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ALLEZ, GO GO GO!: EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE
Chris Henry
July 9, 2009
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The Tour de France organization's fleet of Skodas, lined up in Montpellier
(Photo: Chris Henry)
At the Tour de France, it's all about doing things in formation. There are a lot of vehicles on the Tour for the teams, the organization, the journalists, the sponsors, and so on. That means a lot of trucks, buses, cars, and motorcycles, and they all have to go somewhere. Not only is the Tour organization extremely adept at squeezing hundreds of vehicles into tiny French villages, those who drive them always strive for an appearance of professionalism and order.
When a team rolls up to the start town, it comes as a unit. The buses roll in, big and sleek, followed by two or three team cars resplendent with bikes on the roof and sponsor decals on every surface. As each team arrives, the anticipation grows and crowds quickly form outside the buses. Then it's up to the mechanics to unload bikes from the roof and line them up either against the bus or put them on racks.
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Team cars in tight formation before the stage start in Girona, Spain
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For the organization in particular it's important to show a clean, well-disciplined machine. The fleet of Skoda cars in red and silver that carry the Tour heads of state, the race commissaires, the invited guests, and other key players in the rolling motorcade. Motos are everywhere, parked and ready for the marshals, medical staff, and photo, TV and radio press. Add to all this the fact that everyone working in an official capacity wears a distinct uniform and you begin to grasp the extent of the organization and the desire by all involved to look the part.
Here at RBA we do our part as well, squeezing into lines of press cars ready to take off on the race course before the day's stage begins. We're rolling in a sleek, black Ford Mondeo. I've never quite understood why Fords are so much cooler in Europe than they are in the states, but our six-speed diesel is a sweet ride. With a GPS unit courtesy of Garmin, it even knows where to go.
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RBA's wheels for the 2009 Tour de France, guided by Garmin
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Allez, go go go!
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