caravane tour de france 2014

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The publicity caravan

A show for children and adults alike.

Since 1930 , "la Caravane pulicitaire" has been part of the show that the Tour de France puts on. This festive and creative opening parade precedes the pack of cyclists to the utmost delight of Tour de France fans lining the roadsides. For two hours , the Tour de France and its partners put on a show, hand out many gifts and strive to be the most creative to surprise the millions of fans wating for the riders to pass by!

A responsible Caravan

All the partners distribute promotional gifts that are useful and made of recycled and/or recyclable materials. Food gifts have also met the challenge of having packaging mainly made of paper or recyclable plastic. In certain “Natura 2000” nature protection areas, national parks or nature reserves, etc., distribution of gifts by the caravan is completely forbidden. Sound equipment may be turned off so as not to disturb sensitive animal species.

Follow the Caravan on the social networks also !

"La Caravane du Tour de France", in a few words: 

• A continuous show lasting more than 30 minutes
• A show stretching 10 km
• 30 brands represented
• 4 safety information cars at the front and rear of the Caravan
• 12 republican guard riders and 4 dispatch bikers to control the Caravan
• 3 medical vehicles…

Watch the caravan go by and cheer on your favourite riders but do not forget the essential safety rules!

• Stay on the roadside and off the road
• Do not cross the road and do not leave your children unattended
• Gifts are distributed on either side of the road
• Remain watchful after the caravan passes by, other vehicles will be coming along the route
• Respect the Tour's eco-responsible commitments and do not drop litter on the roadside
• Do not run alongside the riders and do not push them
• Selfies and autographs are not authorised

  Memories of what you have seen are good enough to make sure that the Tour stays fun!

Accreditations

Privacy policy, your gdpr rights.

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Tour de France caravan: The longest parade

The longest parade, inside the tour de france caravan.

Photos by Iri Greco | Brakethrough Media

Words by Caley Fretz

The bankers, employees of Cofidis here at the Tour as a sort of bonus, are dressed in bright red hats and bright red shirts, sunglasses perched on noses and gobs of sunscreen slathered on tan shoulders, standing over boxes of trinkets and gizmos and cheap hats. The boxes must be empty by end of this stage, the 13th of the 2015 Tour de France.

The job is not difficult, but it is strenuous. The days are long, under hot sun and cold rain and even a bit of stinging hail this year. The caravan does not stop for weather; it barely stops for the call of nature. This float has no roof. There is no escape. All four of the workers on the back develop a deep tan, the sort that was surely sunburn a few days ago.

Days begin early. Every inch of every float must be cleaned and polished. The boxes and boxes of gifts the bankers will throw to fans, which are trucked into the caravan’s morning meeting place every day, must be loaded onto the floats and prepared for dispersal.

Personal preparation is taken seriously. Bandanas are wrapped around foreheads, tied tight, as if their wearer is headed into some sort of pop-infused battlefield. A jazzercise routine begins, growing organically as the workers of various floats wander over and join in. Everyone knows the moves as the group limbers up to the melodies of Katy Perry.

The floats vary from conservative to absurd. Most are elaborately decorated truck beds, the sort Americans are used to seeing at Fourth of July parades, only built to a slightly more robust standard to handle the 3,400-kilometer journey.

There is a fleet of Citroen 2CVs (how they get over the Alps and Pyrenees is a recurring mystery) that throws, on average, one package of Cochonou saucisson every seven meters over the entire route. There is the iconic LCL lion, mounted on a glorified go-kart and driven by a man in a motorcycle helmet situated in the big cat’s crotch. There are the Vittel water bottles, complete with caravan workers wielding enormous misters they aim at sun-soaked crowds.

For the roadside fans who sit for hours under the hot French sun for just a few seconds of racing, the caravan is as much a part of the experience as the race itself. The caravan certainly lasts longer. It sends fans home with something from the Tour, a free souvenir for which crowds jostle and elbow as if the cheap one-size-fits-all cap or branded keychain were a home run baseball. In their hands is a piece of the Tour de France, a piece of the spectacle.

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• Tour de France

The Tour de France caravan is moronic, dangerous fun

You thought the point of going to the Tour de France was to watch riders go by. You thought wrong.

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The caravane publicitaire is ostensibly stupid. It's a parade created by and for race sponsors that goes off two hours ahead of the riders. The floats are well done, but the pandering isn't even thinly veiled. As it crosses the finish line, an emcee extolls the virtue of Cochonou saucisson and Haribo candy, and would have you believe that eats both on an hourly basis. Sponsors range from all-purpose cleaners to off-track betting, and the emcee would also have you believe he's an obsessive compulsive neat freak and degenerate gambler.

