My Journey to the Tour De France: Words by Hoback Athlete Yulia Flynn

August 26, 2024

I purchased my first bicycle in 2018, and within 30 days, I signed up for a 30-mile fondo ride with a friend who was a much more mature cyclist and encouraged me to get into it. Those 30 miles felt endless, and the first timed climb felt impossible – I walked a third of it off the bike. I did little cycling during COVID, though I occasionally rode in the Snake River Canyon in what felt like an archaic Specialized with 32-inch, heavy tires. I rode in tennis shoes and with a big smile. I enjoyed the freedom that comes with riding a bicycle.

In May 2022, I upgraded my bike and became more serious about riding. I still rode in tennis shoes but became more “professional.” In July 2023, I participated in the Cache Valley Metric Century in Utah. This was my second-ever organized ride. At least three cyclists told me during that ride that I could “kill it” if I wore cleats. Nonetheless, I finished my first century, inspiring me to get faster, smarter, and better at biking. My cycling journey began…

Biking in French Riveras and Tour de France

After several more races, some quite successful, and qualifying for the World Series Gran Fondo Championships in Denmark (September 1, 2024), I realized how much I love cycling and how incredible this sport is. My curiosity about the sport introduced me to professional races, and I started watching them regularly to learn strategy, techniques, and, well, about the athletes themselves. It wasn’t long before I became one of the millions of Cavendish’s fans mesmerized by Pogacar’s unbelievable success. This and my long-lasting desire to visit France led me to the 111^th Tour de France. The Tour was unprecedented this year: it started outside of France (Florence, Italy) and ended in Nice (rather than the usual finish in Paris). The summer Olympics in France this year caused the Tour’s deviation. I was thrilled to visit Nice and observe three of the last week’s stages. In anticipation of my travel to the Tour, I watched every stage on TV at home. Seeing Cavendish win and break the record made me quite sentimental. Watching Pogacar fight with Vingeguard every stage of the way was phenomenal. I simply could not wait to see this live.

Getting There…

Getting to Nice was exciting and quite unprecedented. The day before we departed from the Salt Lake Airport, I did a 76-mile race in Cache Valley. The scent and proximity of the Tour inspired me so much that I finished first in sprint, second in my age category, and third among all female riders. This was an amazing way to kick off my long-awaited and exciting vacation. Needless to say, I packed my bike and took it with me to explore the French Riveras together!

My First Tour de France Stage

Only twelve hours after landing in Cote’d Azur airport (Nice), we were on our way to see my first stage. This was a sprint stage that finished only three hours away from our rented flat. I assembled my bike as soon as we arrived so I could take it with me, ride around, and take in as much as possible. I had no clue what I was embarking on, having only seen professional cycling events on TV. We parked our car a couple of miles from the finish line, and I went for a ride. Three hours before the first rider crossed the finish line, the crowd assembled, and the teams’ buses pulled in. Two hours before the same finish, moving around was becoming difficult due to road closures and elated crowds. An hour before the finish, there was no room left within a mile of the finish line, and seeing riders riding through the finish gate was impossible. Lesson learned: get there early and stake your ground. Otherwise, all you see is a lot of excited fans but no cycling. :-O

Despite my unsuccessful attempt to see the sprint stage, I managed to talk to the Astana team managers and snatch Cavendish’s autograph. The latter totally made the whole trip worthwhile! I knew that the rest would be icing on the cake! Our day ended with meeting a couple of great Englishmen at a local pub. We shared our mutual impressions of the first Tour experience and drove another three hours back to Nice. It was a long but memorable day!

Stage 20

For the next three days, cyclists circled around the Riveras, and we enjoyed a few days exploring Nice, visiting Italy and Monaco (I biked to both destinations), and getting to know local culture and cuisine. All of this was amazing, but riding the Rivera Cols was the best for me. I disliked dealing with crowded city streets, especially by bike, but once I got out of the city, the rides were smooth, and the vistas simply mesmerizing.

We were well prepared for the Stage 20 of the Tour de France. We planned our destination, packed a picnic basket, and embarked on our journey in the mountains. We knew that the roads would be busy and even closed for hours before the cyclists would take off, so we left early in the morning with a plan that I would get out of the car and ride part of the Stage 20 route. Despite the early departure, we faced a road closure about 2/3 of the way up, so we had to proceed to Plan B: park the car and find a spot in the notable village Moulinet, which is positioned between two intimidating mountains: Col de Turini and Col de la Couillole. We were there hours before the cyclists reached the village, so we staked out a great spot to watch them zip through, and, after, I went down and up the Col de Turini, enjoying all the fun and festivities with cheerful locals and tourists alike. Fun fact: I wore Team Hoback Sports’ suit that day and met a couple from Teton County who spotted me in the crowd and recognized that I was likely their Jackson Hole neighbor. It was amazing to meet a couple from Jackson in a rural French village watching the Tour.

Stage 21

We were almost pros at watching the Tour by this time. This was the last and a time trial stage, so there was no excitement of watching the Peloton flying by with a heavy breeze. Instead, this was an opportunity to see cyclists individually and cheer for each one at a time. Each stage kicks off with a parade that precedes the cyclists. The parade is a lot of fun and involves music, dancing, and a lot of free memorabilia, literally flying around for the crowd to catch. Each tour sponsor has its own vehicle, and most pass around gifts, smiles, and a lot of cheer that fills the streets for many miles along the day’s route. Our last stage started off with a visit to the local flower and farmer’s market. After that, we positioned ourselves along the route and stayed there for a few hours to watch the parade and Mark Cavendish’s last Tour de France ride. Later, we enjoyed a great lunch and a cheerful atmosphere. Predictably, Pogacar won the Tour de France and Mark Cavendish had a rather sentimental finish to his career. I shared both of their feelings that day and went to bed somewhat disappointed that the Tour was over. It was time to look forward to my second week of adventures in France, which included visiting Paris and biking in the French Riveras.

After the Tour

The end of the Tour brought an end to my somewhat relaxed training schedule. I took back to the streets of Nice, in search of flat stretches of the roads to practice by sprints and intervals. I was quickly reminded that flat biking roads did not exist in Nice and was summoned back to the mountains. This week, I biked over Col d’Eze and Col de la Madone twice (one from each side). These rides were breathtaking and ranked the top rides in my biking history. The vistas and views are hard to beat, while the elevation gain is memorable on its own. The latter made me realize why Pogacar is the king of each mountain he embarks on! (He lives at the foothill of Col de la Madone).

Our trip to Paris was remarkable in its own way. Being there two days before the opening of the Summer Olympics made it memorable for unexpected reasons: blocked streets, immense crowds, and a missed train back to Nice! Nonetheless, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Le Grand Colbert, and that was worth it all.

This trip will be forever embroiled in my memories: my first Tour de France, meeting Mark Cavendish in person, biking from France to Italy for lunch, and more… Unforgettably remarkable… 😊

– Yulia Flynn, Hoback Cyclist, July 2024