Made by the board of the AIJC
– General: compliments for the organisation. The working conditions in the Tour de France were good. Just some small things can be better. Just two days the conditions at the finish were not good: Planche des Belles Filles and Valloire.
– The grey signs pointing to the press room are much more difficult to find than the former green signs. And that increases danger levels because we’re all trying to work out if we’re looking at a sign for a press room or a blank piece of wall.
– Press room and car parks are generally well secured so that you could feel good when you left your things behind.
– The internet functioned well. Only a couple of days it didn’t work out a bit now and then. The price remains expensive. Why not possibility to subscribe to a wifi connection for a device?
– Laundry that is in the press room every two days, is convenient.
– Roundbook is well set up. Only a few times away from the press room to the finish beyond what is written in the book.
– Location press rooms generally good. Only La Planche des Belle Filles and Valloire were poorly arranged. We understand that when you arrive uphill in these places the press room can’t be close to the finish line. In any case, make sure that the press room is close to team buses. Or make sure that at the finish there is a small press room with wifi and TV.
– New rules at the finish with the various zones were acceptable. It’s a pity that we weren’t able to think about this, but were confronted with it in the week before the Tour.
– Many journalists are still looking for a TV screen at the team buses. Some buses have TV outside, but quality is bad. Can organisation do something about this? That way you also keep journalists out of the fences.
– Buffets are generally good.
– Toilets at the press room deserve more attention. Absolutely for woman they were some days not acceptable.
– More needs to be done for us on the hot stages in the press rooms. They know in advance the forecast. But press rooms lack AC and any proper ventilation. In other races in China, they have big portalable AC units.
– The need for TVs beyond the finish line around the buses with BLACK tents so we can see the screens. Than a lot of journ’s won’t also come in the finisharea.
– Also the televisions in the chapiteau in the finishzone; is it possible to put them in a black tent and not a white tent.
– Route book pretty clear in general.
– Good that the total podium comes tot he pressroom fort he final pressconference in Val Thorens. That should be done at all WT-races. A lot of races should follow this example.
– Etappes 1 and 2: Press room Brussels was good. The start was easily accessible by metro for two days. Finish stage 1 was much further than the round book indicated.
– Etappe 3: Next to press room Epernay was a huge parking lot for VIP’s, but it was completely empty. Media had to park cars in the streets around the press room. Not convenient.
– Etappe 3: Beyond the finish line Epernay towards the team busses was a large TV screen. Ideal. This way you could follow the race perfectly and caught the etappers outside the fences while they were on their way to the bus.
– Etappe 4: press room in Nancy in excellent position.
– Etappe 6: Small press room at the bottom of the climb Planche des Belle Filles had no internet and wifi. Shuttle media drivers didn’t know where to drop off journalists. Badly arranged. This has to be improved. It’s the fourth time that the Tour finishs here and still it’s a problem…
– Etappe 7: Press room Chalons sur Saone was further from the finish than indicated in the round book. It’s a good thing that busses were lying between the finish line and the press room.
– Etappe 9: In Brioude it was necessary to be able to park your car near the finish/bus. Walking the distance was too far.
– Etappe 10: In Albi it was necessary to be able to park your car near the finish/busses. Walking the distance was too far.
– Parking press room Etappe 11 in Toulouse was not well signposted. Also the road from the parking to the press room was far and not clearly signposted. For press parking in Toulouse there was also zero warning that we had to remove our cars from the press park by a particular time. Some journo’s got back there at midnight and it was completely closed off, no access to car! If press carparks have an ‘exit this place by x time of the evening’ they should warn us.
– Route from press room to start time trial in Pau stage 13 was hard to find.
– Press room in La Mongie Etappe 14 Tourmalet was fine. Especially since the buses are parked nearby. It would be useful if there would be a shuttle bus later.
– To understand that on arrival at Prat d’Albis there is not enough room for press room and parking press. Distance press room to buses was still quite large. There was enough space to park by the buses. Again a pity that the last shuttle to the top of the climb leaves so early.
– Etappe 16 The lack of air conditioning in the pressroom in Nimes made it unbearable.
– Etappe 17 press room in Gap is fine. And a nice cool press room. Especially in the heat this is no superfluous luxury! The start at Pont du Gard was chaotic and the parking lot was gone a lot.
– Press room Etappe 18 in Saint Michel de Maurienne is situated a lot further from the finish in Valloire. Also because all teams sleep in Valloire is necessary for many to go upstairs. Shuttle bus drivers gave zero indication of where they would pick us up/what time buses began going back down the hill. Here a solution with a chapiteau should have been found. In Valloire there should be enough place somewhere. This could have been better.
– Tignes. Press room fine. Only a pity that Christian Prudhomme doesn’t come into the press room just after this Etappe to answer questions from writing journalists. Think that if you decide to cancel a Etappe, someone from ASO will have to come to the press room to answer questions.
– Val Thorens, excellent press room on excellent location. General press conferences top three were good. It is also important that the top three come to the press room on this day.
– New press room in Paris near Champs Elysées was fine, better than previous ones by a long way in the Hyatt. BUT access to it on foot was very complicated, no prior warnings that metro stations on Champs Elysées were all closed, and signs for press to get there hardly existed. Whilst trying to get in to the press room, some journo’s got completely lost and with all the extra security controls and checkpoints it made it very difficult and stressful to find anything. We appreciate this is one of the most ’security-sensitive’ days and it’s a new press room, but some simple things, like signposts, can be better.