None of this out of character for the Tour de France, however. The race was founded as a publicity stunt, when a journalist for a struggling magazine called L'Auto approached his editor, Henri Desgrange, with the idea of sponsoring a race that would take place around France. The original Tour de France was absurdly difficult -- one stage was 471 kilometers long -- and just 21 of 60 riders made it to the finish. The event was a massive success, however. Desgrange soon had something much more than a support system for his publication.

Desgrange was the still the Tour de France's race director in 1930 when he concocted the idea of the caravane . It more or less hatched in its present form. A chocolate company, Menier, was the caravane's first sponsor, and rode ahead of the riders handing out free samples, exactly as companies do today.

The caravan going by at 60 mph, just whipping free shit at people https://t.co/H1YnhWtehn — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 20, 2014

Long ass caravan was the reason it took 4 hours to drive 50 kilometers home pic.twitter.com/Ojt0YNyJ2s — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 23, 2014

The difference in modern times is added lunacy. The caravane careens up to 50 miles per hour through the departmental roads connecting villages along the stage route, passing roadsides packed with spectators. As they zip by, pretty male and female models throw free samples from over the side, pelting everyone. The Haribo samples actually stung. In 2000 and 2002, children were killed after stepping in front of the oncoming vehicles.

Caravan time! https://t.co/JQ4s2zW3Ik — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 23, 2014

But the weirder thing may be the excitement the caravane incites. Adults chased each other and hopped into ditches for free key chains and madeleines. They were more than happy to show off the wares. One man and his son filled two Skoda hats with gifts. Le Tour proudly claims that 47 percent of those who attend the Tour de France come for the caravane alone.

A proud man and a free sausage pic.twitter.com/u9yaa4S0xc — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 20, 2014

Check out this kid's f'ing haul pic.twitter.com/DYzNpk84pz — Louis Bien (@louisbien) July 20, 2014

Which seems high for a cheesy production, until it hits you that you're actually having fun. Stupid fun, admittedly, and maybe the whole thing is a little insidious on some level. But love it or hate it, you can't say the caravane doesn't keep with the spirit of the Tour.

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LIRE LA SUITE APRÈS CETTE PUBLICITÉ

Les diffuseurs officiels

Club du Tour

• Carrefour qui restera parrain du maillot à pois de meilleur grimpeur

• ŠKODA qui reste parrain du maillot blanc de meilleur jeune et qui est toujours à la recherche des meilleures animations pour vous permettre, vous en tant que fan du Tour, de remporter des prix avec le ŠKODA Fan Tour . Il y a quelques mois, &ScaronKODA a d'ailleurs prolongé son contrat de partenariat avec A.S.O. et donc entre autres avec le Tour de France , jusqu'en 2018.

Partenaires officiels

• RAGT monte d'un cran et passe donc du statut de "fournisseur officiel" à "partenaire officiel". Ce changement de statut est notamment lié au fait que le sémencier soit devenu cette année le parrain du classement par équipes , établi sur la base de l'addition des temps des 3 meilleurs coureurs de chaque formation sur chaque étape. Selon Claude Grand , directeur général de RAGT Semences il s'agit d' une illustration parfaite de notre slogan : RAGT Semences et les agriculteurs, l'équipe qui gagne . Sur le Tour, les coureurs de l'équipe leader du classement par équipes porteront un dossard jaune siglé de la marque RAGT et des casques jaunes (j'imagine qu'il s'agira d'une couverture de leurs casques habituels car on ne change pas de casque juste comme ça !).

L'équipe @TeamSky portera les dossards 1 à 9. / @TeamSky will get bibs' numbers from 1 to 9. #TDF pic.twitter.com/lY7sFwZcmZ — Le Tour de France (@letour) June 30, 2014

• Les partenaires Digital , qui était l'ancien parain du classement par équipes, Brandt , l'ancien parrain du prix de la combativité, et Alcatel OneTouch disparaissent de la liste, ces trois marques ne seront plus présentes sur le Tour.

Fournisseurs officiels

• BIC : déjà présent dans la caravane, la marque des produits pratiques monte au niveau de fournisseur officiel du Tour mais n'a pas particulièrement communiqué sur ce partenariat.
• Ne seront plus présents parmi les fournisseurs officiels les deux autres marques du groupe Nestlé, Nesquik et Nestlé Glaces . Teisseire descend au niveau en-dessous (supporter officiel) mais on a vu l'arrivée de Fruit Shoot de Teisseire en tant que partenaire officiel. De même, RAGT est monté au niveau de partenaire officiel.

Supporters officiels

Partenaires techniques, partenaires média officiels, partenaires institutionnels, mécénat chirurgie cardiaque.

Commentaires

Super article merci ! Est ce sur que le coq sportif est présent dans la caravane ?? Car l année dernière il n y était pas.

