TARBES, France —Whether relatively quietly or with elaborate shows and loud music, each race sponsor has least five vehicles drive progress along the course about more than one hour before the riders. The companies' representatives toss trinkets — food product samples, apparel and fliers — along the entire course.
Similar to a Fourth of July or Thanksgiving Day parades featured on American television networks, the Tour de France publicity caravan is all about information distribution and celebration.
Sometimes, it's subtle promotion by French firefighters and policemen, others times it's overt displays of dance, music and proclamation.
Vittel, the official water of the Tour de France, has a woman on one of its floats who's pedaling a stationery bicycle each day. She's the “first woman to ride in the Tour de France.”
Race fans clamor for the trinkets, sometimes scampering into the street at unsafe times. Many pedestrian accidents and a few spectator deaths have occurred publicity caravan accidents.
“A lot of people are waiting for the advertising caravan,” said Florence Maire, the second-year caravan sponsor coordinator who previously held similar responsibilities at the globally popular Dakar Rally, owned by Amaury Sport Organization, which also owns the Tour de France. “But the first concern of importance is safety.”
Tragedy and near tragedy through the years have prompted more rules for public safety. The space between caravan vehicles has increased and the maximum speed has been reduced to between 25-40 kph (15-25 mph). Media vehicles also have new rules that prohibit passing the publicity caravan at certain times.
“Sometimes, there is a child who jumps into street for one of the gifts,” explained Maire. “And they just can't see anything but the gift.”
Event organizers boast that 39 percent of French fans attending the race do so because of the 16 million gifts distributed by some 600 workers throughout the race's 21 stages.
It's an ideal marriage. Race fans get free stuff and national and international companies get to promote their products and services in daily 12-mile procession. Thirty-three companies are represented, with their fees ranging from about $500,00 to nearly $1 million, depending upon each company's number of vehicles.
On mountain stages, it can take 30 minutes from the first to the last rider to pass. That's long enough to please fans as they seek to encourage their favorites or those suffering at the back-of-the-pack.
On flat stages, though, families who've set up picnics after driving long distances may only have 30 seconds to watch the field pass at high speeds.
That's when the publicity caravan — part more than one thousand official vehicles on the course each day — give fans at least another 45 minutes of entertainment. That's the time it takes for the publicity caravan to pass each section of the race.
In addition to official sponsors, special category vehicles also promote. Livestrong-Nike (Europe), Lance Armstrong's fundraising organization, gets exposure in periodic stages selling the popular yellow bracelets and writing messages race route for cancer patients around the world. Armstrong, the seven-time race winner currently in third place.
“It's very special to see the messages,” said Natalie Palomino, a race spokeswoman. “They are out there very early in the morning, way before the caravan. It's attracting global attention.”
The publicity caravan extravaganza is never shown on television and the riders never see it while competing. But it's now a nearly an 80-year race tradition.
It began in 1930 when former race founder Henri Desgrange grew tired of teams selfishly fighting for the available cycling brands. To rectify the problem, he changed race rules. Although it's been changed again, Desgrange said cyclists would compete for their countries and cycling manufacturers and other sponsors would be part of the race in a caravan preceding the riders.
This year's caravan includes several teams' sponsors, PMU, the French lottery (it distributes large cardboard hands to fans) and other sponsors ranging from a national electronic chain store, Carrefour, to Haribo, a French confectionery.
The sponsor arguably with the largest presence is Vittel, the French water company. It's the third water company is to sponsor the event, and its timing couldn't be more appropriate.
According to spokesman Hubert Guerieau, Vittel will distribute one million bottle of water during the race, 500,000 to fans, 500,000 to race officials, VIPs and media. But Vittel's presence it the race will culminate Thursday and Friday when stages 12 and 13 respectively end and begin in Vittel. The city has only about 6,000 residents, but for the sponsor it will be one of the most important day's in the city's history.
The Tour de France has only visited Vittel three times, and when it visits the city this year expect the extraordinary — at least from a sponsor's perspective. The water company's contract with the Tour de France is in its last year, but Vittel is expected to announced its new contract when the Tour arrives for its two-day visit.
