16th stage Gruissan-Nîmes: The Tour de France ignites Vergèze under a scorching sun!

Aurélien came with his tractor and his family.

À l’entrée de Vergèze, les spectateurs encouragent les coureurs.

Des centaines de spectateurs ont vibré au passage de la caravane et des coureurs du Tour de France ce mardi près de Vergèze. Familles et amis se sont installés le long des routes pour profiter de ce moment festif et sportif.

From the early hours of the morning, the excitement was palpable. Card games and bottles of cold water, car horns and the shouts of supporters echoed in the streets. While families settle down for a roadside picnic. Jojo the clown, the Tour de France's essential mascot, was also present since yesterday afternoon to liven up the spectators' expectations.

Jojo the Clown and Claude, ready for this 16th stage of the Tour de France!

 

An annual tradition

For many spectators, the Tour de France is an essential annual tradition. The Bretons, Christian and Josianne, both 70 years old, have been regulars at the Tour for 13 years. They have already followed three stages this year and do not intend to stop there: "It’is a project that we have had since retirement, explains Christian. We love the atmosphere and the spectacle of the bike, but we're stopping tomorrow for the rest of the Tour because it's starting to get really hot!"
For Cyrille and his friends from Saint-Etienne, this is the first time they have attended a stage of the Tour. "We came by bike from Grau-du-Roi to eat in Calvisson and enjoy the atmosphere”. This is an opportunity to discover small villages and share a moment of camaraderie with colleagues."

Supporters from all over the world

The Tour de France also attracts tourists from all over the world. This is the case of Xavier and Eva, who came from Spain for a week of vacation and wore a superb blonde wig. "We support Pogacar with our sign", explains Eva, who rides a bike herself.

Xavier and Eva from the Spanish YouTube channel “Sebeteam” fully behind Pogacar!
Bianca, Charlotte and Henrik, from Denmark, are also die-hard Tour fans. "It’s obviously Vingegaard that we adore, confides Bianca. We are fans of him. This year, it's a little more complicated for him because of his lung injury last year, but we still support him, we love him!”

Danish supporters of Vingegaard also present

For children, the Tour de France is an opportunity to marvel at the exploits of the riders and caravans. Louna, 9 years old, particularly enjoyed this day. "This is the first time I've seen the Tour de France in real life, and it’s so good, in the more I had a TikTok bob, it’s so beautiful! "

Louna, 9 years old, loves her new TikTok bob distributed during the Tour.

Her father, Aurélien, confides that the Tour had not been in the area for a while, so his daughter had not had the opportunity ;opportunity to see it again. For him who came by tractor from his home located a few hundred meters from the Tour route, this is the opportunity to come with his whole family!