You are listening to the cycling podcast of the 2023 Tour de France. Today we're in Puy de

Dormen.

We had an early start this morning, didn't we, Mitch? We were up before half of six and left our hotel in Limoges

while the UAE team member chef was busy at work in his truck kitchen, making breakfast for the team staff and ultimately the riders.

They wouldn't have had to get started quite so early because it's been a real late start to the stage today.

145, they rolled out of San Leonard de Noble and it means it's going to be a really late finish here.

It's going to be well after six o'clock, even if they're on the fastest schedule.

But we've made it to the base of La Puy de Dorm and well what have we done so far today?

Well we drove here and you headed off on the little Chuchu train all the way up the side of the mountain and left me to my own devices to

sort of actually just go and absorb the vibe of the Tour de France. Look it was only 11 in the morning but I cruised up the side of the mountain.

It was 5k to go and I wanted to see how far up the mountain I could walk. Ultimately I was weaving through people already setting up the road.

I got to the 4k to go spot and that's where they had a blocked off. That was it. That's as far as you could go as the crowd.

I just sort of had a chat to a few people around there and just sort of try to understand why they come out to the side of the road here.

What time they sort of left. What their whole daily routine was like.

How to chat to Marcel. Have a listen to what he had to say. I'm standing here with Marcel. He's from Dijon.

He got up here at 9 in the morning. Tell me Marcel why have you come up here to say today. What are you looking for?

The first thing I was looking to was the place. It's going to be more and more crowded here so I have to take the best place.

So just at the base of the pit dome which is just next to us. You have a beautiful sea here. It's good to wait for hours just in the sun.

Enjoy. At the end of the day just 5 seconds of climbing. This amazing climb.

What he said. The rice doesn't start for another 2 hours. You've already been here for 2 hours, 2 and a half hours.

Guess what question is it worth it? Yeah, 100%. You just maybe need one screen here to see the rice.

The screen is a little far from here so we're just going to wait and wait and see the leaders of the race.

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