Reportage
The postcard from the Tour: behind the scenes at the finish line
Audio 01:15
Succeeding in obtaining the testimony of a runner, the main challenge for journalists on the back line.
© Alexis Bédu/RFI
Text by: Alexis Bedu Follow
2 mins
RFI makes you experience the Tour de France differently every day, with the Tour postcard.
Alexis Bédu takes us today behind the finish line, during the few moments preceding the arrival of the riders.
Breathtaking and slightly stressful minutes.
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From our special correspondent in Megève,
The runners are at the red flame.
Another kilometer.
Journalists, photographers, team assistants rush to the back of the line, a space behind the finish line.
Where to go ?
You have to find your place.
💛 Jonas Vingegaard and 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi finish with nothing separating the two.
🇸🇮 @TamauPogi and 💛 Jonas Vingegaard cut the finish line in the same second.#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/EPGxCaRGID
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2022
Philippe Randet, sports journalist for Radio France, is hesitating about the Megève stage:
“
It's a short end of the line so we ask ourselves a lot of questions because we say to ourselves: this is good news because the cyclists are going to come straight at us;
the bad news is that I see a bifurcation just in the middle of the back line where they risk going to the right or to the left and therefore we risk missing them.
So that's always the question we ask ourselves every day at the end of the line: are we going to manage to have riders yes or no, are we going to annoy them, are we going to what are they going to agree
?
Lots of stress, but at the same time, it's nice, the weather is nice, so we'll see!
»
Waiting for the arrival of the runners, in full sun.
© Alexis Bédu/RFI
Behind the line, it's effervescence and it even jostles a little!.
A gendarme tries to contain the movements of the crowd: “
Hey, listen to me, stay on the line, now give way to the runners!
» Eric Lasselin is the physiotherapist of the Cofidis team, he is also impatiently waiting to be able to help his group: «
We are not at the football field here, we are waiting for the runners!
We wait for the anti-doping controls, the numbers, give them a drink, their recovery drink, between the finish and the bus.
It jostles, it jostles, but we try to keep our place, like in the peloton.
»
A shout is heard.
The adrenaline surges and the runners we were following on a screen suddenly appear.
The winner shouts his joy... and the fishing for interviews can begin.
►
Also to be found: the previous postcards of the Tour de France
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Postcard from the Tour de France
Tour de France 2022
Cycling
France