Le sprinteur belge Jasper Philipsen remporte sa troisième étape sur le Tour. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Tadej Pogacar, still solid yellow jersey. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

The Laughing Cow set the mood to keep the audience waiting. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Milo and Doran, two friends who came to enjoy the Tour, in search of the Cochonou bob. Free Midi – Axel Dumond

Le passage de la caravane, festif et incontournable. Midi Libre – Axel Dumond

There was a large crowd at the finish of the Gruissan-Nîmes stage in front of the 7 Collines. The temperature above 33°C did not discourage the spectators, who celebrated the caravan and the runners.

It's 1:30 p.m. Four hours before arrival on the ring road. At the Jonquilles level, José Aracide took out shorts and a beret to face the heat. This sports enthusiast never misses a stop in Nîmes. The sixty-year-old, who lives next door, left his TV, on "from start to finish"of each stage of the Tour, to be as close as possible.

French and foreign audiences

A few meters further on, Sonia Caragol has placed her camping chair in the shade of the footbridge. The young woman is "not necessarily" knowledgeable. This is the opportunity for his nieces, nephew and sister to enjoy the runners and the caravan.

It's not just locals. The arrival area buzzes with a multitude of languages. Oystein Hoof Warvik is Norwegian. He took advantage of the stage to visit Nîmes. "A very beautiful city." The former amateur cyclist bets on his compatriot Alexander Kristoff (arrived  third).

The caravan party

It will be Philipsen for Doran. Milo hesitates between the Belgian sprinter and Girmay for the stage victory. It is 2 p.m., the two 25-year-old friends are posed just after the roundabout before the 7 Collines. In front of the giant screen broadcasting the race. Doran, drenched in sunscreen, sports the Krys bob. The Holy Grail would be to obtain that of Cochonou.

16 h 50. The caravan passes, the spectators rejoice. The cars set the mood. Horns, music and throwing objects respond to the applause and shouts of the audience. It’s a joyous battle to collect the goodies. Bobs, key rings or candies, you have to be quick to pick them up.

Patience

The caravan makes the public's mouth water. "It makes the time pass." Nathan Nicolas is there since 1 p.m. In his Groupama FDJ bag, caps and aperitif biscuits. The student stretches out his arms and catches a Skoda bucket hat in the air. The passage lasts around twenty minutes. Time for another wait, the sporting one.

H-20. Spectators definitely choose their positions. Some even get out of the stepladders. On the giant screens, the road to Beaucaire flashes by, then the ring road. The tension rises. The phones are drawn. Noises in the crowd. Fall of Biniam Girmay, one of the favorites, 1.5 km from the final.

The Sound and the Fury

1km before the finish line, the crowd starts banging on the barriers. Spectators count the meters before the finale. The noise is getting closer. The runners pass, at more than 60 km/h. The time to see them was barely a few seconds.

The public encourages all the runners, who arrive slowly. Girmay, with a closed face, is warmly applauded. The edges gradually empty, some head towards the podium.

Hours of waiting, under the sun at over 33 °C, for a handful of seconds. Popular fervor.