The publicity caravan

Of course the most exciting part of our TdF trip will be seeing our favorite cyclists.  Nathan is a big Andy Schleck fan and I've got a number of favorites including Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden.  It will be cool to catch a glimpse of them during the mountain stages, and hopefully we will see some of our favorites on the podium in Paris.

However, I've heard that one of the most interesting parts of le Tour is the publicity caravan that comes before the riders on each stage.  The publicity caravan is basically a parade that (from what I've heard) takes about 45 minutes to go by, is filled with crazy, decorated cars and trucks, and distributes huge amounts of swag on a daily basis.  Here is a video of publicity caravan to give you an idea:

One survey in France showed that almost 40% of the people who come to watch le Tour are actually more interested in the caravan than the actual race.  While I can assure you I'm not part of that 40%, I'm still looking forward to seeing it...