Tour de France postcard: Long, winding road for teams' motorhome drivers

July 8, 11:16 AMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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Tour de France cyclists face a difficult task riding for three weeks. But negotiating the race route across vast countryside, ominous mountains and often in several countries is not easy in any transportation mode.

Several hundred vehicles follow the race everyday, and arguably the most difficult driving responsibility must be transporting cyclists in their motorhomes to the start of each stage. Each team has at least one large coach, while some teams prefer two smaller recreational vehicles. Some of the highest-budget teams have three or four RVs in varying sizes.

The RVs are all top-of-the-line, detailed to meet the cyclists' needs and used in different races throughout the world at a team's discretion. The vehicles always also serve as ideal rolling promotional billboards for teams' sponsors. All of the motorhomes feature elaborate custom paint showcasing the same products and services riders promote on their cycling attire.

Drivers of the motorhomes on a daily basis negotiate major French motorways, country roads and tight, narrow finishing areas where massive crowds line the course.

But just like the cyclists, the most difficult task facing team motorhome drivers in the Tour de France is when the race advances onto the steep climbs and harrowing descents of the Alps and Pyrenees mountains.

It may not require great aerobic skill, but how the recreational vehicle drivers negotiate the winding, narrow road is as impressive as the cyclists' efforts.

Additional Cycling Resources:

• Tour de France Archive (1997-2008): Tour de France/James Raia
• Cycling Features Archive (1997-2008) Cycling/James Raia
• Follow Me on Twitter: The Tour de France/Cycling
• National Cycling Examiner Tour de France Alerts (Free/No Spam): Subscribe to Email
  
• The Tour Within The Tour de France (E-book). Free preview