2014 Tour - Stage 12 Advance Scouting Report

Today I found myself at a park west of Lyon, and decided to go another 5 Km west to scout out the route for this year's Stage 12 of the Tour de France.  The stage starts in Bourg-en-Bresse, and finishes in St. Etienne.  Along the way, it winds through the hilly country west of the Saône River from Villefranche to Lyon and follows Departmental Road 70 (D70) through the small town of Lentilly and beyond.  Here are some of the pictures I took today.  I hope to escape the office that day (July 17) and catch some pictures as the peleton sweeps through.





On this beautiful Saturday, six weeks before the Tour, there is no one on the street in Lentilly.  The Church and the square are quiet.  I don't think the Tour will leave D70 to make a quick loop up the hill and around the Church, but the TV helicopter will probably give the world an aerial shot.  You can tell your friends, you saw it first right here.





These sheep near the commune of Mercruy will have the best ring-side seat when the peleton sweeps through the round-a-bout at the junction of D70 and D7, and climbs into a series of tree-tunnels as the road heads south towards St. Etienne. No parking spots along this section of the course, so there should be a reduced number of crazies.




After about 2 Km of climbing turns through a canopy of trees, the racers will make a big sweeping right turn on the crest of this hill, where they will be able to see Lyon to their left.  Our apartment is near the base of the big round tower (the French call it the "Crayon") in the right-center of the picture.




Then the peleton comes into sight of the village of Larny.  The road makes a sharp left turn about 500 meters from this spot, and then climbs up through the narrow streets of the village, before heading south again though 73 more Km of similar hilly, rural country leading into St. Etienne.  For the pros, this will be considered a "flat" stage, but for a recreational rider like me, it would seem like 185 Km of all up-hill.