Best places to watch 2015 Tour de France

If you're looking for ideas on where to watch the 2015 Tour de France Mountain Stages, you're in the right spot.

I get a lot of questions from VeloNomad readers about the ins and outs of watching a Tour de France stage and whilst the basic tenets of watching a stage irrespective of the year are the same, it’s always worth deconstructing each particular year.

Watching the Tour from the road is a dream for most of us obsessed cyclists but it can be a bit of a minefield: if you’re not careful you can miss stages entirely or end up in a totally sucky spot. (See all my TDF roadside trip reports here)

I think it makes sense to undertake some forward planning to identify ideal vantage points as well as having a list of alternatives.

Trust me, doing the planning up front will save you time and hassle and a possible missed stage (this has happened to me numerous times).

All you need is to be forewarned, fore-armed and do some planning (I’ve got some stuff at the end of this to help you plan).

Below you'll find some ideas on the best places to watch the 2015 Tour de France in the mountains.

When making these recommendations, I do not take into account what you’re doing on the rest of your trip. Rather, I treat each stage on its own.

What I mean by this is: if you were seeing saying 5 stages in a row, my recommendations would be very different than if you were seeing 1 or 2 or 3 stages.

So, if you are seeing more than any one of these stages in a row, your plans might need to change markedly. If that’s the case, you can contact me for some personalised advice (the advice isn't free, you can book me for 30 minutes of advice).

I’ve been through the good and bad watching the TDF, and I want to make sure everyone has a most-awesome experience.

So let’s get into it and help you work out what to do, where to go and how to outflank the gendarmerie in 2015!

The Main TDF Stages

Choosing the best place to watch the 2015 Tour de France, is, in my mind, very easy.

For some people, cramming as much TDF in as they can handle is the goal, but for me it’s utter folly.

And for others, certain stages will be of interest: stage starts, finishes, or perhaps for 2015 the cobbles of the North.

If that’s you, take what you will from the below, and add in your own goals.

You might be wondering, “what about moving around and following the Tour?”.

Sure, that’s possible but it’s a pain in the bum and from personal experience I always counsel people to try and stay in one place for a few days and enjoy their holiday.

After choosing where to base oneself, you need to pick where on each stage to watch the TDF.

And as far as I am concerned, there is only one place to be: the mountains.

And this leads to two places or areas for the 2015 TDF.

1. St Jean de Maurienne or somewhere nearby is the perfect place to base yourself for the 2015 TDF Alps stages.
2. Somewhere around Oloron Ste Marie is perfect for the Pyrenean stages.

Be aware that for some of my recommendations, where they include major ascents, you’ll need to be up on the bike early (i.e. 7AM) to beat the road closures.

Click each Stage number in the sections below to be taken to the official TDF page stage summary.

Stage	Date	To/From
10	July 14	Tarbes > La Pierre-Saint-Martin
11	July 15	Pau / Cauterets > Vallée de Saint-Savin
12	July 16	Lannemezan > Plateau de Beille
17	July 22	Digne-les-Bains > Pra Loup
18	July 23	Gap > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
19	July 24	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > La Toussuire – Les Sybelles
29	July 25	Modane Valfréjus > Alpe d’Huez

Stage 10

This stage doesn’t look like much, but is going to be a cracking finish. Through pristine Atlantic Pyrenees countryside, this stage finishes atop the epic La Pierre-Saint-Martin on the Spanish border.

Having ridden up this climb myself, despite it’s apparent un-toughness, it is indeed very tough.

Replete with scrubby, almost arid-appearing flora at the peak, where bears and wolves live (!), this is a mountain made incongruous with the lush countryside below.

This is Three Musketeers country so is an interesting area to visit. Oloron-Saint-Marie is a very nice village to visit and stay in.

There are many options here, but this is what I’d do.

Basing myself in Arrette, or driving there early in the morning, I’d ride up the day’s final climb early in the day, and then:

1. Ride back down to Arrette or Aramits, watching on telly till the peloton arrives. Watch them pass, then watch on TV in a bar (there is one in Arrette but not much in Aramits).
2. Ride up the Pierre-Saint-Martin the morning then wait for the Tour. There are no cafes at the top, so take food, water and appropriate clothing.

You could also ride up from the Spanish side, as there is a nice Spanish village on the other side.

For more information, I wrote a guide specifically for this area, the guide to the Atlantic Pyrenees.

