especially if you’re going to stages in le Nord.
We lucked into a pretty decent parking spot near downtown Valenciennes and made the ~1-2 mile hike to the starting line. Stage 3 was our first real encounter with the Tour de France caravan. We’d been there at the finish line in Lille, but the crowds were so big (in a good way) that we didn’t directly interact with the rolling party of music-blaring floats carrying French college students chucking free swag. In my state of extreme emotional stimulation, I may or may not have crawled into a thorny bush to snag a Skoda shirt (and left with the bloody legs to prove it).
Then, we stuck around to hear the team introductions, which were trilingual and really pretty great. Mark Cavendish walked twenty feet in front of me.
Pro Tip: Spend some time with Duo Lingo before you go. Knowing a bit of French goes a long way, especially in smaller towns like Valenciennes where English isn’t a given. In the big cities, you’ll hear beaucoup English, but in smaller towns, not so much. Also, Google Translate can be really helpful in a pinch—download it before you go. Also, since we’re talking about internet connectivity, consider an eSIM for local internet access. Even with our provider’s international data plan, service was super spotty.
Then we stuck around to eat hamburgers from a food truck near the starting line. Port-a-potties were clean (as always) and plentiful (which seemed miraculous). We stopped at a pharmacie on the way out of town to get antiseptic spray for my scratchy legs. No sporotrichosis to be found here, mes amis.
Also, watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. It’s awesome, and its presence makes all my talk about a “post-tour” time right now a little whiny.