“It's just not about giving away water,” said Guerieau of the publicity caravan. “It's a special relationship between the race and its fans.”
James Raia is reporting live from the Tour de France for
everymantri.com. James, a journalist since 1976, is co-author of Tour
de France For
Dummies. He owns several websites, contributes to many print and online
publications. A long-distance runner for nearly 30 years, Raia also
rides his bike -- to nearby coffeehouses.
Similar to a Fourth of July or Thanksgiving Day parades featured on American television networks, the Tour de France publicity caravan is all about information distribution and celebration.
Sometimes, it's subtle promotion by French firefighters and policemen, others times it's overt displays of dance, music and proclamation.
Vittel, the official water of the Tour de France, has a woman on one of its floats who's pedaling a stationery bicycle each day. She's the “first woman to ride in the Tour de France.”
Race fans clamor for the trinkets, sometimes scampering into the street at unsafe times. Many pedestrian accidents and a few spectator deaths have occurred publicity caravan accidents.
“A lot of people are waiting for the advertising caravan,” said Florence Maire, the second-year caravan sponsor coordinator who previously held similar responsibilities at the globally popular Dakar Rally, owned by Amaury Sport Organization, which also owns the Tour de France. “But the first concern of importance is safety.”
Tragedy and near tragedy through the years have prompted more rules for public safety. The space between caravan vehicles has increased and the maximum speed has been reduced to between 25-40 kph (15-25 mph). Media vehicles also have new rules that prohibit passing the publicity caravan at certain times.
“Sometimes, there is a child who jumps into street for one of the gifts,” explained Maire. “And they just can't see anything but the gift.”
Event organizers boast that 39 percent of French fans attending the race do so because of the 16 million gifts distributed by some 600 workers throughout the race's 21 stages.
It's an ideal marriage. Race fans get free stuff and national and international companies get to promote their products and services in daily 12-mile procession. Thirty-three companies are represented, with their fees ranging from about $500,00 to nearly $1 million, depending upon each company's number of vehicles.
On mountain stages, it can take 30 minutes from the first to the last rider to pass. That's long enough to please fans as they seek to encourage their favorites or those suffering at the back-of-the-pack.
On flat stages, though, families who've set up picnics after driving long distances may only have 30 seconds to watch the field pass at high speeds.
That's when the publicity caravan — part more than one thousand official vehicles on the course each day — give fans at least another 45 minutes of entertainment. That's the time it takes for the publicity caravan to pass each section of the race.
“It's very special to see the messages,” said Natalie Palomino, a race spokeswoman. “They are out there very early in the morning, way before the caravan. It's attracting global attention.”
The publicity caravan extravaganza is never shown on television and the riders never see it while competing. But it's now a nearly an 80-year race tradition.
It began in 1930 when former race founder Henri Desgrange grew tired of teams selfishly fighting for the available cycling brands. To rectify the problem, he changed race rules. Although it's been changed again, Desgrange said cyclists would compete for their countries and cycling manufacturers and other sponsors would be part of the race in a caravan preceding the riders.
This year's caravan includes several teams' sponsors, PMU, the French lottery (it distributes large cardboard hands to fans) and other sponsors ranging from a national electronic chain store, Carrefour, to Haribo, a French confectionery.
The sponsor arguably with the largest presence is Vittel, the French water company. It's the third water company is to sponsor the event, and its timing couldn't be more appropriate.
According to spokesman Hubert Guerieau, Vittel will distribute one million bottle of water during the race, 500,000 to fans, 500,000 to race officials, VIPs and media. But Vittel's presence it the race will culminate Thursday and Friday when stages 12 and 13 respectively end and begin in Vittel. The city has only about 6,000 residents, but for the sponsor it will be one of the most important day's in the city's history.
The Tour de France has only visited Vittel three times, and when it visits the city this year expect the extraordinary — at least from a sponsor's perspective. The water company's contract with the Tour de France is in its last year, but Vittel is expected to announced its new contract when the Tour arrives for its two-day visit.
“It's just not about giving away water,” said Guerieau of the publicity caravan. “It's a special relationship between the race and its fans.”