OUR Team Presentation

While the cyclists of the Tour de France finished up their second day of racing yesterday in the Vendée region, the VéloSport Vacations crew arrived in Alsace in time for a special team presentation. A small bar just outside the charming little village of Riquewhir served as the ideal stage. There this well-seasoned Tour team shared their expectations for the Alsace to Alps program:

Sophie Roullois
Support & Massage, 4th Tour de France
“Our day on Courchevel is going to be incredible. It is the first summit finish of the Tour and there we could see the Tour’s first major confrontation between Armstrong and the others. We’ll see what form everyone is in. I am going to try to be as close to the finish line as possible—at least somewhere along the final kilometer. Though it will be crowded. And then after the stages finishes, we get to helicopter off the mountain and that’s always spectacular.”

Katie Philson
Support & Logistics, 5th Tour de France
“The picnic on the Col de la Madeleine will be a highlight for me. Our picnics are great because you really get to feel you are part of the Tour tradition. We will be set up on the side of the road in a beautiful location amongst all the other Tour fans. Our typically impressive spread will include everything from sausages, ham and roasted chickens to regional cheeses like Tomme de Savoie, melons and apricots and plenty of wonderful French wine.”

Michael Ley
Guide and Mechanic, 4th Tour de France
“I am looking forward to riding up, then viewing, stage 8 that goes up the Col de la Schlucht and finishes in Gérardmer. Stages like this are the best because you ride the same route as the pros. It is almost 17K long with an average grade of only 4.4% and I can’t wait to see how fast these guys climb it. It’s a stage that will serve as a warm-up to the mountains and the riders will be eager to test their legs. I really think that we’ll get to see who’s hungry for the mountains.”

Jean-Luc Serriere
Head Mechanic and Guide, 8th Tour de France
“The finish of stage 9 in Mulhouse should be interesting. The last time the stage went through here, there was a 14-man break that managed to finish with a 35-minute lead. That time gap put Stuart O'Grady in yellow and helped Andrei Kivilev to a fourth place finish in Paris. There could possibly be a similar break away this year. We will be there for the finish in Mulhouse and I hope to find a place near the finish line where I also have a good view of the Tour mega big screen. That way I get to be part of the spectator action and still know what is going on along the course.”

Chris Gutowsky
Tour Manager, 17th Tour de France
“I am looking forward to our first full day with the Tour because we have a great day planned. We ride straight from our hotel in Riquewhir and get right on the actual Tour de France course just one kilometer later. Then we ride up the Col de la Schlucht – a relatively gentle climb with incredible views – to a great little auberge where we’ll have a nice lunch waiting for us. It is going to be rocking on the climb with lots of Germans and other crazy fans.”


This is me Woody - the one without orange hair - last year on the Tourmalet. I am just looking forward to meeting as many nutty Tour fans as possible!