From: Joeri De Knop Newspaper: Het Laatste Nieuws (Belgium)
Conclusion: sometimes a little bit ‘traditional’ but tradition is not always bad. In general an excellent organization, worth to be part of the UCI WorldTour.
1) Information on website: www.letour.fr is really exemplary, with detailed stage profiles and time tables, quick updated classifications, a complete startlist, videos and photos of the different stages, an interesting history corner and — very important anno 2015 — a good working live ticker.
2) Accreditation: accreditation system on letour.fr works perfectly. You just need to fill in the first two letters of your name and you get your whole index card. In a few seconds you’re accreditated. In one minute, your car is accreditated too. Fabrice Tiano and Thomas Cariou have your accreditation ready at you arrival.
3) Indication to Accreditation Centre: no problems, well indicated. A lot of parking space just in front of the Accreditation Centre in Maurepas.
4) Live-ticker of the race: as mentioned in point 1, he works perfectly.
5) Working conditions at the starts: no special problems, team buses nearby the start podium so easy talking with riders and other team members.
6) Working conditions at the finishes: easy and quiet, big example for the next Tour de France where the nerves are usually more tensed. Journalists know their job and deserve to be threated in a normal and respectful way, just as they have to bring up respect for the people of ASO at the finish zone, doing their work. Excellent thing that we could frequent the zone next to the podium, to have talks with the riders.
7) Pressrooms: lot of ‘gymnases’ and ‘salles omnisport’, little bit cold inside sometimes but generally more than okay. Catering could be better. We don’t answer or need so much. Some sandwiches are more than good enough. But nothing is really nothing = too little to survive on a whole afternoon. Closing time of the pressrooms may be 30 à 45 minutes later.
8) Distance pressroom – finishes: sometimes the finish zone was a little bit far away from the press room. You (too) often needed to take the car to reach the finish and the team buses, which made you lose precious time.
9) Distance finish – team buses: perfect!
10) Internet, information about the race in the press room and results: no complaints at all.
11) Food or drinks at or near the pressroom: could be better, as mentioned in point 7. Often no big alternatives in the neighbourhood of the press room. Croix de Chaubouret and Nice were some exceptions.
12) Press conferences: daily conference of the stage winner and leader of the race. Good translation.
13) Amount of professional and non-professional journalists: no problems.