Climbs of the day:

• Km 66.0 – Côte de Bougarber: 1.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.2% – category 4
• Km 90.0 – Côte de Vielleségure: 1.7 kilometre-long climb at 5.9% – category 4
• Km 134.0 – Côte de Montory: 1.8 kilometre-long climb at 6.3% – category 4
• Km 167.0 – LA PIERRE-SAINT-MARTIN (1 610 m): 15.3 kilometre-long climb at 7.4% – category HC

Stage 11

Hooley-dooley what a cracker.

Lots of options here, but here’s what I’d do.

1. Go ride the Aspin-Tourmalet double (or Tourmalet only) EARLY in the morning. For the less-fit reader, you WILL need to allow 2 hours or more for the Tourmalet. You will also need to go early. I mean it, GO EARLY.
2. Or, go ride the Tourmalet, then come back down to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. From there you can watch on TV in the cool little pizza place with the outdoor terrace bar until they come past. Cheer them as they go past, then back to the TV for the finish.
3. Go ride the Aspin from Arreau, down into Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, and then watch from a bar on the telly until they arrive. Then ride back over the Aspin after the stage finishes.

Climbs of the day:

• Km 48.5 – Côte de Loucrup: 2 kilometre-long climb at 7% – category 3
• Km 61.5 – Côte de Bagnères-de-Bigorre: 1.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.1% – category 4
• Km 74.5 – Côte de Mauvezin: 2.7 kilometre-long climb at 6% – category 3
• Km 117.0 – Col d'Aspin (1 490 m): 12 kilometre-long climb at 6.5% – category 1
• Km 147.0 – Col du Tourmalet (2 115 m) Souvenir Jacques Goddet: 17.1 kilometre-long climb at 7.3% – category H
• Km 184.5 – Côte de Cauterets: 6.4 kilometre-long climb at 5% – category 3

Stage 12

Lots of options here for Stage 12.

My personal pick would be watching from Aspet after riding the Portet d’Aspet in the morning. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could do the Aspet-de la Core double, but you will need to leave early to be able to ride both then find a spot to watch on telly.

The Port de Lers is a good option to ride early, and from there you can head down into Les Cabannes to watch on telly in town. From Les Cabannes you can walk up the hill just before the arrive.

Les Cabannes will be VERY busy. Here’s my stage report from Stage 14, 2011 which finished on the Plateau de Beille. The road to the top will close 2 days beforehand.

Climbs of the day:

• Km 57.5 – Col de Portet-d'Aspet (1 069 m): 4.3 kilometre-long climb at 9.7% – category 2
• Km 93.0 – Col de la Core (1 389 m): 14.1 kilometre-long climb at 5.7% – category 1
• Km 144.0 – Port de Lers (1 517 m): 12.9 kilometre-long climb at 6% – category 1
• Km 195.0 – PLATEAU DE BEILLE (1 780 m): 15.8 kilometre-long climb at 7.9% – category H

Stage 17

I cannot offer any personal insights on this stage as I’ve sadly not ridden the Col d’Allos or Pra Loup.

I would apply my general logic though: find a town near a climb that has a bar (or more) with TV, ride the mountain early, then settle in in front of telly. I’d suggest that might be one of the earlier climbs or the Allos, if you can ride back down it.

Pra Loup is a ski resort, so you could easily ride up it, or the Allos then Pra Loup, and find a bar with a TV. That will turn out to be a very long day though.

• Km 40.0 – Col des Lèques
: 6 kilometre-long climb at 5.3% – category 3
• Km 67.0 – Col de Toutes Aures: 
6.1 kilometre-long climb at 3.1% – category 3
• Km 96.0 – Col de la Colle-Saint-Michel (1 431 m): 
11 kilometre-long climb at 5.2% – category 2
• Km 139.0 – Col d'Allos ( 2 250 m)
: 14 kilometre-long climb at 5.5% – category 1
• 

Km 161.0 – PRA LOUP (1 620 m)
: 6.2 kilometre-long climb at 6.5% – category 2

Stage 18

For me this one is easy: ride the Glandon/Croix fe Fer in the morning, then perch at the bar on the Glandon watching the Tour on TV. When they come past, cheer from the road, then, back to the bar.

A second option is to, from Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines, ride the Lacets AND the Glandon in the morning, back down to de-Cuines for some tour on TV. It sounds like not too many fans will be allowed on the road though.

Le Lacets de Montvernier is an incredible piece of road: check out Podium Cafe's write up on this remarkable road.

