Caravans & motorhomes

The Tour de France remains one of the most popular sporting events in the world, both because of its free and also by its multicolored campervan.

Friday, July 10, it’s nine o’clock. The parked cars are funny on the parking Intermarché with the colors of food brands and automobiles. The excitement begins to take shape long before the fictional start of the 7th stage between Livarot and ferns around the publicity campervan of old 85 years. The Tour de France is primarily a cycling event of worldwide renown. But it is also an event that catalyzes around it a popular non-sports craze.

For 17 years, the Haribo company is part of the campervan that opens the road for cyclists, almost two hours before their passage. It now has more than 180 vehicles. Among them, the German company Haribo, well known for its confectionery and slogan “Haribo is good life, for big and small! “.

With six cars with bright colors and thirteen people in the trailer, it distributes 2.5 tonnes of sweets per day, or 60,000 packages and 1.5 million small bags on the three-week Tour. Five other people animate the start and finish areas. The whole team – except Stephen, the leader of the Haribo campervan also team leader at the plant of Uzes – is hired only for the event. Three quarters remain the same from one year to another.

“It gets worse as summer job,” says Pierre Bauquis, one of seven drivers and also the press officer for the occasion.

“For sixth time I participate in the Tour in the Haribo campervan is probably my last year, I have a twinge of heart,” he says.

While still a student, he had the opportunity to release a month in July for this popular festival. This is also the case of Elise, one of the five distributors harnessed on the car roof. She landed this summer job for the first time. And seems delighted with her baptism of fire.

“There is a great atmosphere in the team, it’s a pleasure every day despite the weather elements. ”
5th place in the parade of brands Haribo does not go unnoticed. From the start in Livarot, 10 h 30, the spectators cheered the two mascots, the Golden Bear and the Hariboy. All employees are connected by radio and follow the instructions of their leader. It warns of a danger or a place where a colony of children.

“We must be vigilant without constantly and adapt our pace,” concedes Peter. “It is not a vacation, safety is very important.”
Especially as children, like adults, take risks to go pick up on the road any bauble.