# Watching the Tour de France in Person: A Journey Delayed to 2021
Food writer Felicity Cloake postpones her long-anticipated trip to witness the Tour de France in the French Alps, pushing her pilgrimage from this summer to 2021. After three decades of watching cycling's most prestigious race from her living room, Cloake planned to finally experience a mountain stage in person, combining spectating with her own cycling ambitions.
The Alps themselves represent the real draw for this journey. Cloake describes the landscape with palpable longing, a yearning that transcends the allure of watching defending champion Egan Bernal and French favourite Thibaut Pinot battle it out on the slopes. The decision to delay reveals how the pandemic disrupted summer travel plans across Europe, forcing even the most determined adventure seekers to recalibrate their timelines.
This postponement reflects a broader travel pattern in 2020. Event tourism, particularly around marquee sporting occasions like the Tour de France, ground to a halt as lockdowns and travel restrictions took hold across Europe. The Tour itself faced schedule changes and uncertainty throughout the year, with organizers eventually conducting a modified version of the race in late August and September rather than its traditional July window.
For travellers like Cloake who combine sporting spectacle with destination exploration, the delay underscores how deeply intertwined event travel has become with broader European tourism recovery. The Alps' accessibility from major hubs like Geneva and Lyon normally makes them a straightforward summer destination. Accommodation fills quickly during Tour weeks, with hotels and guesthouses in villages along the route commanding premium rates.
Cycling tourism in the Alps operates on multiple tiers. Budget-conscious spectators camp along climbing stages, claiming roadside spots days in advance. Mid-range travellers book rooms in towns like Chamonix, Annecy, and Grenoble, using the Tour as an anchor for broader alpine exploration. Luxury operators offer VIP packages with reserved viewing areas, gourmet meals, and professional cycling guides who explain the nuances of each stage.
Cloake's personal cycling ambition adds another dimension to her journey. Many Tour spectators use the pilgrimage as motivation to cycle portions of the race route themselves. Services like Biketours and independent guides in the Alps cater to cyclists who want to ascend the same Col du Galibier, Alpe d'Huez, and Mont-Blanc routes the professionals navigate. The physical challenge combined with landscape immersion creates an experience that transcends passive observation.
The postponement to 2021 allows for proper planning. Serious Tour tourists book accommodation nine months to a year in advance, arrange transport logistics, and coordinate with guide services. The delay actually benefits travellers who can now secure better options than would be available with rushed, compressed planning.
For anyone considering their own Tour pilgrimage, Cloake's story serves as a reminder that the experience demands more than showing up. The Alps deliver their promise regardless of whether the peloton passes through that particular summer. The mountains endure. The roads remain open. The view from a sun-warmed rock with a cold beer awaits whenever travel becomes possible again. Sometimes the best postcards from the future are the ones worth waiting for.