TOUR DE FRANCE VLOG 2025 | Caravan, Chaos & Champions 🚴♀️| My First Tour de France Experience 🇫🇷
Hey there! Welcome back to the channel. In today’s video, I’m sharing my experience attending the Tour de France — and trust me, it was wild. This year, for the first time in 20 years, the Tour came through Normandy, including Caen and Bayeux, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see it in person. What I didn’t realise is that cities actually pay to host a stage of the Tour and Caen decided to do it as part of its millennium celebrations. The day before the stage, we arrived by train and drove along the route. Already, the countryside was lined with campervans, fans staking out the best spots. Some of the turns were decked out with flags, especially Norwegian ones, probably cheering on Tobias Johannessen. In Caen, where both the start and finish of the time trial were happening, the whole city was dressed up in yellow Tour de France flags. The energy was building. Then came Stage 5. And wow, so many people. Every field, every roadside spot was packed. I got lucky: I went with some farmers who own land that crosses the route, so we were able to weave our way through the back routes and harvested fields to reach a great viewing spot by midday. We set up camp among a sea of campervans, and then came one of the most fun parts of the Tour, the Caravan. It’s this pre-race parade where all the sponsors drive by in over-the-top vehicles — giant chickens, baguettes, fruit-shaped cars — and throw out goodies. People were going crazy trying to catch freebies — crisps, keyrings, even saucisson. Some had full-on nets and custom-made tools to grab more. My personal favourite? The Leclerc cars, they sponsor the polka dot jersey, and their vehicles were shaped like massive fruits and veggies. Iconic. Most of the caravan crew tours all over France. Honestly, that’s not a bad summer gig! After the caravan, there was a bit of downtime before the time trial, so we grabbed lunch and caught a para-cycling event in the meantime. Then, the time trial began. Riders set off one by one, racing the clock, starting from the bottom of the rankings and ending with the yellow jersey. Each one is fully kitted out with aerodynamic helmets, skin suits, and time trial bikes — everything to cut through the air faster. It took around five hours in total, with 180+ riders going off at one-minute intervals. But it didn’t feel long long, seeing them ride past individually meant we could really cheer each one on. Each rider was preceded by a motorbike police escort and followed by a team car — which made them easier to spot. We’d look for the blue police lights, then match the car number with the rider using the live broadcast on our phones. The name and national flag were also displayed on the cars although honestly, some riders zoomed by so fast you barely had time to blink! As the afternoon rolled we saw some of the biggest names in the sport: Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, local favourite Kévin Vauquelin, the phenomenal Jonas Vingegaard, and of course, Tadej Pogačar — the eventual winner of the Tour. The final rider of the day was Mathieu van der Poel, wearing yellow and also the grandson of French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor. That was a pretty special moment. The atmosphere was electric all day. People clapping, cheering, waving flags. It really felt like we were part of something epic. The next day, I went to Bayeux to catch the start of the next stage. I got there early to explore the fan village. It was small than expected, but absolutely packed. The Tour has been a huge hit in this region. There was merch, a big screen showing the stage, and even a VIP area (which I, of course, couldn’t get into). When the caravan arrived, it was so crowded I could barely see anything. So, I slipped through some side streets and tried to find a quieter viewing spot. The riders were doing a “fake start” through the town centre, just a parade roll-out really — before the actual racing began outside the city. I waited for about an hour and saw all the prep: police, sweep vehicles, and team cars, including EF’s car for Ben Healy, who ended up winning that day’s stage. Eventually, the peloton rolled through Bayeux, it lasted maybe 30 seconds, but it was still so cool to see. After that, I went home and spent the rest of the day watching the stage on TV. All in all, it was such an amazing experience. From the crowds and the caravan the world-class riders, and the local
energy. I’d 100% do it again. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I’ll see you in the next video.
Join me as I experience the Tour de France 2025 for the very first time — right from the countryside of Normandy to the buzzing streets of Bayeux and Caen! 🚴♂️
This year’s tour was historic, returning to Normandy for the first time in 20 years, and I was lucky enough to catch Stage 5, the individual time trial, plus the atmosphere of the departure village the next day.
From the fun and chaotic Tour de France Caravan to seeing the best cyclists in the world like Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, and more — this was one unforgettable adventure!
📍Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Why I went to the Tour de France
00:25 – Trip to Caen & spotting campervans
01:09 – Stage 5: Time trial vibes and behind-the-scenes access
01:33 – The Caravan: chaos, freebies, and flying sausages
02:38 – What makes the time trial special
03:20 – Watching the pros: Vingegaard, Pogačar, Evenepoel & Van der Poel
04:49 – Day 2: Tour de France departure village in Bayeux
06:08 – Riders’ fake start & seeing the peloton
💬 Question for you:
Have you ever watched the Tour de France in person — or would you want to? Tell me where you’d love to watch from in the comments below!
🎵 Music by Pixabay
🔹Steps – RIBHAV AGRAWAL
🔹Horizons – RIBHAV AGRAWAL
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