Top Ten French Cycling Specific French Phases to visit France part 2

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This is part two of the best French phases for cyclists visiting France.?If you missed part one click here. I will not focus on the simple words you can learn on Duolingo.? These are concepts that I learned in France and that helped me when I was in a pinch at the train station or bike shop.? You can get the filler words and grammar on Duolingo.? ?There is a bonus at the end.

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6. La Flamme Rouge – Red Flag

In the Tour du France La Flamme Rouge our red flag kite is the last kilometre of the Tour du France stage.? So commentators will say we passed la flame rouge and for a sprinter stage you will see the sprinter teams lining up and going hard 1000-watt pulls to get their sprinter to the front.? It is one of the best places to watch a stage just be careful as this is where most of the crashes happen especially if it is technical.?

For finish-top mountain stages, the Flamme rouge is good to stand on the side of the road because this is where the GC general classification men attack each other to gain time over their opponents.?

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Tip warning

They ride very close to the crowds and they are flying.? They average 13 to 15 mph up some of these climbs and you are close enough to smell their cologne.? It is amazing up front and personal, especially in the mountains on super steep gradients.? You can see the pain on their faces.? I like to stand on the apex of the climb in a hairpin.? Then you can run up the hill and see them again.

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7. si vour plait – please, je veux or je voudrais

So if you are ordering something you say please.? Je veux is I want…? and Je voudrais... is I would like so Je voudrais un un cassette

or I would like a cassette.? The cassette is the same in French.? Change is pronounced differently but it is the same in English.? Je voudrais un tube or I want a tube in the bike shop or je voudrais change le tube.?

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8. Velo vs VTT – VTT is mountain bike and velo is road bike

If you see a map that says VTT or Vélo de Transport Terrestre then that is a mountain bike course and velo is for road biking.? Also la course means bike race in French.? France has lots of bike trails and they have plenty of maps from tourist office.? The tourist office will say tourism on the front as it is the same in English.? They have maps of the VTT and velo paths to the most famous mountains in the Tour de France

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9. Mettre - to put or to place

Mettre means to place or to put.? I needed to leave my luggage at the train station one day and I was able to say je met le luggage ici.? Probably not the best but he did not understand English and he was able to understand what I was saying and was really nice to me. Luggage is the same in French.? Ici means here.

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10. j’adore le Tour de France = I love the Tour du France

You can say you love the Tour de France and say je visite France pour le Tour du France or I visit France for the Tour du France.? So after you say Bonjour, comment ca va? And they say good you can je visite France pour le Tour de France.? Locals generally will generally appreciate that you enjoy their culture and you are a foreigner being respectful.

11. J’ai faim I am hungry

In French you have hungry you are not hungry.? J’ai means to have so you can say j’ai whatever j’ai un velo.? I have a bike.? J’ai un tube, I have a tube. You can say j’ai faim.? Ou est le boulangère? I am hungry where is the bakery.? He can say a droite and give you directions then you can say je voudrais un gateau or a cake but not too many as French desserts are made with butter and will expand your waistline.

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The Bottom Line

Now you can say a lot just with these simple sentences you can get directions, ask for a tube say you are hungry and greet people.? You also know the difference between a mountain bike and a road bike This is just the basics just to get you started.?

?Bonus

On Sold = on sale

It is completely opposite to the English.? So you will see in the shops On Sold that means it is a sale.? In French class my teacher told me about a student that wanted to buy something in France but never because she thought everything was sold.? Don’t make this mistake.?