• Km 6.5 – Col Bayard (1 264 m): 
6.3 kilometre-long climb at 7% – category 2
• Km 35.5 – Rampe du Motty
: 2.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% – category 3
• Km 60.5 – Côte de la Mure
: 2.7 kilometre-long climb at 7.5% – category 3
• Km 70.5 – Col de Malissol
: 2 kilometre-long climb at 8.7% – category 3
• Km 85.0 – Col de la Morte (1 368 m)
: 3.1 kilometre-long climb at 8.4% – category 2
• Km 147.0 – Col du Glandon (1 924 m)
: 21.7 kilometre-long climb at 5.1% – category HC
• Km 176.5 – Lacets de Montvernier (782 m): 
3.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.2% – category 2

Stage 19

Lots of great options here.

1. Ride the Glandon in the morning, then, as in Stage 18, wait for the Tour to arrive, passing the time in the bar at the Glandon/Croix de Fer junction.
2. Ride the Mollard in the morning, ride back down and do La Toussuire, watching on TV, awaiting the Tour’s arrival in a bar.
3. Ride the Mollard, up to the Croix de Fer, then back down to Saint Sorlin D’Arves for some Tour on Le Telly.

Just remember, the Glandon/Croix de Fer is a long, long way up. Here's my ride up it in 2011, AFTER Etape du Tour (which mimics Stage 20 from 2015, and 2011's Stage 19, the year Cadel won).

The day's climbs:

• Km 15.5 – Col du Chaussy (1 533 m) (D77-VC): 15.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.3% – category 1
• Km 83.0 – Col de la Croix de Fer (2 067 m): 22.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% – category H
• Km 103.0 – Col du Mollard (1 638 m):5.7 kilometre-long climb at 6.8% – category 2
• Km 138.0 – LA TOUSSUIRE (1 705 m): 18 kilometre-long climb at 6.1% – category 1

Stage 20

Identical to 2011‘s famous Stage 19, where Cadel Evans laid waste to Andy Schleck’s dreams of a TDF GC by chasing Andy down the Galibier to seal the Aussie’s TDF. It was also the scene of the 2011 Etape du Tour (my report here).

There will be TVs to catch the Tour at the Lautaret, Valloire, La Grave and Bourg D’Oisans.

Lots of options here depending where you’re coming from.

1. I personally would ride up the Alpe d’Huez a few times in the morning. It will be super busy, so do it early. Then either head back down to Bourg D’Oisans for TV or stay atop the Alpe where there are loads of bars (I like O Bar) to stop and watch on TV and await the riders. It will be absolutely manic, but you should do it once.
2. You could also ride up the Telegraphe and base yourself in Valloire. For the faster riders, you could do the Galibier too, either riding back down into Valloire or onto the Lautaret for TV. Actually, if you leave early enough you should be able to get over the Galibier and down into Bourg d’Oisans before the roads close.
3. From Briancon, ride to the Lautaret or Galibier. If riding to to the Galbier, you could ride into Valloire to watch on TV, or, back to the Lautaret.
4. From the Bourg D’Oisans side, attempt to get to the Lautaret or even Galibier to watch the passage, then get to the Lautaret for TV.

Remember, the Galibier is a long, long way up for most cyclists.

The day's climbs:

• Km 26.0 – Col du Télégraphe (1 566 m): 11.9 kilometre-long climb at 7.1% – category 1
• Km 49.0 – Col du Galibier (2 645 m) Souvenir Henri Desgrange: 17.7 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% – category H
• Km 110.5 – ALPE-D'HUEZ (1 850 m): 13.8 kilometre-long climb at 8.1% – category H

Resources and other stuff

Prepaid France SIM cards

Don’t forget: to really remind your mates back at home how ace this trip is, you’ll probably want a France prepaid SIM. Grab one here.

With enough credit for a data pack and plenty of calls, and super cheap data, these SIMs are a no-brainer, easy-to-use SIM with everything (including support) in English.

Other articles

Here are some other useful articles for planning your trip.

• Tour de France trip reports (roadside from the TDF)
• How to outflank a gendarme on a TDF stage
• Planning a cycling holiday
• Plan a cycling trip to the TDF

My trip itineraries

You can download all my itineraries (in Word format) and wrangle them to suit yourself. Use these templates to help plan your trip. Remember, they were my own itineraries so are very thorough.

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Velonomad Travel Guides

• Cycling in France – this is my best-selling that covers all the ins and outs of planning and executing a most-excellent cycling trip. Stop worrying if you’ve covered all the bases, I’ve done all the work for you. Check it out now >
• Taking Your Bike Overseas – taking your bike overseas can be a major hassle. Find out every secret that I know to make taking your bike overseas hassle-free. Check it out >
• Campervanning France – I’ve campervanned France multiple times and boy can it be a MAJOR HEADACHE. It can also be awesome. This guide gives you all the lessons I’ve learned and tricks I know to help make your campervan trip hassle-free and awesome. Check it out >

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