A few days ago Piet turned 50, and he got a present of a lifetime: the Tour de France was starting in his hometown Utrecht. Piet has been a passionate follower since he was a little kid, so this was a dream come through. The first Tour stage was a 14 km time trial through the city, which was an opportunity to see all the cyclists one by one.
The day was combined with a joint celebration with his friend Jochem, who was also turning 50. Using his house as a base a number of old friends and Piet's family turned up for coffee and cake, and then the whole group left to watch the race. It was baking hot (35 degrees!) and the spectators turned out in hundreds of thousands. It was difficult to find a place along the route, but experienced watchers as we are we managed to secure a good spot. We watched most of the cyclists fly past, and especially for the Dutch riders is was impressive: a wave of noise coming towards us, passing us, and moving away from us. We went back to Jochem's house to watch the finish on television, to start the barbecue and have a few drinks to celebrate this memorable day.
Rohan Dennis, who won the time trial in the end
A cyclist riding towards the Berenkuil
Dutch favourite Tom Dumoulin
German sprinter Andre Greipel
Bob Jungels, time trial champion of Luxemburg
Richie Porte, Australian cycling star
Rafal Majka, the Polish climber
Sebastian Langeveld
Steven Kruiswijk
