The old man walked with a cane and wondered where the best spot would be as he prepared to leave. Clermont-Ferrand, a place to glimpse the riders. In truth, the man was in a dire state, and the Tour mattered only because of the crowd around him. French advice were exchanged, followed by a grateful, perfectly rolled Spanish thank you, as another child who came with parents fleeing Spain after the fall of the Republic was discovered. He grew up in France, where his family stayed and raised children and grandchildren who never returned to their homeland because kin remained here.
Many years ago, when Miguel Indurain rode the highways, the parents of this dear elder from Auvierna watched the Tour unfold—French veterans ruling the race, revived among the ancient volcanoes, now young and grown. The parents, then in their seventies, were eager to share their memories with Spanish journalists. They spoke first of what gave them joy: Luis Ocana, not that his rope lingered, and then Peter Delgado, always Perico, long before harden began his long pursuit of tours. Those elderly spectators, nearly eighty, would barely rest when the sun refused to set over France in the early 1990s. They recalled Miguel, talking, loving, recounting years spent in exile, and always a shout of “Long live the Republic!”—not exactly French in spirit.
Marsellesa
July 14 stands as a symbol of freedom, equality, and fraternal spirit in France. It is the day when more tricolor banners flutter on the stage, their colors rising in a chorus. Marsellesa is perhaps the most stirring anthem, its words sending shivers down the spine when translated into other tongues.
This phase marks a time when more French people begin to emerge, because many shops close for holidays, much like Spain on August 15. Beyond watching the Tour or visiting the beach, there isn’t much else to do unless someone craves a long, idle bouchon session or endures traffic jams along the routes to the Mediterranean.
The Tour becomes a kind of release, with public television lighting up the night. It connects with the glow around the Eiffel Tower, letting the entire country witness fireworks. Paris hums with anticipation as groups or individuals are poised to sing the national anthem in unison or solo.
Meeting at the Grand Colombier
There is no greater delight than watching a French rider win on July 14, a feat made tougher by the Tour’s plan to ascend the Grand Colombier, and even more so if that ascent is involved. Tadej Pogacar hopes to wear yellow as his crown.
In recent years, the French have had limited chances to celebrate a home victory on the Republic’s grand day. Laurent Jalabert recalled moments from the Tour on television, recalling past exchanges of triumph and tension when they arrived at Mende airport in 1995. July 14 is a distinct day in France, the Tour’s pinnacle, when everyone yearns for a compatriot to feel like a hero, just as legends did long ago. Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault remain revered figures in the country.
The old man repeated his journey, the cane tapping the pavement, as he searched for the best vantage point. Clermont-Ferrand’s crowd grew louder, the riders coming into view, the atmosphere thick with anticipation. The truth remained that the Tour, for all its spectacle, was still a matter of people—of memories, of shared stories, and of a nation united by sport and history. The crowd’s cheers carried stories of exile and resilience, of families who built new lives in a foreign land while keeping a thread of allegiance to the past alive. The anthem, the parades, the climbs, and the celebrations stitched together a tapestry that transcended borders and decades, a reminder that sports can be both local festival and global event, a celebration of identity and endurance.
On this path, the Grand Colombier climb remained a test of stamina and will, where French dreams could align with the pride of a nation, and where every rider carried not just a bicycle but a lineage of stories that spanned generations. The Tour, in this light, was less about a single victory and more about a shared heritage, a stage where the present meets history and where the future looks back with gratitude to the past. People spoke softly of legends and futures alike, marking July 14 as a day that belongs to the country, to its song, and to every climber who dared to conquer the mountain and leave a mark on the road forward.