October 1st, 2005 | The lowdown by Marion Wise

Invigorating and Awe Inspiring.

St. Lary Soulan is a small town (village really) situated deep in the French Pyrenees, almost on the Spanish border. Although it's not easily accessible by public transportation, the town is packed.

This ski resort is unseasonably busy for the summer, but it?s July 17 and the biggest event of the summer is coming to town: the Tour de France. The racers will fly through town before making their final 12 km climb of the day to the Pla-d?Adet finish of the 15th, and possibly their toughest, stage.

9 a.m. I'm sitting in a quiet village nestled between the mountains, whose peaks are obscured by fog. I wonder if it will burn off by the time the race comes to town.

11 a.m. The village is definitely awake now. Long lines are already forming for the teleferic which takes people up to the top of the mountain to view the stage finish.

12 p.m. We begin our trek up the mountain. We're planning on walking up about 2 km, just far enough up so that we'll be able to view the riders coming up the mountain. The road is already lined with people who seem to have been camped out for a while.

12:45 We've walked a bit farther than planned ? probably between 3 and 4 km. We station ourselves on the mountainside right before the riders will hit a hairpin turn. There's no shade, but we are ready to rest. We have a rather remarkable view of the village in the valley below.

2:00 We've been sitting in the sun for over an hour now and we're starting to feel dehydrated. It must be in the 90s here. There's still a steady stream of hikers and riders heading up past us trying to find places to watch the race. Occasionally press cars pass us.

3:15 All of a sudden, a parade of advertisers start coming up the mountain, throwing goodies out to the fans: water bottles from Nestlé beer, biker hats from Champion. The fans are starting to get rowdy, especially the Spaniards sporting orange shirts cheering wholeheartedly for perhaps the worst team in the mix: the Basque team, Euskadi-Euskatel.

4:00 Everyone is staring out across the valley to the mountains peaks in the distance, looking for the first signs of the riders to cross into the area. There's a lot of pointing and talking in multiple languages, none of which I understand.

4:30 There are at least five helicopters swarming overhead. I'm sure that some of them are for the press and, as I later learn, others are to transport the lead riders to a quick getaway after the race.

4:45 The fans are going wild and are reducing the width of the already narrow road to half of its two lanes. Two motorcycle cops come racing up, followed by the top riders, Oscar Pereiro of Phonak neck in neck with George Hincapie of Discovery Channel. Even though we are on the top of the last and hardest climb at probably the hardest stage of the Tour, the riders are still blowing past us, making the climb look effortless. In a flash, the top six riders are gone.

4:50 The helicopters are buzzing overhead again. This can only mean one thing: Lance must be on his way. Within a minute, he?s tearing up the hill with a good one bike lead over Ivan Basso. He makes it look so effortless; with his it?s-no-big-thing-I?m-just-out-for-a-ride look on his face and in his form.

5:00 After Lance passes, many of the fans head back down the hill; after waiting four or more hours, the man they came to watch has come and gone. True fans stay to watch the rest of the riders ? the majority of the riders ? duke it out as they come up in packs of 10 or 12 riders, shirts unzipped because of the heat. Fans pour their full bottles of water over the riders to help cool them down.

Experiencing the spectacle that is the Tour de France is definitely memorable. While the whole experience is lively and fun, the sportsmanship, courage, and sure willpower that these athletes have makes this sports event so invigorating and awe-inspiring to watch.

Race Details:
Stage 15, July 17: George Hincapie of Discovery Channel took the stage victory, followed by Oscar Pereiro of Phonak. It was the first time in seven years that a USPS/Discovery Channel teammate of Armstrong has won a stage victory. Lance Armstrong staved off Ivan Basso, Michael Rasmussen, and Jan Ullrich; many critics said that if he could hold off his challengers in this stage, he would have a sure-victory in the Tour.

Tour de France final results: Lance Armstrong beat Ivan Basso by 4:40 and Jan Ullrich was 6:21 behind Armstrong.

Advice for Prospective Fans:
Determine which stage(s) you want to see and make hotel reservations early. For the best rates, make reservations at least three months in advance. Many of the towns the TdF travels through are very small and the hotels will book quickly.

If you are interested in seeing the Peloton (the sea of riders in their multi-color uniforms), then you?ll want to go to a flat stage, but be aware that they will blow past you and you?ll barely have time to see them.

I would recommend going to a mountain stage, because these are the tougher stages and these are usually where the race is won. Also, the riders are more spread out and ride past you at slower paces, so you?ll actually be able to see them. You?ll want to be on a hill so you can see the riders coming up. But, be warned: there will be lots of other fans, so you still might not be able to see the riders coming from very far in the distance.

Travel Vitals:
How to get to St. Lary: We took a TGV train from Paris to Tarbes, a bus from Tarbes to Lannemezan, and another bus from Lannemezan to St. Lary. Check out the SNCF web site for times and details.

Places to stay: The city's web site is quite good for finding places. We got a pretty good rate at La Terrasse Fleurie, which is on the main street in town. The hotel owner speaks French and Spanish, but very little English.