A huge crowd and a party atmosphere. On July 4, 2024, Dijon returned to the Tour de France, and it was really great! The paths of the Park were dressed in their finest clothes to welcome the arrival of the sixth stage, 27 years after the peloton's last visit to the city. In other words, an eternity…
Everyone played the game, no refusal for a photo
If the final took place at full speed – barely time to blink an eye when the sprinters had already crossed the finish line – the main thing was elsewhere. At least for me. As a local journalist, my mission was to transcribe the event from the inside. Accompanied by my colleague Rémy Dissoubray, I walked the last two kilometers of the race to meet the public (40,000 people). And we were served! From chauvinistic supporters, to funny signs, to the spectacle of the advertising caravan, there were many anecdotes to tell to feed the live content of our website.
On site, the spectators played the game, without ever taking themselves seriously. I have not suffered any refusal to collect a testimony or take a photo. A rare enough fact to be highlighted as there is so much distrust towards us when we practice the sidewalk microphone exercise. Of this day, I will keep the memory of a jubilant crowd, where kitsch was in fashion! I saw an army of Cochonou bobs, a dog dressed in a yellow jersey or even a supporter with “best climber” earrings. In short, holy bread for a journalist!
Supporters from all over the world
This event also allowed me to chat with tourists from all over the world. Scots, Danes, Americans, Argentinians… I traveled all day without ever leaving Dijon! Special mention to the Belgian supporters whose good humor and self-deprecation brightened my day. However, I was very angry with them – Didier Deschamps's Blues had eliminated the Red Devils three days earlier at the Euro football tournament – but they showed a lot of humor and repartee.
We would do reports like this every day, they are such a breath of fresh air! Besides, when do we start again?
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