Behind the scenes of the Tour de France
While Tour de France riders cover about 3,350 kilometres we “suiveurs” (followers) drive about 7,000 kilometres to report on the race, moving from town to town, hotel to hotel, press buffet to press buffet… After 10 Tours de France I can safely say the best buffets are found in Brittany.
Story
A few stories to write back in the pressroom and the hunt for a restaurant begins. It would appear easy in France, yet most restaurants close well before 9pm when you're often at least a one-hour drive away.
Sometimes, you get lucky, like in the Pyrenees where in a tiny village we once had a wonderful dinner deep into the night.
It was about Jurancon and foie gras: the perfect fuel for another day on the road.
A painting depicting a cyclist is seen on the road to La Pierre Saint Martin during the 10th stage.
People cheer a helicopter during the 18th stage from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in the French Alps.
Bicycles and cycling jerseys hang outside a cafe at the start of the 7th stage from Livarot to Fougeres.
Miniature models of riders are seen at the finish line during the 16th stage from Bourg-de-Peage to Gap.
Reuters drivers Jacques Clawey (right) checks the Tour de France 2015 cycling race road map.
A sandwich, a photographer's dinner, sits on a car dashboard in the 9th stage from Vannes to Plumelec.
The door of a truck is pictured in the "zone technique".
A technician kills time playing concertina in a TV truck during the 16th stage from Bourg-de-Peage to Gap.
Reuters photographer Benoit Tessier fixes an accreditation sticker to a car window.
Spectators wait for the riders to pass by during the 2nd stage from Utrecht to Zeeland.
A man plays trumpet as he waits during the 8th stage from Rennes to Mur-de-Bretagne.
A container of "pate de Marcassin" rests on a table.
Spectators are seen after the 9th stage from Vannes to Plumelec.
A couple waits for the the pack of riders during the 18th stage from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
A road sign is seen on top of a rock in La Pierre Saint Martin in the 10th stage from Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint-Martin.
Reuters photographers are pictured as they arrive at a hotel.
Preserves and ornaments are seen in a chambre d'hôte hotel after the 13th stage from Muret to Rodez.
Straw hats hang on the wall of a chambre d'hôte after the 13th stage from Muret to Rodez.
A shirt hangs on a wooden fence outside a chambre d'hôte after the 13th stage from Muret to Rodez.
A bicycle sign is seen on the empty road during the 5th stage from Arras to Amiens.
Cycling jerseys, part of a collection of a French fan called Gerald, are seen in the 4th stage from Seraing in Belgium to Cambrai in France.
Graffiti is seen in the "zone technique" at the finish line in the 6th stage from Abbeville to Le Havre.
Bicycles are seen on a building at the start of the second stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race from Utrecht to Zeeland, July 5, 2015.
