In an extract from her new book, cycling journalist Sophie Smith gives an insight into what it’s like to cover a stage at the grand tour
The Tour de France peloton passes a field of sunflowers on a stage from Parc des Oiseaux to Bourg-en-Bresse in 2021.The Tour de France peloton passes a field of sunflowers on a stage from Parc des Oiseaux to Bourg-en-Bresse in 2021.Last modified on Tue 7 Jun 2022 03.46 BST
The sound of idling engines has given way to the roar of fast accelerations, and then abrupt braking. My ears start to ring as the tooting of car horns is drowned out by the five or six helicopters now circling above us to broadcast the race. I look ahead to see the single lane entry into the village the peloton is passing through, under bunting that is zigzagging from rooftop to rooftop across the town.
The majority aren’t there for one person though, or one team. They’re applauding with respect and admiration for the entire race; the moving circus that, in a few short minutes, has come and gone. Piquet is the Radio Tour speaker and everyone in the convoy responds to the information he provides. Sports directors, on a different frequency, can then pass that on to their riders, who all have a headphone taped into one ear.
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