Rides, late-night pizza and mimosas: how people around the world watch the Tour de France

The Tour de France is a spectacle. It's a race arguably just as much about the watching as it is about the racing. Think to a recent, iconic photo of a Tour time triallist flashing past the dinner party in north west France, complete with gingham tablecloth, baguettes and brie. For those of us without access to front-line spectator spots, we have to find other ways to elevate the excitement of the Tour.

For me, that has historically been “potlucks” with friends whilst living out in New Zealand, locking our phones before recapping the race to keep the suspense alive. The living rooms we rotated through to watch each stage were alive with race commentary and our cumulative “hot takes”. And, it turns out, we weren’t alone.

Over in Oklahoma, USA at City Cycles, people gathered for a big, pre-Tour bike ride last weekend to mark the start of 2025's Tour de France, whilst bleary-eyed New Zealanders took to the Cycling Tom Bike Shop in Masterton, Aotearoa New Zealand to catch up on the race as its riders cooled down post-race on the other side of the world. I asked them what they thought of the race so far.

What did you do for your watch party? How many people came? Were there any new faces or was it a bunch of familiar biking friends?

Caleb from City Cycles: We start out with a ride (both a 21 and 46 mile ride) and then when people get back we have a brunch they can partake in while watching the end of the first stage. Each year we’ve made crepes for everyone to lean into the French theme. We also have mimosas, coffee, and gluten free bread people can enjoy. We move all the merchandise out of the way and have a bunch of tables set out for people to sit, eat, and watch. We have both a tv and a projector that we show the race on.

We had about 85 people come out this year. It was a bit lower than last year, but it fell on the 4th of July weekend, so a lot of people were out of town. It mostly consisted of people that I already knew, but there were a few new faces that came out. Probably about a 80:20 ratio.

Cycling Tom Bike Shop: Our in house Bike shop café stays open once a week from 5-7pm (after hours) so local cycling enthusiasts can have a place to come and watch the greatest race in the world. The coffee machine is on and we offer pizzas and slices to order whilst watching the previous night's stage. Last night we had 20 people attend and it was a great atmosphere and a great stage to watch Pog take his 100^th win. Most faces we know at the store through cycling but a few new people came to the watch party last night who didn't last year.

What did you think of the race (either pick a stage or what you think of the race so far)? Has anything surprised you?

Cycling Tom Bike Shop: I feel [Tadej] Pogačar is the obvious favourite to win the Tour but my money's on Jonas [Vingegaard] as he's had a proper build up for the real high mountains and 4000+m stages to come in the third week. This is also when Pog usually has his "one bad day" and I feel his lead up with many classics has made him unbelievably strong on the flat, but I don't know about the hour long mountains to come.

City Cycles: It was a great stage (Stage 1). I was obviously hyped to watch, even if it was a ‘boring’ stage, but the fact there were time gaps made it so much more interesting.

I was not expecting there to be GC time gaps this early on from the crosswinds!!

Who is your favourite rider? Why? Who do you think will win the overall for 2025?

Cycling Tom Bike Shop: My pick is Jonas to win but not by much. My favourite rider is Remco [Evenepoel]. I think he rides with heart, but with a very weak team which means has to look after himself constantly - but I still think he is a podium contender. I hope to see him win a road stage and top 3 GC this year.

City Cycles: I’m a pretty big fan of Matteo Jorgenson. I’ve definitely got some American bias, but between how great of a rider he is, his brother being drunk in an interview and seeming like a cool family, he's pretty solid.

It seems like it’s Pogačar’s to lose. I hope it’s not a blow out, but I would be surprised if it’s close.

What are your surprising race predictions for this year?

Cycling Tom Bike Shop: I'd love to see our Kiwi legend Laurence Pithie who I (Tom) and our Cycling Tom Bike Shop mechanic Ari rode many races together in New Zealand junior ranks. I think if he got in the right move on a lumpy day with a flat finish he could win a stage.

City Cycles: I think that Milan will get pulled from the race for crashing someone. I think the podium will be Pogačar, Evenepoel, Jorgenson. Vingegaard will crash out. I think [Mattias] Skjelmose will smack Pogi around in one stage like he did at Amstel Gold.

Are you hosting any watch parties with your local bike shop, your ride group or bunch of mates? We’d love to see the Tour through your eyes - so get in touch!