Grande Finale Help and Ideas

[Forever The Best]

This will be my 4th cycling experience. (the others were in Tour of Turkey)
This time I had a flight on Saturday (already arrived to Paris) for a week to see the grande finale in Champs-Elysees and to travel Paris. You guys here may have experiences watching a TDF stage or grand depart live! Just write your experiences and tell me suggestions about anything really! It really helps me! I really want to get signatures or photos (which i think i will be empty handed). Any tips really helps me! Do any of you think that I can get signatures or photos in the start of the final stage or after the final stage? (After the final stage I don't think I will be able to get signature or photo.)

 

[Tonton]

Get Place de la Concorde, just before the final turn if you want autographs. That's where an area usually gets setup for riders to gather after the finish, before they get to the buses. Bring a sharpie, ask for their water bottle, have the riders sign it . And it's close to the podium area. That used to be my spot . You don't get to see the finish though, but you're at 300m to go, it's not bad.

While in Paris, go check La Basilique de St. Denis. A subway line gets there. First gothic cathedral ever built, tombs of the kings of France, crown jewels...

 

[Finn84]

Obviously won't help anymore this year, but for the future years.

I was in Paris this year. Watching within sight of intermediate sprint at the junction of Avenue George V and Champs-Elysees. After the stage was over started walking towards Concorde, few of the ceremonies could only be heard but then could see Froome, Sky, top three and four jersey compilation from the back side. The location of the podium had been difficult to estimate when seeing only TV pictures but it was near the Grand Palais.

I was expecting more teams having lap of honor post-race but as a team only BMC and Fortuneo seemed to go for a longer trip.

Went through the bus area and saw Froome from close two times, first when he was going to the TdF bus and then when he was returning to Sky bus. I also saw Vincent Lavenu being interviewed by several French TV stations.

 

[Forever The Best]

Get Place de la Concorde, just before the final turn if you want autographs. That's where an area usually gets setup for riders to gather after the finish, before they get to the buses. Bring a sharpie, ask for their water bottle, have the riders sign it . And it's close to the podium area. That used to be my spot . You don't get to see the finish though, but you're at 300m to go, it's not bad.

While in Paris, go check La Basilique de St. Denis. A subway line gets there. First gothic cathedral ever built, tombs of the kings of France, crown jewels...

I was walking to the Place de la Concorde from the other end (Arc de Triomphe) but the road after the finish was closed so I watched the stage around the middle part of Champs-Elysees (it may have been closer to Arc de Triomphe though-I was probably around the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station part)
And I got a selfie with Burghardt. And the holiday was glorious, generally.
Also, from what I read on the net was that the areas around St. Denis were a bit dangerous so I didn't go there-I also didn't have the time (couldn't go to the area of Le Marais because I didn't have time, for example), but I had an awesome holiday.