The presentation of the teams, shown on Eurosport on thursday evening in the U.K. was truly embarassing. Great Tour riders from the past would have been shocked. By the way, is Chris Froome British?

est-ce qu'il y aura fruit shoot

pmu est il dans la caravane publicitaire

Désolé de ne pas avoir répondu plus tôt .. le Tour, ça prend du temps ! @Velo83 : non, Le Coq Sportif n'est pas présent dans la caravane @Rob Wright: haven't seen it, what was embarassing about it? And yes, Chris Froome is British. @Emma : oui, Fruitshoot est présent dans la caravane, je crois même l'avoir dit dans l'article ! @azertyuiop : oui, PMU est dans la caravane publicitaire.

Thanks. I thought Chris Froome is Kenyan. Does that make him British?

@Rob: Chris Froome was born in Kenya but he has the British nationality, not Kenyan.

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Yorkshire goes Tour de France crazy to leave riders blown away

O utside Leeds railway station, the bronze statue of the Black Prince driving his horse into battle now sports a knitted yellow jersey. In Wensleydale a giant bike has been built out of cheese. In Kettlewell 150 sheep have been painted yellow. In Cragg Vale a 12km piece of bunting, a world record, has been specially made by locals for the Tour de France .

In every city and town, village and hamlet, affection is expressed differently but the overriding effect is the same: Yorkshire has not only embraced France’s greatest sporting event, which begins here on Saturday, it has become smitten.

When the Tour last visited Britain in 2007, an estimated three million people throbbed the streets as the race snaked its way from London to Canterbury. The lines of those watching were often seven or eight deep. This year, however, organisers believe that six million could watch over the next three days.

Jens Voigt, the Tour’s oldest rider this year at 42, admits he has never seen any a buildup like it. “Every little village is beautifully decorated,” he said. “You can see the passion for the Tour.”

That passion was evident at the opening ceremony on Thursday, where 12,000 gathered in Leeds Arena to watch the riders being presented, and thousands more saw them pedal through the city. When the cyclists appeared on stage, to the accompaniment of flashing lights and an orchestra, the applause was lavish and indiscriminate.

Gary Verity, the chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire – who brought the opening two stages of the Tour de France to the county – says the ceremony was “widely accepted” as the best in the event’s history. “The riders were blown away by it,” he said. “They are texting and ringing me to say we are so pumped up now.”

The race starts at midday on Saturday, when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be among those waving off the 198 riders at Harewood House, north of Leeds. Some pubs are opening at 5.30am to catch the early birds, and by 10am those hugging the roads and hillsides will begin to be greeted by the extraordinary sight of the caravane publicitaire – 180 odd-shaped sponsors’ vehicles that dispense gifts and unrelenting Euro-disco as they honk past. The caravane stretches along the road for 20km, and takes about 45 minutes to go through. By contrast the peloton will dash by in a streaky multicoloured haze.

The first stage, 190.5km from Leeds to Harrogate, takes in the dales and moors in an inverse horseshoe route, and includes three steep climbs – Kidstones Pass (dubbed Côte de Cray by the race organisers), Côte de Buttertubs and Côte de Grinton Moor. All of these will be popular viewing spots but Verity insists that there will be celebrations throughout the route. “This is carnival time for Yorkshire ,” he said. “We are going to have a party and it’s going to start early and finish late wherever people are.”

For Daniel Ambler, a mechanic at a garage in Kettlewell, one of many locals with businesses directly on the route, the Tour’s arrival will mean some upheaval: in his case, they will not be able to serve any fuel. “Like a lot of people, I’ll be glad when it’s over,” he said. “But for our area of Upper Wharfedale and for the businesses here, in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, it can only be a good thing. The rest of the world will see how gorgeous it is here.”

Local resident Mudassir Mir, who will watch the first stage with his family, said the closures are worth it. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I’ve got three girls who are not going to see this again.” One of them, Halima, is playing in a steel band during the celebrations. Because the Tour passes her road, it is closed to vehicles and so she had to stay with her grandparents on Friday. She was too excited to mind.

The second stage from York to Sheffield on Sunday scuttles up Holme Moss and through Haworth, where the Brontë sisters wrote Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and also diverts briefly into Lancashire. During the 201km ride there are eight climbs: the landscapes are stunning but savage too.

For the third stage, on Monday, the peloton starts off in Cambridge and travels along a pancake-flat 155km course through parts of Cambridgeshire and Essex before dashing through the tourist-friendly sights of central London and concluding opposite Buckingham Palace. Such is the speed the riders will be going, the stage is expected to take only three hours and 25 minutes.

But for the next 24 hours the world’s attention will be on Leeds, where the French tricolore has joined the Union Jack on the civic hall and not even the forecast of grey skies and grizzly showers has dampened the mood. “How will it matter?” said Verity, offering a Gallic shrug of the shoulders. “It’s liquid sunshine as far as we are concerned.”

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