Tour De France 2004

When I was flying the Boeing 767 to Europe, I had several layovers in Paris. On one such layover I was fortunate enough to see Lance Armstrong win his 6th Tour De France. The last race of the "Tour" is in Paris where the riders ride several laps up and down the Champs d'Elysees until they finally cross the finish line after a couple hours. It's interesting because the "Tour" winner has usually already been decided by the time they start the last day because the other riders are too far behind time-wise to catch the leader. That being said, the final race in Paris is usually a celebration race where the drivers ride into Paris drinking Champagne as they begin their ride up and down the Champs d'Elysees. So... we arrived early that morning and the crowds were already beginning to stake out their viewing areas along the Champs d'Elysees, one of the most famous streets in the world. We decided to stake out our view by the Arc de Triomphe. This turned out to be a strategic spot because it's where the riders are slowing down to turn around and ride back down the Champs d'Elysees. We stood among other Americans from all over the U.S. who came to Paris just to see the "Tour", and here I was watching it because I just happen to be on a layover. :-)