Sun Man’s battle with Tour de France mountain

A TUNNEL of noise. That's what Chris Froome and his Team Sky cohorts pass through en route to Paris.

I know because I have just ridden it ahead of them.

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Not the whole lot. Just a fraction, in fact. But that doesn't stop the crowds giving us a cheer on the climb up St Gervais, the penultimate stage in the Alps before the Tour de France peloton heads to Paris.

Thousands of fans line the roads for the Tour's three weeks, taking advantage of one of the sporting world's great bargains — free front-row seats for the biggest race of the year.

Forget a carnival atmosphere. This is a full-on carnival.

Everyone comes out to cheer, from rainbow-wigged pensioners to moustachioed mountain men and kids in replica jerseys in countless nationalities, including a fair few Brits. And boy, do they cheer.

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Tents and camper vans line the route, barbecues are lit and fancy dress is encouraged. It is like Glastonbury for bikes.

Barring outright disaster, it will be Froome who stands on the podium in Paris today, adding a third Tour victory to his impressive CV.

It has been a fantastic year for Brits at the Tour, restoring some national pride after our footballers' laughable showing here for the Euros.

Sprint king Mark Cavendish bagged FOUR stage wins before dropping out of the race to concentrate on his Olympic training. That makes 30 in total, with Eddy Merckx's career record of 34 in sight.

Cav's Dimension Data team-mate Steve Cummings won a solo stage early on, while Froome was ably supported, as ever, by his trusty domestique Geraint Thomas. The Welshman even gave Froome his bike on Friday, when the race leader pranged his.

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Perhaps the biggest surprise has been Adam Yates — in line to be named the Tour's best young rider despite slipping from a podium position gruelling stage at St Gervais-That was the climb before the pros rolled through. disclosure — I was riding with ski instructors at the behest tourist office.

But anyone can do what we did, provided you are willing to get up early to get ahead of the peloton.

While I am usually glued to the highlights on TV, this was my first time at the Tour itself.

It won’t be my last. It is simply a great time to be in France with a bike. Riding the same roads as the
pros feels like stepping out at Old Trafford with your pub team.
The mountains are the place to be. The Alps and Pyrenees, in particular, are where the greatest drama unfolds. But the Tour would be nothing without spectators — and it would be a shame if organisers had to limit numbers after overcrowding caused a crash on Mt Ventoux this year.

Of course, there is more to this part of France than road cycling.

You have hiking, climbing and mountain biking. Swimming in lakes, horse riding, golf, summer skiing...any outdoor activity you can think of can be done here.
And not always at great expense.

Expect to pay from £350 for a family’s week of self-catering accommodation.
Flights to Geneva for the Alps or Lourdes for the Pyrenees are from less than £100, booking in advance. Try  for accommodation and or for
flights.

So get on your bike — it. Failing that, there is sunbathing by the lake.

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